Nannie Helen Burroughs

Life & Legacy

Nannie Helen Burroughs (May 2, 1879 – May 20, 1961) was an educator, orator, religious leader, civil rights activist, feminist, and businesswoman in the United States. Her speech "How the Sisters Are Hindered from Helping," at the 1900 National Baptist Convention in Virginia, instantly won her fame and recognition. In 1909, she founded the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington, DC. Burroughs' objective was at the point of intersection between race and gender.
She fought both for equal rights as well as opportunities for women beyond the duties of domestic housework. She continued to work until her death in 1961. In 1964, the National Training School for Women and Girls was renamed the Nannie Helen Burroughs School in her honor and began operating as a co-ed elementary school. Constructed in 1927–1928, its Trades Hall has a National Historic Landmark designation.
In 1913, Nannie H. Burroughs became one of the first four Honorary Members of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. The other three were Mary Church Terrell, Coralie Franklin Cook and Gabrielle L. Pelham, mother of Dorothy Pelham Beckley.