The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), founded in 1890, is a lineage-based membership service organization for women descended from American Revolutionary War patriots. While its core mission
has remained consistent, the organization's journey regarding diversity and inclusion, particularly concerning African Americans, has seen significant evolution over more than a century. From early instances of membership to highly publicized controversies and subsequent policy changes, the DAR's history reflects broader societal shifts and ongoing efforts to address issues of race and heritage within its ranks.
Early African American Membership and Segregation Policies
One of the earliest known instances of an African American woman joining the DAR occurred on December 3, 1896, when Eunice Russ Ames Davis became a member of the Old South Chapter in Boston, Massachusetts. Davis, a multiracial abolitionist and a founding member of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society, was of African, Narragansett Indian, Penobscot, and European ancestry, and the daughter of American revolutionary Prince Ames. She was honored with a gold spoon by the DAR as a "Real Daughter of the Revolution" on her 97th birthday, indicating an early, albeit perhaps isolated, instance of racial diversity within the organization.
However, this early inclusion did not prevent the DAR from adopting segregationist policies. In 1932, the DAR implemented a rule that excluded African American musicians from performing at DAR Constitution Hall. This decision was a response to complaints from some members about "mixed seating," reflecting the prevalent racial segregation in Washington, D.C., at the time. This policy came to international attention in 1939 when the DAR denied permission for renowned African American contralto Marian Anderson to perform a concert at the hall.
The Marian Anderson Controversy and Eleanor Roosevelt's Protest
The DAR's refusal to allow Marian Anderson to perform at Constitution Hall ignited a national controversy. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, a DAR member herself, publicly resigned from the organization in protest. In her letter to the DAR, Roosevelt stated her complete disagreement with their stance, asserting that the organization had missed an opportunity to lead in an enlightened way and had failed. This act of protest by the First Lady brought immense public scrutiny to the DAR's policies.
While the controversy grew, American media largely supported Anderson's right to perform. The Philadelphia Tribune, an African American newspaper, criticized the DAR as "a group of tottering old ladies, who don't know the difference between patriotism and putridism." The Richmond Times-Dispatch drew parallels to racial intolerance in the Third Reich, calling the DAR's ban "deplorable." Amidst this widespread condemnation, African-American author Zora Neale Hurston offered a nuanced critique, pointing out that while the DAR was being denounced, the city's Board of Education had also excluded Anderson from singing at the segregated white Central High School, suggesting that both institutions should have been criticized or neither.
A Landmark Concert and Subsequent Policy Reversals
At Eleanor Roosevelt's urging, President Roosevelt, along with Walter White, then-executive secretary of the NAACP, and Anderson's manager, Sol Hurok, arranged an open-air concert for Marian Anderson. This historic event took place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where Anderson delivered a dignified and stirring rendition of "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)." The concert attracted a crowd of over 75,000 people and reached millions more through a national radio broadcast, transforming a discriminatory act into a powerful symbol of civil rights.
Following the widespread public outcry and the success of the Lincoln Memorial concert, the DAR eventually apologized to Marian Anderson. She subsequently performed at DAR Constitution Hall in 1943 and on several later occasions. Eleanor Roosevelt even returned to the Hall to watch Anderson perform on January 7, 1943. However, the organization's exclusionary practices did not immediately cease entirely; in 1945, the DAR again refused to allow jazz pianist Hazel Scott, wife of Congressman Adam C. Powell, to play a concert. It was not until 1952 that the DAR officially reversed its "white performers only" policy, marking a significant shift in its public stance on racial segregation in its venues.
Renewed Scrutiny and Efforts Towards Broader Inclusion
Decades later, in 1977, Karen Batchelor Farmer (now Karen Batchelor) from Detroit was admitted to the Ezra Parker Chapter in Royal Oak, Michigan, becoming the first known African American member of the DAR since Eunice Russ Ames Davis. Her admission garnered international attention, featured prominently in The New York Times, signaling a new era for the organization.
However, challenges persisted. In 1984, Lena Lorraine Santos Ferguson, a retired school secretary, was denied membership in a Washington, D.C., chapter because she was Black, despite meeting the lineage requirements and tracing her ancestry to Jonah Gay, a white man who fought in Maine. The then-President General of the DAR, Sarah McKelley King, initially stated that chapters had autonomy in determining members and that being Black was "very far down the line" as a reason for denial, alongside other factors like divorce or being a "troublemaker." These comments, reported in The Washington Post, sparked outrage and led to threats from the City Council to revoke the DAR's real estate tax exemption.
In response to the public outcry, King quickly qualified her comments, acknowledging that Ferguson should have been admitted and that her application had been handled "inappropriately." The DAR subsequently changed its bylaws to explicitly bar discrimination "on the basis of race or creed." Additionally, King announced a resolution to recognize "the heroic contributions of black patriots in the American Revolution." Since the mid-1980s, the DAR has actively supported a project to identify African Americans, Native Americans, and individuals of mixed race who were patriots of the American Revolution, expanding their recognition beyond soldiers.
Contemporary Milestones in Diversity
In the 21st century, the DAR has continued to see milestones in its journey toward greater diversity. In 2004, Maria Williams-Cole and Arleathia Carter Williams became the first two African American members of the DAR in Prince George's County, Maryland. A significant publication, "Forgotten Patriots: African-American and American Indian Patriots in the Revolutionary War," was released by the DAR in 2008. In 2007, the DAR posthumously honored Mary Hemings Bell, an individual enslaved by Thomas Jefferson, as a "Patriot of the Revolution," which made all her female descendants eligible for DAR membership.
Recent years have seen African American women elected to leadership positions within the organization. In 2018, Reisha Raney became the first Black woman elected to serve as a DAR state officer in Maryland. She also founded Daughter Dialogues, a podcast documenting the narratives of Black DAR members. In September 2018, Sonja Addison, Stephannie Addison-Mudd, and Brooke Addison Moore became the first African American members of the Fauquier Court House Chapter in Virginia. June 2019 marked another historic moment when Wilhelmena Rhodes Kelly became the first African American elected to the DAR National Board of Management, installed as New York State Regent. More recently, in 2022, Sheryl Sims became the first African American woman to join the Nelly Custis Chapter in Alexandria, Virginia, and Sharon Fort became the first in Arkansas. In December 2022, the DAR donated $150,000 to the Marian Anderson Museum for restoration efforts. In October 2023, Johnette Gordon-Weaver became the first African American member of the Williamsburg chapter, a descendant of Anthony Roberts, the first free African American patriot recognized nationally by the organization. In 2024, Regina Lynch-Hudson became the first woman of color to join the Greenlee Chapter in Old Fort, North Carolina, and the first Black female descendant of Colonel John Carson to join the national society. These events underscore the ongoing efforts and achievements in making the Daughters of the American Revolution a more inclusive organization, reflecting the diverse heritage of American patriots.
