Program

National Votes for Women Trail

Subject

People, Site

Location

405 Carlton Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238, USA

Lat/Long

40.685560304908, -73.9710209

Grant Recipient

National Collaborative for Women's History Sites

Formerly a YMCA, 405 Carlton Avenue served as the headquarters for the Equal Suffrage League of Brooklyn beginning around 1908. It was here a group of African American women fought for the right to vote and established a network of like-minded individuals dedicated to furthering the cause of equal suffrage. The organization strengthened activist ties throughout the Brooklyn community and provided a gathering space for women to become involved in the women’s suffrage movement. Many of its members went on to have storied careers as leaders combatting racial and social injustice throughout their times.

Originally founded in the back of a seamstress shop under leader Sarah Garnet, who served as the first African American woman to work as a principal in the New York City public school system, the Equal Suffrage League of Brooklyn was forced to find larger accommodations as the organization’s membership steadily increased and meetings grew crowded. Historians note that these gatherings would feature speeches from members and invited guests promoting equal suffrage and highlight the organizations accomplishments. Dr. Morton-Jones became president of the organization in 1906, and within two years of her presidency the organization would relocate to the YMCA then operating at 405 Carleton Ave.

Throughout its tenure the Equal Suffrage League of Brooklyn would attract a number of prominent activists within its ranks: along with Garnet and Dr. Morton Jones, members of the League included Dr. Susan McKinney Steward, Maritcha Lions, Victoria Mathews and Addie Waites Hunton. Aside from their involvement in the push for women’s suffrage, many of the members of the Equal Suffrage League of Brooklyn went on to become leaders in the anti-lynching campaign as well as other organizations and movements aimed at combatting racial inequalities throughout the country.

This marker is located at 405 Carlton Ave in front of the building that once house the Equal Suffrage League of Brooklyn, which, as of 2022, operated as a rehabilitation and nursing center.