Hidden Histories of Social Work: W. Gertrude Brown

Originally published in NASW-NJ FOCUS, January 2022.

W. Gertrude Brown (1888-1939)

Gertrude Brown, known as Willie G. Brown in her youth, was born in 1888 in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was an advocate for racial justice for children and women and a major figure in the Settlement House movement of the early 20th century.

Although little is known of Brown’s early childhood years, her education is thought to have an impact on her values and career. From 1906 to 1911 she was enrolled at Scotia Seminary in Concord, NC, a school founded by the Presbyterian Church to educate newly freed Black girls.

After graduation from Scotia Seminary in 1911, Brown became a teacher in the Charlotte public school system for six years. She then entered the social work field as a friendly visitor with the Associated Charities, working there for two summers. In addition, she worked at the Traveler’s Aid desk for another year. Brown was dedicated to service in her hometown, founding the first hospital for Blacks in Charlotte and that city’s Sabbath School Association.

In 1919, Brown moved to Dayton, Ohio. There she worked at the Linden Community Center, first as Director of Girls and Women’s work for three years, then as executive secretary for two more years.

In the fall of 1924, Brown moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to head the Phyllis Wheatley Settlement House. Phyllis Wheatley was established in 1924 by a coalition of Black and white women to serve Black residents and visitors to the city of Minneapolis. Brown was the first Head Resident at Phyllis Wheatley. Under her leadership, the house rapidly expanded its programs and facilities, serving both as a settlement house for its immediate neighborhood and as a social and agitational center for the city's entire Black population.

For many Black residents, Phyllis Wheatley was a safe port in the midst of a racially segregated city. In fact, it was the only place where visiting Black people could stay in Minneapolis because hotels were segregated. It served as a meeting space for Black groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Brotherhood of Pullman Porters, who were not welcome at other places in the city. Other influential individuals who stayed in the settlement house’s transient bedrooms included W.E.B. Dubois, Marian Anderson, Langston Hughes, Roland Hayes, Ethel Waters, the Mills Brothers, the Ink Spots, Paul Robeson, Richard Harrison, and others.

During her 13 years as Head Resident of Phyllis Wheatley, Brown made it a centerpiece of the Minneapolis Black community and a hub for activism. She also combatted police brutality by offering shelter to those unfairly targeted by the police. Under Brown’s direction, Phyllis Wheatley provided job placement programs, childcare for working mothers, and a gathering place for social and political organizations.

While directing the programs at Phyllis Wheatley, Brown took summer courses at Oxford University and met many colleagues who were interested in combating racism in America. In June 1926, she attended The Paris Conference of Settlements, which attracted 250 delegates from twenty countries. Brown was one of about 30 American representatives who left the conference excited about the demonstration of peace and cooperation among delegates from around the world. Unfortunately, back in the United States, even among her white colleagues, she would remain a second-class citizen and was viewed as having questionable ideas.

Brown resigned as director of the Phyllis Wheatley House in 1937 and moved to Washington, D.C. She died in an automobile accident in 1939.