Ongoing Projects

Black Women

Black Women Working Group

Tiffany Greene
Team Leader

Adrienne Scott-Ellis
Researcher

Rachel Quist
Researcher

Sophia Weiss
Researcher

The Black Women Working Group is dedicated to telling the story of African American women who have contributed to the success of the community in countless ways. Their stories are sometimes harrowing and always heroic. They are more than mothers of the Black community. They are mothers of all of Utah.

Some are educators. Others are religious leaders and community activists. They are entertainers and politicians. Are all advocates for change.

This is the continuing research page for the Black Women Working Group

This is a list of women and topics that have ongoing research by the working group. You are invited to assist in the research as a contributor, researcher, or writer.

These are some of our remarkable Utah Black women we are researching

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Taylor (1874-1932) 

Lizzie moved to the Utah Territory by 1891 and married William Wesley Taylor.  The couple began the newspaper Utah Plain Dealer for the growing Black population in Salt Lake City.  Lizzie was the founder and president of the Western Federation of Colored Women and advocated for the betterment of Black women and their families through changes to economic and social constraints.

Learn more about Elizabeth “Lizzie” Taylor at BetterDays2020

Mignon Barker Richmond (1897-1984)

Mignon was born in Salt Lake City and was the first Black woman to graduate from any college in Utah.  She graduated from West High School in Salt Lake City in 1917 and graduated from Utah State Agriculture College (now Utah State University) in Logan in 1921. Despite her college education, Mignon faced discrimination in employment before she was finally hired in a professional position at the Stewart School at the University of Utah in 1948.  Mignon was active in the Salt Lake Chapter of the NAACP, the Calvary Baptist Church, and the Nettie Gregory Center, among other organizations. Richmond Park near downtown Salt Lake City is named for her. 

Learn more about Mignon Barker Richmond at BetterDays2020

https://www.utahwomenshistory.org/bios/mignon-barker-richmond/

Mary Lucille Bankhead (1902-1994)

Lucille was a descendant of the Black Mormon pioneer, Green Flake, who entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 as a slave. Lucille grew up in the rural areas of the Salt Lake Valley on a homestead her father was granted. In 1922 she married Roy Bankhead, a descendant of Nathaniel Bankhead. He was also a slave of Mormon Pioneers. In 1939 she protested a proposed law that would remove her and other Black families from the land they owned and relocate them to a segregated housing district in Salt Lake City. She led a group of other Black women and their families to the Utah State Legislature to protest the bill. It failed, largely due to these women’s efforts. Lucille served in several positions in the LDS Church. That includes the Genesis Group, which was a support group for Black LDS members. 

Learn more about Mary Lucille Bankhead at BetterDays2020

https://www.utahwomenshistory.org/bios/lucille-bankhead/)https://www.utahwomenshistory.org/bios/lucille-bankhead/)

Anna Belle Weakley (1922-2008)

Anna Belle was known as the “Queen of 25th Street” and ran the Porters and Waiters Club in Ogden for many years. The Club was started in the 1910s by her second husband as one of the few places Black railroad workers could eat and sleep.  When Anna Belle took over operations it became known as the finest Black club in the West.  Anna Belle hosted famous musicians as well as local jazz greats.  She encouraged Blacks and Whites to enjoy the club, even when the local police tried to intervene. Anna Belle volunteered with many community organizations and promoted education. 

Learn more about Anna Belle Weakley at BetterDays2020

Ruby Timms Price (1915-2018) 

“Grandma Ruby,” as she was known to her community, was a teacher and an activist. She moved to Layton during WWII and worked for Hill Air Force Base. After the war she earned her master’s degree at BYU and continued her teaching career where she broke many employment barriers in Davis County. Ruby devoted her life to children, both inside and outside of the classroom. She served her community and earned respect through her many social and political efforts during her 102-year long life.

Learn more about Ruby Timms Price at BetterDays2020

These are some of the projects we are continuing to work on:

Open call for photographs or stories relating to Utah’s Black women

Self-guided tour of Black women’s historical sites in Utah, in cities and cemeteries 

Lesson plans for teachers