Suffragist Sue Wilson Brown

Sue Wilson Brown dedicated her life to improving the lives of African Americans and served as president of the Des Moines League of Colored Women Voters.

Transcript

Although the fight for women’s suffrage is typically viewed as a movement fronted by white women, black women were very active in the struggle as well, mainly through women’s clubs.

Sue Wilson Brown was a prominent political activist who dedicated her life to improving the lives of African Americans on both state and national levels, founding several clubs and serving as the first female president of the Des Moines branch of the NAACP.

Brown was also heavily involved in the Iowa Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, an umbrella organization founded in 1902 that sought to improve the economic, social and civic lives of all Iowans. The IACWC had several committees to help accomplish their aims including a suffrage committee headed by Teresa Adams.

After the 19th Amendment was ratified, Brown served as president of the Des Moines League of Colored Women Voters where she worked for social condition issues and volunteered at the polls for the 1920 presidential election.