Ella Barksdale Brown

Ella Barksdale Brown (June 22, 1871 – November 7, 1966) was an American anti-lynching advocate, activist, educator, suffragette and journalist. She was a member of the first graduating class of Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Life On June 22, 1871, in Milledgeville, Georgia, Ella Barksdale was born to Jefferson and Julia Lamar Barksdale, both former slaves. She attended college and was a student in the first graduating class from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. After marrying John M. Brown in Georgia in 1898, she moved to Jersey City, New Jersey in 1901. John found a job there working for the Pullman Company. Together, Ella and John had four children: Marcia, Jefferson Barksdale, Mildred, and Miriam.

Besides writing, she was a well-known educator within the Jersey City high schools and surrounding community. She was given credit for introducing African-American studies into Jersey City public schools.

Brown was most involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Circle For Negro War Relief, the New Jersey Civil Rights Bureau, and the National Association of Colored Women.