Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry (August 9, 1872 – October 23, 1943) was an American philanthropist and activist. Perry founded the Colored Big Sister Home for Girls in 1934 in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

. With her husband, John E. Perry, she worked to provide better health care to African-American children.

Early life and education

Born Fredericka Douglass Sprague in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, on August 9, 1872. She was the daughter of Rosetta Douglass and granddaughter of

Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 14, 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He was the most impor ...

. She was the fifth oldest child of the seven children of Rosetta Douglass Sprague and Nathan Sprague. She attended public school in Washington, DC, and then the

Mechanics Institute Mechanics' institutes, also known as mechanics' institutions, sometimes simply known as institutes, and also called schools of arts (especially in the Australian colonies), were educational establishments originally formed to provide adult ed ...

in Rochester, New York.

Career

In 1906, she moved to

Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, where she taught home economics at Lincoln University. She married Dr. John Edward Perry in 1912, founder of the Wheatley-Provident Hospital (previously called the Perry Sanitarium), the first private hospital for Black people in Kansas City. She moved to Kansas City to work with her husband at the hospital. Perry became involved in the African-American women's clubs movement. Perry had been a juvenile court worker, and she was specifically concerned with rectifying the harsh treatment of dependent adolescent children of color who were often placed in a state institution for juvenile delinquents until they reached their majority. In 1923, she initiated the formation of the Missouri State Association of Colored Girls, sponsored by the senior women's association. Kansas City was one of the first cities to have such a group. In 1934, with the help of Kansas City Federation of Colored Women's Club, she founded the Colored Big Sister Home for Girls. Fredericka also served as the chairperson of the National Association of Colored Girls. She composed the words of the state song "Show Me"; and the motto "Learning As We Climb" for the Missouri State Association of Colored Girls. Perry also help found the Civic Protective Association in Kansas City, served as a trustee of the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association, and was a member of the John Brown Memorial Association.

Personal life

In 1912 she married Dr. John Edward Perry, with whom she had one son. Perry died on October 23, 1943, at Wheatley-Provident Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri.

Legacy

On July 25, 2023,

Rochester Institute of Technology The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university, private research university in Henrietta, New York, a suburb of Rochester, New York, Rochester. It was founded in 1829. It is one of only two institute of technology, institut ...

announced it was renaming Nathaniel Rochester Hall to honor Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Fredericka Douglass Sprague 1872 births 1943 deaths African-American activists African-American founders American founders Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry Rochester Institute of Technology alumni Clubwomen 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American women philanthropists Activists from Rochester, New York Philanthropists from New York (state) Activists from Kansas City, Missouri Philanthropists from Missouri Lincoln University (Missouri) faculty American women founders