July 11 - The Niagara Movement Members First Meet

This Day in History: 11 July 2020

 

11 July 1905

 

115 years ago, today, members of the Niagara Movement met for the first time. This all-African American group of scholars, lawyers and businessmen came together for a three-day period to create a powerful post-slavery Black rights organisation. Even though it only lasted five years, the movement was an influential precursor to the civil rights movements a few decades later. A founding member of the Niagara Movement was W.E.B. Du Bois, who was determined to have his new group oppose the reforms put forward by Booker T. Washington, the nation's foremost spokesperson on Black issues at the time.

 

The group's initial meeting comprised of 29 men, who went on to discuss establishing an organisation to fight racial segregation, while promoting the full incorporation of African Americans into the nation's society. In 1895, Washington had declared that black people should remain in the south and work alongside white citizens. The Niagara Movement opposed this idea, vowing to strive for black voting rights, better health care, education, employment opportunities and civil liberties. Membership of the movement only reached 170, despite annual meetings around the country. A large factor in its lack of support was their opposition towards Washington. By 1910, the Niagara Movement had disbanded, but its principles were continued in the formation of the NAACP.

 

Want to find out more about the Niagara Movement? Click here for more information, or here for a timeline on black history milestones.