Thelma Dale Perkins (October 23, 1915 – September 29, 2014) was an African-American activist. Her maternal uncle was

Frederick Douglass Patterson Frederick Douglass Patterson (October 10, 1901 – April 26, 1988) was an American academic administrator, the president of what is now Tuskegee University (1935–1953), and founder of the United Negro College Fund (1944, ''UNCF''). He was a 19 ...

. She was also a member of the

CPUSA The Communist Party USA (CPUSA), officially the Communist Party of the United States of America, also referred to as the American Communist Party mainly during the 20th century, is a communist party in the United States. It was established ...

. She joined the

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is an List of African American fraternities, historically African-American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The sorority was founded in 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. Alpha Kappa Alpha ...

sorority, the Liberal Club (an African-American integration group), the

Southern Negro Youth Congress The Southern Negro Youth Congress was an American organization established in 1937 at a conference in Richmond, Virginia. It was established as a left-wing civil rights organization, arising from the National Negro Congress (NNC) and the leftist s ...

, and the American Youth Congress. As a member of the American Youth Congress she went to the White House for "chats" sponsored by First Lady

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

to discuss the issues facing young people. She graduated from

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

in 1936. She worked for E. Franklin Frasier on a

National Youth Administration The National Youth Administration (NYA) was a New Deal agency sponsored by Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt during his presidency. It focused on providing work and education for Americans between the ages of 16 and 25. ...

Fellowship. She later worked for the government but resigned, instead becoming National Secretary of the

National Negro Congress In African-American history, the National Negro Congress (NNC; 1936–ca. 1946) was an African-American organization formed in 1936 at Howard University as a broadly based coalition organization with the goal of fighting for Black liberation; it ...

. In 1945 she attended the founding meeting of the

Women's International Democratic Federation The Women's International Democratic Federation (WIDF) is an international women's rights organization. Established in 1945, it was most active during the Cold War when, according to historian Francisca de Haan, it was "the largest and probably ...

, held in Paris. She was friends with

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

and his wife

Eslanda Robeson Eslanda "Essie" Cardozo Goode Robeson (December 15, 1895 – December 13, 1965) was an American anthropologist, author, actress, and civil rights activist. She was the wife and business manager of performer Paul Robeson. Biography Early ye ...

, and worked as managing editor for Paul's ''

Freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...

'' newspaper, and was involved in a campaign to get his passport restored. She wrote a tribute to Paul Robeson in the book ''Paul Robeson: The Great Forerunner'' (1998), by the editors of Freedomways. She was a manager of community relations for CIBA-GEIGY Corporation, where she initiated and developed the "Exceptional Black Scientist" series, which was nationally recognized. She married Lawrence Rickman Perkins Jr., in 1957, and adopted two children, Lawrence and Patrice.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Thelma Dale 1915 births 2014 deaths African-American activists American civil rights activists American women civil rights activists Howard University alumni 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people Women's International Democratic Federation people

Further reading

References