Ada Belle Dement
Born1888
Caldwell, Texas
DiedNovember 28, 1945(1945-11-28) (aged 56–57)
Fort Worth, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Educator, activist
Known forPresident of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (1941-1945)

Ada Belle Dement (1888 – November 28, 1945) was an American educator and clubwoman. In 1941, she became president of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACWC).

Early life and education

In 1888, Ada Belle Dement was born in Caldwell, Texas. She studied at Prairie View College and the universities of California, Chicago, and Colorado.[1]

Career

Following her studies, Dement became a teacher at Fort Worth high school for seventeen years. In Mineral Wells, she was principal of the high school and with the support of the PTA and community built a new school for the town.[2][3]

Dement was active in numerous organizations, serving as the Chairman of NACWC's Peace and Function Committee, Senior State Supervisor of Girls, and President of the Texas Federation of Colored Women's Clubs from 1930 to 1934.[4] As Texas State President, she was responsible for starting the State Scholarship Fund; promoted the establishment of a training school for delinquent black girls and a state hospital for black tuberculosis patients; and worked with the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs. In 1942, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Bishop College.[3] In 1942 she spoke on "Victory Through Youth" to the state convention of the New Homemakers of Texas, a black student organization.[5]

In 1941, Dement was elected National President of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs,[6] benefiting from the support of the large Texas delegation in a contested race.[7][8] She died before the completion of her presidency.[3] She was a vice president of the National Council of Women of the United States,[9] and vice president of the Texas chapter of the National Negro Congress (NNC). She was active in national leadership of the Women's Auxiliary to the National Baptist Convention.[1]

Personal life

Ada Belle married a Baptist minister, Clifton DeMent. They lived in Mineral Wells, Texas.[1] She died in 1945, aged 57, in a hospital in Fort Worth.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Winegarten, Ruthe; Park, David (June 12, 2010). "Dement, Ada Bell". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  2. ↑ Wilkins, Roy, ed. (September 1943). "First Ladies of Colored America — No. 12". The Crisis. Vol. 50, no. 9. The Crisis Publishing Company, Inc. p. 273.
  3. 1 2 3 Leslie, LaVonne (November 30, 2012). The History of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, Inc.: A Legacy of Service. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 9781479722655.
  4. ↑ "Texas Association of Women's Clubs". Texas Woman's University. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  5. ↑ Banks, W. R.; Edward, Napoleon B., eds. (March 1942). "The State Convention of New Homemakers of Texas". The Prairie View Standard. Vol. 33, no. 7. p. 4. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  6. ↑ Associated Negro Press (August 8, 1941). "Mineral Wells Woman Elected Head of NACW". San Antonio Register. Vol. 11, no. 27. p. 1. Retrieved June 7, 2020 – via The Portal to Texas History.
  7. ↑ "Texas Backs Ada Bell DeMent as NACW Head". The Pittsburgh Courier. November 23, 1940. p. 9. Retrieved June 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Texas Out to Put Its Candidate In, Against Tradition". Evansville Argus. August 1, 1941. p. 2. Retrieved June 7, 2020 – via Hoosier State Chronicles.
  9. ↑ "Dr. Ada DeMent Guest of Julia Coleman Robinson". The New York Age. December 5, 1942. p. 5. Retrieved June 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "President of Negro Women's Clubs Dies". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 29, 1945. p. 16. Retrieved June 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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