Program

National Votes for Women Trail

Subject

People

Location

613 W Ashley St, Jacksonville, FL 32202, USA

Lat/Long

30.3327056, -81.6642471

Grant Recipient

National Collaborative for Women's History Sites

Dr. Eartha Mary Magdalene White (1876-1974), founder of the Clara White Mission, Inc in Jacksonville, Florida, worked to secure voting rights for African American women. She was a leader in African American women’s clubs at the local, state, and national level. White was active in the National Association of Colored Women, the Florida State Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs, and served as president of the Jacksonville City Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs. In addition to women’s suffrage, her activism spanned many humanitarian and civic causes.

In a letter sent to White upon her 75th birthday in 1951, fellow activist, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune wrote in part:

“Your labors have commanded the admiration of men and women everywhere, for you have reached down to the masses, the delinquents and even the derelicts, lifting thousands to decency, citizenship and useful living. … We know of no woman in this entire Southeastern section of the country whose life has been more dedicated to the purpose of uplift, nor whose efforts have been more untiring in the service of mankind.”

White established the Clara White Mission, a Jacksonville social and civic services nonprofit, in memory of her late mother, Clara English White. As of 2022, the Clara White Mission was located at 613 W. Ashley Street in Jacksonville.