In the Classroom

Elise Johnson McDougald—educator, writer, and activist for women’s rights

By HERB BOYD

Special to the AmNews

There is a beautiful portrait of Elise Johnson McDougald by Winold Reiss in the March 1925 edition of Survey Graphic magazine that would later in part be reprinted and edited by Alain Locke with considerable more historic importance as The New Negro. Ms. McDougald is rendered in a thoughtful pose in keeping with her status at that time and it’s clear she is a woman of mixed ancestry. Along with the drawing, her article “The Double Task: The Struggle of Negro Women for Sex and Race Emancipation,” is featured and later included in Margaret Busby’s phenomenal anthology “Daughters of Africa.”

Busby’s introduction to the essay captures and summarizes McDougald’s remarkable career. “The daughter of a founder of the National Urban League, she graduated from Columbia University and taught in the New York elementary school system (19051911), resigning to marry and raise a family. She was head of the women’s department of the U.S. Employment Bureau and a social investigator and vocational guidance expert for the New York City Board of Education. She also worked for a time with the Manhattan Trade School and the New York branch of the Department of Labor. She later became the first Black principal in the New York City public school system, until her retirement in 1954. Her writings were published in the journals Crisis and Opportunity and with Jessie Clark she co-authored “A New day for the colored woman worker: a study of colored women in industry in New York City” in 1919.

At the start of this provocative treatise, McDougald posits two questions—what are the problems that Black women face and how are they solving them. “To answer these questions, one must have in mind not any one Negro woman, but rather a colorful pageant of individuals, each differently endowed like the red and yellow of the tigerlily, the skin of one is brilliant against the star-lit darkness of a racial sister,” she wrote. “From grace to strength, they vary in infinite degree, with traces of the race’s history left in physical and mental outline on each. With a discerning mind, one catches the multiform charm, beauty and character of Negro women, and grasps the fact that their problem cannot be thought of in mass.” A close reading of the paragraph may suggest a hint of autobiography, and her own mixed heritage. Although she is listed as Elise Johnson McDougald in the article, she was born Gertrude Elise Ayer on Oct. 13, 1884 in New York City. Her father Peter Augustus Johnson was the third African American to practice medicine in New York City and a founder of the McDonough Memorial Hospital. He also was a partner and organizer of the Pennsylvania Railroad Station and a member of the founding committee of the National Urban League. Cited above is a portion of her educational background that should include her attendance to the City College, Hunter College, New York University, and the New York City Training School for Teachers. (It should be noted that she taught at P.S.

24 and James Baldwin was one of her students. Later she would mentor Olivia Pearl Stokes, the first Black woman to receive a doctorate in religion.) Interestingly, she never received a college degree. In 1911, the same year she retired from teaching (though she would become a principal later at two schools in the city) she married Cornelius McDougald, an attorney and the initial counsel for Marcus Garvey during his trial for mail fraud in 1923. Some of her activities beyond the educational realm are mentioned above, but most of her time was devoted to writing and lecturing, particularly as a participant at various symposiums hosted by the National Urban League. And to list her numerous organizations in which she was a member would exhaust the remainder of the space allocated here. She closed her 1925 article with this statement: “We find the Negro woman, figuratively, struck in the face daily by contempt from the world about her. Within her soul, she knows little of peace and happiness. Through it all, she is courageously standing erect, developing within herself the moral strength to rise above and conquer false attitudes. She is maintaining her natural beauty, and charm Gertrude Elise Johnson McDougald Ayer and improving her mind and opportunity. She is measuring up to the needs and demands of her family, community and race, and radiating from Harlem a hope that is cherished by her sisters in less propitious circumstances throughout the land. The wind of the race’s destiny stirs more briskly because of her striving.” Much of that wind belonged to McDougald by whatever name. She died June 10, 1971.

ACTIVITIES

FIND OUT MORE

Several anthologies, including Ms. Busby’s, have accounts of her career and activism.

DISCUSSION

I am still seeking to find the origin of Ayer in her name.

PLACE IN CONTEXT

She was an ardent teacher and activist throughout her life, particularly during the early years of the century.

THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY

Jan. 2, 1915: Famed historian John Hope Franklin was born in Oklahoma.

Jan. 3, 1624: William Tucker, the first Black child born in America, was baptized in Jamestown.

Jan. 4, 1920: The National Negro Baseball League was organized with Rube Foster as president.

was asleep in his personal vehicle when he was woken by a bullet shattering his window and hitting him in the head. The NYPD stated that it is not known if he was the intended target, nor where the shot came from.

The next day across the city, Ynoa and her dog were shot to death.

On Sunday, Adams and new Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell hosted a roundtable with families who have lost loved ones to gun violence. As families clutching framed photographs of their loved ones told of their ongoing trauma, Adams vowed to address the bloody gun violence, including bringing back the notorious and controversial AntiCrime Unit. It would be reformed, he said, but critics of the unit disbanded amidst the George Floyd protests in 2021, are not going to be easily persuaded. Memories of Amadou Diallo and Sean Bell and other police killings inform an opinion probably not up for debate, despite Adams’ statement that the unit will be reformed, with no room for rogue cops, transparency, and, “We’re not going to do anything in secret.”

Many are strongly in support of the commission’s proposals. Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse applauded the members of the RJC for their diligence and commitment to eradicating structural racism in New York City, and using the charter as the foundation as a means to repair and move forward.

“These carefully considered and constructed initiatives put forth by the RJC must not only be approved, they must also be implemented and fully funded to help eradicate and root out the systemic racism which continues to exist throughout our city’s agencies and institutions,” said Narcisse.

But, at least two city council members seemed less than convinced that the commission’s proposals could accomplish that much.

“I am glad to see these recommended ballot proposals from the Racial Justice Commission, but it is my sincere hope that both City and State do infinitely more to combat racial inequity by investing directly in Black and Brown neighborhoods and resources,” said Councilmember Rita Joseph in District 40 in a statement.

In response, Venkataraman said that there was absolutely more work to do to educate voters on the proposals. She said the commission recommends that the city government reconcile offenses through “deep engagement with communities, clear acknowledgement of harms both past and present, and through employing a reparative frame in decision-making processes whenever possible.”

Venkataraman added that the city should support and advocate for a national reparations program run by the federal government. The case for Black peoples reparations, a system of redress for egregious injustices against enslaved Africans, has been made continuously over the years as a viable way to bridge the racial wealth gap and gained new attention in 2020.

Similar to Joseph, Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan in District 9 said in a statement that the ballot proposals were “a symbolic gesture given white supremacy is literally embedded in the structure of the constitution, the city charter and all laws governing New York City.”

Austin pushed back on that idea saying that the changes the proposals present would hold the government accountable. “Recognizing that structural racism pervades all pillars of our society and is deeply embedded in our nation’s laws, beginning with the United States Constitution, Commission members determined at the outset that equity must be a core expectation, function, and responsibility across all of city government,” said Austin.

Austin explained that if adopted in the city, the commission’s recommendations would attack the root cause of persistent patterns—such as marginalization, wage segregation, overcriminalization, inequities in health and education—that often disproportionately impact low-income communities and people of color.

“Empowered as a charter revision commission, we determined we could not miss the opportunity to put forward proposals to transform the foundation of city government to make equity a central aim and focus, and for which government is accountable,” said Austin. “These proposals are intended to go beyond changing a single city agency’s policy, to changing all of city government to catalyze the sustainable, tangible system’s change our city needs.”

New York City residents still have to vote on the three proposals on Nov. 8, 2022 in the general election. To learn more about the proposals, visit nyc. gov/racialjustice.

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America Corps member and writes about culture and politics in New York City for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/fcszwj8w

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Nominating Committee of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation (UMEZ) has commenced the process of reviewing potential candidates for election by its Board of Directors.

Persons who live or work in Upper Manhattan may be eligible for consideration by the Committee for nomination to CommunityBased positions on the UMEZ Board. Others may be considered for vacant At-Large seats on our Board.

UMEZ is particularly interested in nominees with senior-level skills, knowledge, experience, and relationships in one or more of the following business and not-for-profit areas: (i) economic development, (ii) human resources, (iii) commercial lending, (iv) real estate finance, and (v) technology.

Nominations may be made by mailing or hand-delivering a letter together with the nominee’s resume to the Committee at the address below. Alternatively, you may submit the form provided at the bottom of this Notice together with a resume. Please send the completed form and nominee’s resume to the UMEZ Nominating Committee at the address below. Submissions will also be accepted via email at info@umez.org, or by facsimile at (212) 4109083.

Address: UMEZ Nominating Committee, 55 West 125th Street, 11th Floor, New York, New York 10027 Deadline: All nominations should be received by Friday, January 31, 2022 The UMEZ Nominating Committee will hold meetings on Tuesday, February 8, and Wednesday, February 16 commencing at 5:30 P.M. to interview nominees. The meetings will be held at:

55 West 125th Street, 11th Floor, New York, New York 10027

For more information, call UMEZ at: (212) 4100030, Ext. 204 ________________________________________________________________________________________

Candidate Nomination Form

Your Name: _____________________________________________ Candidate’s Name: ________________________________ Telephone: _______________________ Address _______________________________ City:____________ State:______ Zip code: _______

In which Community Board (CB) district does the candidate reside or work?

— CB #9 (West Harlem) — CB #12 (Washington Heights/Inwood) — CB #10 (Central Harlem) — Other Community Board — CB #11 (East Harlem) — Don’t Know

State why you believe the candidate should be elected to the UMEZ Board: Invitation to Prequalify and to Bid

Rehabilitation and Flood Mitigation of the New York Aquarium, Brooklyn, NY: Turner Construction Company, an EEO Employer, is currently soliciting bids for the Rehabilitation and Flood Mitigation of the New York Aquarium from subcontractors and vendors for the following bid packages:

BP #055 – Cleaning/Laborer (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)

BP #048 – Misc. Metal & Railing (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)

BP #043 –Carpentry (Including Temp Shed & HMW) (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)

BP #064 – Spray on Fireproofing (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)

BP #046 – Paint (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)

BP #054 – Pre-Construction Surveying (Report/Pictures) (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)

BP #056 – Surveying (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)

BP #045 – Masonry (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)

Only bids responsive to the entire scope of work will be considered and, to be successful, bidders must be prequalified by Turner. Certified M/WBE and Small Business (13 CFR part 121) companies are encouraged to submit. In order to receive the bid packages, potential bidders either (1) must initiate the prequalification process by submitting a Subcontractor/Vendor Prequalification Statement to Turner, or (2) must be prequalified based on a prior submission to Turner. (Note: Prior prequalification submissions that remain current will be considered as previously submitted or may be updated at this time.) All bidders must be prequalified by the bid deadline: February 7th, 2022 and initial submission of a prequalification statement not later than February 7th, 2022 is strongly encouraged. All bidders must have an acceptable EMR, and will be subject to government regulations such as 44 CFR and Federal Executive Order 11246. Successful bidders will be required to use LCP Tracker compliance verification software. Note that while this is a New York City prevailing wage project, union affiliation is not required for BP #055, #048, #043, #064, #046, #054, #056 and #045. For BP#055 – Union 79 labor force is required. A Webcast about the above Bid Package/s will be held on January 13, 2021. Attendance is optional for all; the Webcast is designed to assist potential M/WBE subcontractors/vendors. Link: Please join this meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetupjoin/19%3ameeting_NWFmNDViZmQtNzNkZi00M2ZhLWIzYjAtMDdhMTM2ZDQ5YTMy%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%2 2%3a%2220e27700-b670-4553-a27c-d8e2583b3289%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2281be9e3a-0656-4e94-9245fa214eb20ab2%22%7d