Sadie T.M. Alexander came from a family of activists, and the gene for fighting back was strong. There was no way she was about to let what was going on in her city continue!
Alexander had already made history with her activism by marching with her sorority to demand Black women’s voting rights. She continued by going into the male-dominated fields of economics and law, and fought for Black families with her groundbreaking research on Black living conditions. Now she was ready to tackle another issue.
She led the formation of a bureau that helped Black families pay legal fees. She fought lynching by using her degrees to serve on a federal commission that persuaded President Truman to include anti-lynching laws in his Civil Rights Bill. Because of her work, many Black families remained intact – and alive.
Alexander worked for decades to protect Black families and build community. Building a strong Black community will require all of us to bring our best skill sets forward. However, as creative and resilient as we are, we already know we can get the job done!