Biography

The Afro-American Clubwomen project (AACWP) began in 1984 within the University of Kansas' Women's Studies program. Karlyn Kohrs Campbell, Marilyn Dell Brady, and Deborah Dandridge were the project's principal planners, with Campbell serving as project director. The AACWP revolved around the collection of both oral and written materials related to "the history and activities of Afro-American Women in [Kansas] social service clubs." The project resulted in four main activities/creations: an assistive booklet for clubwomen on collecting materials and writing histories; public presentations on project findings; a thirty minute program on Topeka, Kansas' public television affiliate KTWU; and an essay that would accompany the "Black Women: Achievements Against the Odds" Smithsonian exhibit.

The AACP focused largely on the Kansas Association of Colored Women's Clubs (KACWC) and Links, Inc., but also included other KACWC member groups, such as the Ne Plus Ultra Art and Literary Club and the Stella Puella Art and Literary Club among others. KACWC, a federation of local clubs, is an affiliate of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, which began in 1897 and was the first such national organization by African American women. Affiliates continue across Kansas centering in the Topeka Council of Clubs. Links, Inc., a national organization with membership comprising of local chapters, organized in 1946, and chapters began in Kansas as early as 1951 in Greater Kansas City.

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