Collections: Finding Aids
Archon Manuscript Collections Eunice Liberty National Cou... Finding Aid
By Emily Gibson, assisted by Robert Wilkerson and Ashley Davis
Title: Eunice Liberty National Council of Negro Women records, 1961-1991
ID: 01/BAF MS_00170
Primary Creator: Liberty, Eunice W.
Extent: 9.0 Linear Feet. More info below.
Subjects: Beauty contests, Busing, Civil rights, Education, Educators, Elections--Florida--City of Miami, Minorities -- Housing, Nonprofit organizations, Women educators
Forms of Material: Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.), Correspondence, Flyers, Advertising, Programs
Languages: English
Administrative History
In 1935 President Roosevelt appointed Mary McLeod Bethune as his minority affairs advisor in the National Youth administration. There she formed a coalition of 27 national organizations and concerned individuals with an outreach to four million women throughout the U.S., known as the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). The NCNW, headed by Mrs. Bethune and joined by such organizations as The National Council of Jewish Women, the National Council of Catholic Women, Church Women United, the Nationa YMCA, and Women in Community Services (WICS), set a goal to maintain continuing relationships to advance the concerns of women in developing countries and minority populations in underdeveloped areas in the U.S.. Mrs. Bethune served as president from 1935 to 1949 when she was succeeded by other influentual women, such as Irene Straughter, Dorothy Height, Cornilia Glenn, Eunice Liberty and Lillian D. King.
(Information taken from Series 6: Minutes and Policy Documents)
Mrs. Eunice W. "Liberty Bell" Liberty (1904-2001) was born in Kissimmee, Florida to Carrie Gilbert and Pope Watson. When she was 12, she left home to attend high school in Daytona Beach, Florida. In 8th grade, she attended the Mary McLeod Bethune Normal Industrial Institute for Negro Girls (which later became Bethune-Cookman College). She graduated from Edward Waters High School in Jacksonville. She received a teaching certificate from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU, Florida A&M) in 1927. She earned a Masters degree from Columbia University in New York in 1950.
Around 1930, she moved to Miami to take a teaching position. She worked for Miami Dade Public Schools for nearly 40 years and retired in 1969. She taught at Douglas Elementary School in Overtown for 23 years. In 1970, she argued successfully for formally adding African-American History to Miami Dade Public Schools curriculum.
In 1935, Ms. Liberty married King Liberty. They were married for 31 years. They had no children. Begninning in 1950, they lived in the Liberty City area of Miami.
Ms. Liberty joined the National Council of Negro Women in the late 1950s and was President of the Greater Miami Chapter of the National Council of Negro Women from 1970 to 1980. In 1967 she was appointed to the Governors Committee on Education. Starting in 1968, she became active in the Model City Administering Board, at one time serving as Second Vice Chair Person. In 1981, she was involved with the Save the Children Project and Community Outreach Service Summer Program. She was also Project Director for the James E. Scott Liberty Square Project and the Debtors Anonymous Program (organized in 1977), and was active in the Bicentennial Commission of Florida. She was a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc..
In 1990, Ms. Liberty was recognized as a pioneer of the Miami community by In the Company of Women and is profiled in their publication, "In the Company of Women: The First Six Years." In 1996, the Miami Commission on the Status of Women inducted Ms. Liberty into the Miami Centennial 1996 Women's Hall of Fame. In 1997, The Community Coalition for Women's History honored her accomplishments as part of their Women's Hisotry Month celebration. Shortly before passing, she received the Drum Major for Justice Award from Miami-Dade Community College.
Beauty contests
Busing
Civil rights
Education
Educators
Elections--Florida--City of Miami
Minorities -- Housing
Nonprofit organizations
Women educators
Repository: The Black Archives History & Research Foundation of South FL, Inc.
Alternate Extent Statement: 9 boxes
Access Restrictions: There are no access restrictions on this material.
Use Restrictions: Finding Aid (c) 2011 The Black Archives, History and Research Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the Director of The Black Archives, History and Research Foundation, Inc. An image license agreement must be signed prior to recording or copying images.
Processing Information: Original Order was maintained where possible. Series 4: Debtor's Anonymous Program, Series 5: Harambe Brunch, Series 13: Selectees for Man and Woman of the Year, and Series 15: Subject Files are in the original order that Eunice Liberty arranged them in.
