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Contribution #216 of 365
Fannie Barrier Williams
Club Organizer, Educator and Hospital Institution Builder
1890s–1920s
The contribution
How this work helped shape America
Born free in New York in 1855 to a Black American family with roots predating emancipation, Fannie Barrier Williams became an educator, writer and civic organizer in Chicago. She helped create the National League of Colored Women and supported the development of Provident Hospital, which opened medical training and professional employment to Black nurses and physicians. Her organizing linked women's clubs, education, health care and employment opportunity.