Her father was a lawyer, inventor, and newspaper editor who worked for the U.S. Census Bureau;[1] her mother was a pianist and organist from Ohio,[2] who taught music in Washington, and was one of the founders of the Detroit Study Club.
[7][8][9] She spoke on a panel about "The Part of the Young College-Bred Negro in Race Betterment" at a national conference held at Howard University in 1924.
[11] In 1927, she refused re-election to a third term as president of Delta Sigma Theta,[12] and she gave a radio address from the sorority's national meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio.
[16] During World War II, she was salvage chair of the Howard Park Defense Area, and organized a scrap metal drive called "Give-a-Gun Week" in 1942.
[17] She also organized a book drive in the segregated schools, to send reading material to servicemen overseas.