Mary Ellen Henderson: A Civil Rights Education Reformer and the Reactions She Helped to Inspire

Sarah Macris, Lauren Meinhart, Sarah Rupert Senior Division Website

Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School is located next to our high school, George Mason. As none of our group members went to that middle school, we were naturally very curious as to who she was. We had absolutely no idea who she was, much less why there was a school named after her. When our teacher, Mr. Shumpert, told us the theme of this years competition, he mentioned her name when giving examples of subjects relating to the topic. Therefore, we decided that it would be very good to do our project on her, as we were told that she was a local civil rights reformer. Her works and effects continuously interested and inspired us as we became more engrossed in our project. Our research began with a quick Google search on our starring lady: Mary Ellen Henderson. One of the first sites that popped up was the Tinner Hill Foundation website, which has become one of our most valuable resources. Our search soon took us to the Local History Room at our local library. We sifted through yellow newspapers, faded photos and wrinkled pamphlets, taking notes the entire time. However, Mary Ellen Henderson was still very much a textbook figure to us. On January 27, 2012, we interviewed E. B. Henderson II, Mary Ellen Hendersons grandson, for over an hour. The information we gained from this one interview was incredibly useful and helped in us viewing her as an actual person, not just a name in a book. We are very grateful to Mr. Henderson. We created a website because we felt that we would be best able to present our argument and information in that way. We were able to use words, images, and multimedia clips, which we felt increased the quality of our project. Two members of our group had had previous experience creating a website for the competition, so we viewed that to be a huge advantage for us, especially when compared with the prospects of learning formatting for a different type of project. Also, we

felt that we are artistically and linguistically talented, so a website was a perfect combination of the two. The NHD theme this year is Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History. There couldnt be a better topic for Mary Ellen Henderson, as each of those words describes her perfectly. During a time when both African Americans and women were considered inferior, Mary Ellen Henderson defied all limitations society placed on her. Her disparity study alone revolutionized African American education across Virginia, caused reactions, such as the building of the James Lee School, and reformed the quality of African American schools. In addition to challenging the education situation, she was the first African American to join the League of Women Voters in Falls Church and was a founder of the Womens Democratic Club.