Ida M. Bowman Becks

Ida M. Bowman Becks (March 28, 1880 – 1953 ), also known as Ida M. Becks, was an American elocutionist, suffragist, and African-American community organizer. She played prominent roles in establishing a number of community organizations, especially in Kansas City, Kansas, from the 1910s to the late 1940s.

Life Ida M. Bowman was born on March 28, 1880, in Armstrong, Missouri. She was the daughter of Milton Bowman.

Bowman finished grammar school in 1896, and then attended the Lincoln School in Carrollton, Missouri. She graduated in 1899 as class valedictorian. Bowman then did post-graduate studies in Wichita, Kansas. She trained at the Chicago School of Elocution and spoke publicly at Chautauqua schools

Becks and her husband lived in Kansas City and remained active in the Baptist Church through the late 1940s.