Anna Arnold Hedgeman

Anna Arnold Hedgeman (July 5, 1899 – January 17, 1990) was an African-American civil rights leader, politician, educator, and writer. Under President Harry Truman, Hedgeman served as executive director of the National Council for a Permanent Fair Employment Practices Commission, having worked on his presidential campaign. The Methodist Church and school were both vital parts of the Arnold family's life. Her father created an encouraging environment that stressed education and a strong work ethic. Hedgeman learned how to read at home but was not permitted to attend school until she was seven years old.

In 1936, she married Merritt Hedgeman, a musician with a particular interest in African-American folk music and opera, in New York City. The couple had no children.

Pre-political career For two years, Hedgeman taught English and History at Rust College, a historically Black college in Holly Springs, Mississippi, where she had her first experience with segregation. She worked for the YWCA as an executive director in Ohio, New Jersey, Harlem, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn. All of these branches were segregated.

Hedgeman also served as the executive director of the National Committee for a Permanent Fair Employment Practices Commission, Assistant Dean of Women at Howard University, associate editor for the New York Age, a consultant for the public relations department of Fuller Products Company, and on Harry Truman's 1948 presidential campaign.

Civil rights activism Throughout the 1930s, Hedgeman remained active in protest activities, her militancy resulting in a forced resignation from the directorship of the Black branch of the Brooklyn YWCA.

In 1966 she became a co-founder of the National Organization for Women.

Hedgeman served as teacher, lecturer, and consultant to numerous educational centers, boards, and colleges and universities, particularly in the area of African-American studies. She traveled to Africa and lectured throughout the United States, especially in Black schools and colleges, as an example of a Black hero. She stressed to students the importance of understanding history as a basis to achieve equality. In the 1970s, she frequently spoke at colleges in both Africa and the United States of America.

Hedgeman held memberships in numerous organizations, such as the Child Study Association, Community Council of the City of New York, National Urban League, NAACP, United Nations Association, Advisory Committee on Alcoholism, Advisory Committee on Drug Addiction, and the National Conference of Christians and Jews.

Hedgeman was the author of The Trumpet Sounds (1964), The Gift of Chaos (1977), and articles in numerous organizational publications, newspapers, and journals.

Political career Hedgeman became a consultant on racial problems for New York City's Department of Welfare during the Great Depression, during which time it was called the Emergency Relief Bureau. In this role she investigated major racial issues, including the continuation of underground slavery through the Bronx Slave Markets, as well as studying the living conditions of minorities and encouraging civil service appointments for these under-represented citizens. In this role, she served as an intermediary between Harlem and city hall. She also attended events for the mayor as his stand in when he could not make an appearance.

In 1960, Hedgeman planned to run for United States Congress. She also had an unsuccessful race for City Council President in New York City.

Death After her husband died in 1987, Hedgeman moved to the Greater Harlem Nursing Home in Harlem. She died on January 17, 1990, in Harlem Hospital at the age of 90.

Works

The Trumpet Sounds: A Memoir of Negro Leadership (1964). New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. The Gift of Chaos: Decades of American Discontent (1977). Oxford University Press.