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Moving Forward With A Purpose™
Reaching New Heights
When the New York Club was organized in 1929 by Mrs. Emma Odessa Young, a New York Realtor, she held a vision of a national group of business and professional women working together to create a way of life for all women. Although she became an invalid, she maintained her interest in the activities of the group even though she could not attend any meetings. The members of the New York Club desired to carry out the goals set by Mrs. Young. In the spring of 1935, the New York Club sent letters inviting the Atlantic City and Philadelphia Clubs, organized as Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, to join them in organizing a national organization. A three-day conference was held at the YWCA in New York City on July 12-13, 1935 with a Steering Committee formed to guide the formation of The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs. Members of the Steering Committee and historical Founders were: Emma Odessa Young, Ollie Chinn Porter and Effie Diton of New York City; Bertha Perry Rhodes, Josephine B. Keene and Adelaide Hardy Fleming of Philadelphia; and Goldeana Pearle Jones-Flipping of Atlantic City.
The Mayor of Atlantic City extended an invitation in 1935, at the first meeting of the Steering Committee, for the organization to hold its first National Convention, July 9-11, 1936 in the seaside resort at the Asbury A.M.E. Church. The invitation was accepted and appreciated. The election resulted in the first leadership team consisting of President Ollie Chinn Porter, New York City; First Vice President Bertha Perry Rhodes, Philadelphia; Recording Secretary Marguerette Creth Jackson, New York City; Secretary-Treasurer Sara Taylor, Atlantic City; New Jersey State Organizer Emma Goodwin; and Pennsylvania State Organizer Josephine B. Keene. Thus, the beginning of the National association, with three Charter Clubs from New York City, Philadelphia, and Atlantic City, was formulated.
The founding purposes and goals were:
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To promote and protect the interests of business and professional women and to promote good fellowship among them;
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To direct the interest of business and professional women toward united action for improved social and civic conditions;
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To encourage the organization of subsidiary associations to be called Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club throughout the United States and other parts of the world; and
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To create and develop opportunities for Negro women in business and the professions.
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The membership criteria was business women who were co-owners, managers, or branch representatives of a business two years prior to joining and/or professional women who were licensed, college graduates or administrators with both training and skills or persons engaged in work/employment as a profession.
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