Freda Hogan Ameringer (November 17, 1892 – October 4, 1988) was a
socialist organizer in
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
and
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
. She founded the
Oklahoma Urban League in 1946. She was also involved in fighting for
women's suffrage in Arkansas.
Biography
Ameringer was born in
Huntington, Arkansas
Huntington is a city in Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 Census the population was 635.
History
Huntington began as a coal mining town. ...
on November 17, 1892.
Her parents were members of the Socialist Party in Arkansas.
When her father ran for office in 1910, Ameringer took over the daily operations of the ''Huntington Herald'' newspaper.
In 1914, she was heavily involved with the Socialist Party of Arkansas, serving as secretary.
During the 1914 conflict with the
United Mine Workers
The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American Labor history of the United States, labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing work ...
(UMWA) and the management at Prairie Creek Mine No. 4, Ameringer publicized the events. She wrote about how guards associated with management intimidated workers and their families.
By 1912, she was well-known as an active
suffragist
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...
in Arkansas. In 1915, Ameringer joined the Socialist Party's Woman's National Committee (WNC) to work on equal suffrage and organizing women. When women were granted partial suffrage in Arkansas in 1917, she worked to organize women in Huntington on voting issues. Ameringer organized women in Huntington to pay
poll taxes
A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. ''Poll'' is an archaic term for "head" or "top of the head". The sen ...
in order to vote in the 1918
primary elections
Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pri ...
.
Ameringer was opposed to the United States entry in World War I. Around 1917, Ameringer moved to
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
where she worked as an organizer and journalist.
She was one of the founders of the ''Oklahoma Daily Leader.''
In 1930, she married
Oscar Ameringer
Oscar Ameringer (August 4, 1870 – November 5, 1943) was a German-American Socialist editor, author, and organizer from the late 1890s until his death in 1943. Ameringer made a name for himself in the Socialist Party of Oklahoma as the editor ...
.
Frieda went on to organize community centers and organizations in Oklahoma City.
She fought against
segregation Segregation may refer to:
Separation of people
* Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space
* School segregation
* Housing segregation
* Racial segregation, separation of human ...
and "
right to work
The right to work is the concept that people have a human right to work, or to engage in productive employment, and should not be prevented from doing so. The right to work, enshrined in the United Nations 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Ri ...
" rules.
She died in Oklahoma City on October 4, 1988.
Further reading
*
*
References
Sources
*
External links
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Ameringer, Freda
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ameringer, Freda
1892 births
1988 deaths
American socialists
Socialist Party of America politicians from Oklahoma
People from Oklahoma City
Arkansas socialists
American women journalists
Suffragists from Arkansas