African American Clubwomen and Interwar Pan-Africanism

African American clubwomen's intellectual and political work in the Pan-Africanist movement remains underrepresented and untheorized. By highlighting the activities of these women, it is possible to conclude that these women played critical roles in furthering Pan-African thought and praxis and were integral to the movement's successes in the inter-war period. Indeed, NACW women were committed to Pan-Africanist principles within the organization and to expanding the Pan-African Movement led by W.E.B. Du Bois. Motivated by their belief that Black people worldwide were united by a shared past and destiny and experiences with White supremacy, they rallied to support the needs of their distant brethren, especially those of women, and to unite these groups in a common struggle. In the NACW, this development showed in many forms, including initiatives by the NACW's chaplain, events by the Art Department, and the birth of the Peace and Foreign Relations Department. NACW members also revealed their commitment through inter-organizational work, including within the Women's International League of Peace and Freedom. Conference in Vienna. Despite the NACW's own financial struggles and organizational troubles, NACW leaders conducted critical fundraising and programming planning for the Pan African Congresses held in Europe in 1923 and the U.S. in 1927. Even when the latter conference did not attract the foreign participants it desired or produced new demands, the eager participation of NACW members throughout the program revealed that these women were some of the movement's most ardent supporters.