Quiet No More

When 12 Women Became 250: A Story of Rediscovered History

• Carmen Cauthen

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Have you ever wondered about the invisible architects of your community? The women who shaped history without fanfare or recognition? My powerful journey reveals how a simple plan to honor her mother transformed into a mission to celebrate over 250 Black women who built Raleigh, North Carolina, since the 1800s.

What began as a modest reception for her mother became something far more profound when a friend challenged me: "Make a statement. Honor 125 women." Initially doubtful, I could identify so many Black women of achievement in Raleigh alone, and I soon unearthed a treasure trove of hidden history. My research revealed generations of Black women who served on committees, created businesses, became highly educated educators, and provided the essential foundation for community progress—all while remaining largely unacknowledged beyond their obituaries.

I share a revealing story about my mother's political journey. When running for the school board, my mother was asked by Black men to step aside to ensure a male candidate's victory. She refused, ran anyway, and won, bringing her crucial K-12 teaching perspective to a board dominated by business professionals. After her tenure ended, Raleigh waited 25 years before again having two Black representatives simultaneously serving on the school board. Now, I am organizing a dinner where men will serve and celebrate these women, acknowledging how Black women have "undergirded everything that Black men have done"—echoing progressive sentiments found in a newspaper from 1867 that recognized women's critical community roles. This event honors both 195 "elders and legends" alongside 50 younger women carrying forward their legacy.

Ready to discover the unsung heroines in your own community? Connect with Carmen at www.carmencoffin.com and join the movement to ensure these vital contributions are remembered and celebrated. Because after generations of silence, we won't be quiet anymore.

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Carmen Wimberley Cauthen is an author, speaker, and lover of history, Black history in particular. As a truth teller, she delights in finding the hidden truths about the lives of people who made a difference - whether they were unknown icons or regular everyday people.

To Learn more of Carmen:
www.carmencauthen.com
www.researchandresource.com

Speaker 1:

Unseen, unheard. We've lived like that far too long. I'm Carmen Coffin and this is Quiet, no More.

Speaker 2:

So we've been talking about honor and respect and I just wanted to ask you a question what did the women in your community do? How have they been honored? I realized when I was making the decision to honor my mother, I was just going to do a small reception or something for her and I was advised. I had a friend say well, you know, that's not, that's not really making a statement. Make a statement, do something more than 10 or 12. You know, I was on a mom and maybe 10 to 12 other women. She said make a statement. She said honor 125 women. And I flipped out, was like where am I going to find 125 women in Raleigh, north Carolina that were Black, that did things? Oh my gosh, I have a list that's over 250 women now and it's growing. So I'm doing a dinner event in April to honor Black women in Raleigh, north Carolina, not the county of Wake, just the city of Raleigh.

Speaker 2:

From the 1800s forward, I've always been inspired by Oprah's Legends Wall and the fact that she had legends and youngins, because there are people, there are women in particular, who set a standard for us. They did things Generally, they did them quietly, they weren't big and loud things, but there are young folks who have followed in their trails or have taken those examples to break through new barriers, and I'm just so excited to be able to share this history. One of the things that I realized when I was looking about my mom was that there were all these other women that did things with her. They might not have been elected officials, but they were on the committees, they undergirded the community, they were the activists, they did the support work, they created small businesses to help take care of their families, or you know. They just were amazing. And then, as I started, I started to realize some of the women she worked with. She was the young woman in the group and there were other older women who were teachers and educators. And then I realized how many of the black teachers that I knew growing up who had not just bachelor's degrees but master's and doctor's, but they were in the K-12 system and I wonder why they went on to get these advanced degrees and how well were they regarded. And one of my last thoughts has been who knows this stuff? Who didn't go to their funeral and read it in their obituary? I'm not having that. I'm going to tell these truths because these are women who pushed the way.

Speaker 2:

We hear about some of the men, but we don't hear so much about the women. In fact, when my mom told me at some point that when she decided to run for school board, a friend of hers who was a black male was running and some black men came to her and asked her not to run in order to be sure that he was elected, really she didn't pay attention to that. She ran and both of them were elected to the last Raleigh City School Board and the first merged Wake County School Board, and after she lost the re-election bid that she had, it was 25 years before there were two more Black people on the Wake County School Board Black people on the Wake County School Board. That's amazing. Can you imagine if she had made the decision to do what the men told her and not run? There would just have been one point of view for an entire community of people who look like us. And as it was, she was able to change some of the force of how our education system in Wake County was formed and at that time, she was the only person on the board who had a teaching background in the K-12 system and that was important because most of the people were business people who were on the board or they were in higher ed, and so I was so proud of her.

Speaker 2:

Now that doesn't mean that I liked everything my mama did or that we agreed on everything, but I respected her for who she was and for the way that she carried herself and the things that she did. And when I looked around at the other women that she carried herself and the things that she did, and when I looked around at the other women that she spent time with, I respected all of them for the things that they did. And then I realized nobody's recognized them. And I want to be sure they're recognized. So I'm hosting this dinner event where men will be doing all of the. They're not doing all the planning, but they're doing the work.

Speaker 2:

They'll be speaking and talking about how amazing these women were poem, and we'll have a libation ceremony to talk about the importance of women in the community and how Black women have undergirded everything that Black men have done. And I found a newspaper article from 1867, or actually a friend found it and sent it to me that talks about how important women were during that period of time in making sure that the communities were taken care of and helping men to think through things and to be an important part of the planning, and that was in the newspaper. An important part of the planning, and that was in the newspaper. That's not something that we see very often today. And so 250 women, 195 of them elders, legends and maybe 50 who are youngins, who have grown and learned as they have seen these women and this is a short podcast because I won't be quiet anymore about women and their role in our society- You've been listening to Quiet no More where I share my journey.

Speaker 1:

So you can be quiet. Let's connect at wwwcarmencoffincom.