Mary Church Terrell: Speaking Up for Equal Rights
How can one person help change unfair rules? Mary Church Terrell believed that speaking out was a start, but she also knew that lasting change took people working together. For much of her long life, she used speeches, organizations, and the law to challenge discrimination against Black Americans.
Terrell was born on September 23, 1863, in Memphis, Tennessee. Her parents had been enslaved, but they became successful business owners after gaining their freedom. They wanted their daughter to have an education. Terrell attended Oberlin College in Ohio, where she earned a college degree in 1884. At a time when relatively few women attended college, a degree gave her opportunities that were especially rare for Black women.
After college, Terrell became a teacher. She later settled in Washington, D.C., where she taught and became involved in public life. In 1895, she was appointed to the city's Board of Education. She worked to improve education and support opportunities for Black children.
- discrimination:
- Unfair treatment of people because of who they are.
- appointed:
- Chosen for a job or position.
- establish:
- To start or create something that will continue.
- activists:
- People who take action to bring about change.
- protested:
- Showed public disagreement with something.
- valid:
- Still legally accepted or in effect.
- enforce:
- To make sure a rule or law is obeyed.
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Main Idea
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Context Clues
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Purpose
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Structure
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is the main idea of the passage, and what are two ways Terrell put it into action?
- 2Why was Terrell's college degree especially significant for a Black woman at the time?
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About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“Mary Church Terrell: Speaking Up for Equal Rights” is a explanatory article reading passage about Civil rights, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (456 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.