UNPRECEDENTED ACHIEVEMENTS
Anna Arnold Hedgeman was a trailblazer and led some of the 20th century’s most important developments, including advancements in education, public health, politics, and workplace fairness. Anna is most famously known as the first African American woman to work in a cabinet position for a New York City mayor and was the executive director of the National Council for Permanent Fair Employment Practices Committee.
“We will not rest until there is justice in our beloved country and we know that as justice comes to all Americans, it will come in increasing measure to the rest of the world.”
– Anna Hedgeman
A Life of Firsts
Anna Arnold Hedgeman was born on July 5, 1899, to Ellen Parker and William James Arnold II in Marshalltown, Iowa. During her childhood, she moved with her family to Anoka, Minnesota, where her family was the only African American family in the small town. Since she was young, her father always emphasized a hard work ethic and encouraged her to take her education seriously. On top of her rigorous work ethic, the family spent a lot of their time at the Methodist Church in Anoka. At home and church is where Anna learned how to read since she was not permitted to attend school until she was seven years old.
In 1918, Anna graduated high school and became the first African American to attend Hamline University in St. Paul, having been well on her way to shattering glass ceilings. Anna graduated from university with a degree in English, briefly taught at Rust College in Mississippi, and worked with the Young Women’s Christian Association for the next 12 years of her life. In 1933, she became the executive director of the Black YWCA branch in Philadelphia. After successfully becoming the director of four different YWCA facilities, she met her future husband, Merritt. A. Hedgeman, a musician with an interest in African American folk music and opera. They got married in 1936.
Breaking those Ceilings
Anna continued to blaze a path of righting the wrongs of society. In 1944 she was appointed executive director of the National Council for a Permanent Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC). Her belief that permanent legislation was needed to outlaw discrimination in employment was why she accepted the position. In her time there, she lobbied for a permanent FEPC agency and led the fight against employment discrimination at a nationwide level. After a major legislative drive failed in 1946, Anna resigned from the position and became dean of women at Howard University, where she would continue her passion for education.
However, her work in politics was far from over, and soon after her transition, she worked on Harry Trueman’s presidential campaign in 1948. Upon his request, she became the executive director of the national citizen’s committee, where she was tasked to raise funds from African Americans. After the election, in 1849, Anna was officially sworn in as the first Black American to hold a position in the Federal Security Agency, also known as the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
Now thoroughly invested in politics, on January 1, 1954, Anna became the first Black woman to hold a mayoral cabinet position in the history of New York City, where she served under Robert F. Wagner as a mayoral assistant. She acted as a liaison for eight city departments, gave speeches, represented the mayor at conferences and conventions, as well as hosted United Nations visitors to the city. She left the position in 1958, and in 1960, Anna ran for congress as a Democrat, as well as ran for New York City Council in 1965. While both of these runs were unsuccessful, it drew attention to the issues of poverty in the city.
Of course, her work as a profound advocate did not stop there. In 1963, Anna served on the planning committee organizing the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom that took place on August 28, 1963. Her work moved mountains, as it brought 250,000 people to the Lincoln Memorial and highlighted the role African American women had in the civil rights movement.
Upon the March’s success, Anna joined the staff of the Commission on Religion and Race of the National Council of Churches. Her work included mobilizing resources of Protestant and Orthodox churches to work against racial injustice in the US. Anna also recruited over 40,000 Protestants who participated in the March on Washington.
Fighting the Good Fight
Anna remained a fearless advocate for African Americans and employment rights. She was a founding member of the National Organization of Women (NOW) and wrote two books: The Trumpet Sounds: A Memoir of Negro Leadership (1964) and The Gift of Chaos: Decades of American Discontent (1977).
Anna died at the age of 90 in Harlem, New York. During her incredible life of advocacy, she received honors from the National Urban League, NAACP, Schomburg Collection, and the National Council of Negro Women. She also received honorary Doctorate degrees from both Hamline University and Howard University. Her servitude to the American people makes her a legendary and formidable leader, and we continue to see her impact today.