1901 - Charlotte Maxeke Founds South Africa’s First Black Women’s Organization

On May 15, 1901, Charlotte Maxeke, one of South Africa’s most influential early activists, co-founded the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church’s Women’s Missionary Society in Johannesburg. This marked the first formal Black women’s organization in South Africa, laying the foundation for future political mobilization and women’s rights movements in the country. A trailblazer in every sense, Maxeke was the first Black South African woman to earn a university degree (Wilberforce University, Ohio) and used her transatlantic education to empower African communities under colonial rule. Her missionary and civic work promoted education, health, and social welfare—especially for women and girls. Maxeke’s organizing efforts were pivotal in the early formation of what would later become the Bantu Women’s League, the forerunner to the ANC Women’s League. Though often overlooked, her work on May 15, 1901, represents a critical intersection of Pan-African faith, feminism, and resistance.