Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives and Legislative Black Caucus recently honored the life and achievements of prominent African-American Educator Mary Miller McClellan, organizer/ founder of the Columbia (SC) Chapter of the 100 Black Women, Inc. as the chapter celebrates its 10-year anniversary and milestone of advocacy for women and girls of African descent in Columbia.
Subsequent to her return home to Columbia following a forty-year residence in New York, Mary convened a 100 Black Women’s Interest Group Meeting on February 25, 2012 on the campus of Benedict College. From its inception, Mary, a former member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Long Island (NY) Chapter, believed that the dynamic group of progressive women whom she had invited to join would embrace the vision and mission of this national organization. Following extensive training in chapter development, the chapter was chartered by the national officials from the New York City corporate headquarters on March 29, 2014 at the Columbia Marriott Hotel.
As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, the mission of the 100 Black Women is to advocate on behalf of Black women and girls to promote leadership development and gender equity in the areas of health, education, and economic empowerment. Its vision is to see Black women and girls live in a world where socio-economic inequity does not exist.
During the past nine years, the Columbia (SC) Chapter has developed programs that are designed and implemented to be transformative. The chapter utilizes a mix of community-based activities and public policy change-making activities to address current issues, concerns and needs that impact the lives of a larger target population within Columbia’s African-American community.
