Verda Freeman Welcome

Verda Freeman Welcome was born in Lake Lure, North Carolina. In 1939, she graduated from Morgan State University. Welcome went on to receive her M. A. degree from New York University in 1943. From 1934 to 1945, Welcome worked as a teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools. In 1958, Welcome along with Irma Dixon became the first African-American women to be elected to the Maryland House of Delegates. Welcome served untill 1962. She then was elected to the State Senate, becoming the first woman ever to hold a position in that body. As a State Senator, Welcome sponsored the 1967 "Miscegenation Bill" that repealed the ban on interracial marriage in Maryland. She also sponsored the 1968 bill that prohibited racial discrimination in the sale of new housing. Welcome has received many awards and honors including the National Council of Negro Women award and an outstanding services award from the Tau Gamma Delta Sorority. Verda Freeman Welcome is bestowed with the honor of having her portrait hung in the Maryland State house in Annapolis.

Back

Click one of the icons.

Home Page - Biography - Time line - Sites in Maryland - Contemporary Voices - Additional Resources - Quotations - Student Resources -