Madie Hall Xuma

Madie Hall Xuma (3June 189410September 1982) was an African American educator and social activist who emigrated to South Africa. She was called a 'mother of the nation'. Her husband, A. B. Xuma, was a president of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1940 to 1949.

Early life and education Xuma was born Madie Beatrice Hall in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1894. Xuma was one of four children of H. H. Hall, the only African-American medical doctor in the Winston-Salem at the time, and his wife Ginny Cowan Hall who was a real estate entrepreneur. At first, she intended to become a medical doctor like her father and her brother. She was admitted in Howard University College of Medicine after finishing normal school training at Shaw University.

Life after meeting A. B. Xuma She was still studying towards a master's degree in education at Columbia University when she met the widowed Alfred Bitini Xuma who was visiting United States in 1937–1938. Despite her aching interest to depart to South Africa, her scheduled embarkation on 5 October 1939 was delayed indefinitely because of the war. Because of a suggestion from her husband, Xuma went on to study social work at Atlanta University to wait for the embarkation.

Soon after her arrival, she produced a popular musical about the advancement of African American life to South African people and proposed a follow-up play entitled The Green Pastures about black liberation. During the 1940s, she often gave speeches about the history of slavery and the use of brainwashing to make black people believe that they are inferior and accept their servant status. These talks were usually given to groups, such as the Bantu Nurses Association and Daughters of Africa. She also created a play to gather funds for the ANC entitled American Negro Review: The Progress of a Race which based on a play in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with a cast that included Marion Anderson. This play was popular and raised over £200 for the ANC. She was elected as president of the national council of the South African Young Women's Christian Association on 1955.