Elna Spaulding

Elna Virginia Bridgeforth Spaulding (née Bridgeforth; January 23, 1909 – January 7, 2007) was an American civic leader and politician. She served on the Board of Commissioners for Durham County from 1974 to 1984, the first African American woman to do so.

Elna Spaulding
Member of the Durham County Board of Commissioners
In office
1974–1984
Personal details
Born
Elna Virginia Bridgeforth

(1909-01-23)January 23, 1909
Tuskegee, Alabama, U.S.
DiedJanuary 7, 2007(2007-01-07) (aged 97)
Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Asa T. Spaulding
​
​
(m. 1933; died 1990)​
Children4, including Kenneth
Parents
  • George Ruffin Bridgeforth
  • Datie Miller
EducationTalladega College (MusB)

Early life and education

Elna Virginia Bridgeforth was born on January 23, 1909, at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama.[1][2] She was the daughter of George Ruffin Bridgeforth, a dairy farmer on the faculty of Tuskegee,[3] and Datie Bridgeforth (née Miller).[1][4] Bridgeforth attended Trinity High School in Athens, Alabama, graduating in 1926, and earned the Bachelor of Music degree from Talladega College in 1930.[1]

After graduating from Talladega, Bridgeforth moved to Durham, North Carolina in 1930 to teach music in Durham's public schools.[2][5] She taught for a year before she became the head of the music department at Winston-Salem Teachers College from 1931 to 1933.[1][5] Bridgeforth married Asa T. Spaulding in 1933.[1]

Women-in-Action for the Prevention of Violence and its Causes

In September 1968, Spaulding founded Women-in-Action for the Prevention of Violence and its Causes, a nonprofit, inter-racial organization in Durham.[6][7] She served as the organization's first president until 1974, when she ran for the Durham County Board of Commissioners.[1] The organization worked to ease racial tensions in the community and its work led to court-ordered school integration in 1970.[6]

In 1991, Women-in-Action established the annual Elna B. Spaulding Founder's Award.[8] The award's second recipient was Spaulding's fellow Durham county commissioner Josephine Dobbs Clement.[9]

Durham County Board of Commissioners

Spaulding was first elected to the Durham County Board of Commissioners in 1974.[2] Spaulding received the most votes out of the five Democrats and four Republicans in the race; the top five vote getters were elected to the board.[10][11] She was the first African American woman elected to the board.[5][12] Spaulding was re-elected for four additional two-year terms to the Board of Commissioners, serving until her retirement in 1984.[13]

Duke University honored Spaulding with the William C. Friday Award in Moral Leadership in 2001.[14]

Personal life and legacy

Elna Bridgeforth and Asa T. Spaulding were married on June 24, 1933. They had four children: Asa T. Jr., Patricia Ann, Aaron Lowery, and Kenneth Bridgeforth.[1] Asa Spaulding Sr. died in 1990. She died on January 7, 2007, in Durham, at the age of 97.[2] One of her grandchildren is blogger, columnist, and activist Pam Spaulding.[15][16] The Elna B. Spaulding Conflict Resolution Center in Durham is named for her.[17]

References
  1. "Asa and Elna Spaulding papers, 1909-1997 and undated, bulk 1935-1983". Archives & Manuscripts. Duke University Libraries. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  2. Ferreri, Eric (January 9, 2007). "Durham's Elna Spaulding, 97, dies". The News & Observer. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  3. "Bridgeforth Rites Held on Tuesday". The Tuskegee Herald. February 8, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved January 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Estrin, James (November 6, 2019). "Surviving Droughts, Tornadoes and Racism". The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  5. Vann 2017, p. 68.
  6. "Women-In-Action for the Prevention of Violence and Its Causes, Inc. Durham Chapter Records". Collections & Archives. Duke University Libraries. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  7. Greene, Christina (1996). ""In the Best Interest of the Total Community"?: Women-in-Action and the Problems of Building Interracial, Cross-Class Alliances in Durham, North Carolina, 1968-1975". Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies. 16 (2/3): 190–217. doi:10.2307/3346808. ISSN 0160-9009.
  8. Cohen, Marla (March 31, 1993). "Women-in-Action Celebrates 25 Years; Group Targets Roots of Violence". The News and Observer. p. 27. Retrieved January 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Kauffman, Susan (April 16, 1992). "Durham Organization Honors Advocate for the Poor". The News and Observer. p. 67. Retrieved January 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "General" (PDF). Durham County Board of Elections. November 5, 1974. p. 9. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  11. "Indy endorsements 2004". Indy Week. October 20, 2004. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  12. Greene, Christina (2005). Our Separate Ways: Women and the Black Freedom Movement in Durham, North Carolina. Univ of North Carolina Press. pp. 226–227. ISBN 978-0-8078-5600-0.
  13. Anderson 2011, p. 453.
  14. "Elna B. Spaulding to Receive Duke Honor". The News and Observer. November 17, 2001. pp. B9. Retrieved January 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Vargas, Jose Antonio (February 24, 2009). "Bloggers Are Changing the Way the Gay Rights Movement Communicates". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  16. Spaulding, Pam (December 25, 2009). "Recording family legacy: a history and photo tour of "my Durham" for my nephew". Raw Story - Celebrating 16 Years of Independent Journalism. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  17. Elna B. Spaulding Conflict Resolution Center, Bull City Online Resource Guide.

Bibliography
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