National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is a civil rights organization in the United States. It works to help improve the lives of African American women, their families, and their communities. NCNW was the first national coalition of African American women’s organizations. The group works through advocacy and community-based programming in the United States and several African countries.
NCNW was founded in 1935 by the African American educator Mary McLeod Bethune. It was founded when Bethune called together 28 women who led various national organizations to propose that they create a “national organization of national organizations.” In the 1940’s, NCNW sought to increase women’s participation in the U.S. armed forces. Influence by NCNW and other groups resulted in the establishment of a Fair Employment Practices Committee in 1941. This U.S. government committee investigated discrimination in defense factories preparing for World War II (1939-1945).
One of NCNW’s most notable leaders was Dorothy Height. She served as president of NCNW from 1957 to 1997. Under Height’s leadership, NCNW became an influential national women’s organization in the civil rights movement.
NCNW has thousands of members. It consists of about 40 affiliated national African American women’s organizations and hundreds of community-based sections. The headquarters of NCNW are in Washington, D.C.
