Mary Eliza Church Terrell was an African American social activist, educator, writer and early advocate for women’s suffrage and civil rights.

Terrell received her Bachelor’s & Master’s degrees from Oberlin College, taught languages at Wilberforce University, and moved to Washington, DC in 1887 to teach at the M Street Colored High School.

Terrell was an active member of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, addressing in particular the concerns of black women. She campaigned tirelessly speaking and writing for woman suffrage and civil rights.

In 1895 she became the first black woman appointed to the Washington D.C. Board of Education.

In 1896, she was named the first president of the National Association of Colored Women (NACW). Suffrage was a primary focus of NACW and Terrell believed that real change would only be achieved once women had the vote. Her words – “Lifting as we climb”- became their motto.

In 1909, she was a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. (NAACP).

About the Artist – 

Susan kae Grant is an inventive and influential lens-based artist, educator, and early proponent of photographic book arts. Her work is collected and exhibited in museums, galleries and private collections.

With an interest in art and science, Grant uses the shadow as metaphor to create fabricated narratives that explore dreams, memory and the unconscious.

Grant has a long history of presenting lectures, workshops and exhibitions throughout the United States and internationally, including the United States, Canada, China, Europe, Australia, British Columbia, Africa, Guatemala, and Japan.

In 2018 she was named Cornaro Professor of Visual Art, Emerita at Texas Woman’s University where she served as head of Photography & Book Arts from 1981-2017.