Ladies of the Montana Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs gather at Great Falls’ Union Bethel AME Church.
Marie Dutrieuille Ellis founded the Dunbar Art and Study Club in Great Falls in 1920 as a “fellowship of women whose aim it is to further education, to broaden contact, and work in unity for the community.” Similar clubs existed in Helena, Billings, and Butte, and in 1921, they banded together to establish the Montana Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs. The federation promoted racial self-help and raising the standards of women and families to counter prejudice. The National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs motto, “lifting as we climb” reflects the commitment to improve the welfare of all black people, regardless of class, region, religion, or educational level.
| Date: Circa 1956 | Source: Montana Historical Society Photo Archives, #96-25.20. | Rights: https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/?language=en