This month, Autier Allen-Craft was elected to the position of regent in the Norwalk–Village Green chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in Connecticut. Allen-Craft, a black woman, says the organization has come a long way since its years of controversy related to racial exclusion.
Allen-Craft rose up the ranks in the organization, serving as vice regent of her Connecticut chapter two years ago before being elected to her current, high-level position. Just a few decades prior, she began the search into her family tree that would eventually lead her to membership in DAR.
“I attended Benedict College in South Carolina and I while I was there I lived with my maternal grandmother,” Allen-Craft told theGrio. “I was always interested in why my older ancestors looked they way they did. They were very fair. So I began to ask her questions about who her parents were, and who her grandparents were, and she would tell me as far back as she could remember.”
Before long, Allen-Craft’s curiosity led her to the South Carolina archives in Columbia.
An amazing ancestral discovery
After years of research, in about 1990, she stumbled upon records of her great-great grandfather — a white plantation owner, who was her third-great grandfather. She says after getting over the initial shock, she looked deeper into his ancestry and found that his grandfather, her fifth-great grandfather, had fought in the American Revolution. “He was one of the few plantation owners that would claim his offspring with a black woman,” she said of her great-great grandfather. “Because of that, I’ve been able to trace back as far as I have.”
According to historical record, blacks played a significant role the American Revolution. One of the first “martyrs” of the American Revolution was Crispus Attucks, a man of African Descent who was killed in the Boston Massacre. Black Minutemen fought at the battles of Lexington and Concord as early as April 1775. And when Rhode Island needed soldiers, the state legislature passed a law in 1778 that said “every able-bodied Negro, mulatto, or Indian man-slave” could fight. An estimated 200 men enlisted with the promise of freedom as a reward.
The need for diversity in heritage organizations
Marvin-Alonzo Greer, an educator and historian at the Atlanta History Center, understands the winding path experienced by Allen-Craft. As the descendant of a Civil War soldier and member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War – a fraternal order similar to DAR — he believes the historic exclusion of people of color from such organizations is a byproduct of systemic racism and the “whitewashing” of American history.
“There were a little more than 5,000 blacks that fought for the colonies in the American Revolution, and on the British side there were many more,” Greer told theGrio. He calls the election of Allen-Craft “significant” because of DAR’s history of racism — but says more should be done. “It’s a major step forward, but it hasn’t gone far enough. I think there should be more diversity in all of these organizations. They’re about teaching history and commemorating our ancestors. That’s important to all Americans.”
Founded in 1890, DAR is one of the nation’s foremost service organizations dedicated to “promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children,” according to its mission statement.
DAR membership consists of women who can trace their lineage back to patriots in the war for American independence. Over the years, its members have included Susan B. Anthony, former U.S. first ladies Caroline Scott Harrison and Eleanor Roosevelt, and Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross.
A history of racial issues
DAR has had a troubled history in terms of race relations, however. In 1936 famed opera singer Marian Anderson attempted to perform at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C, which is owned by DAR. She was refused due to a “white performers only” policy (which no longer exists), an action that subsequently led to then-first lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigning her membership in the organization and inviting Anderson to sing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
The moment was a defining one in the fight against racial segregation that would be echoed nearly 30 years later when Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech from that spot.
According to news reports, the organization admitted its first black member, Karen Batchelor, in 1977, but it wasn’t until 1984 that the group amended its bylaws to explicitly state a policy of nondiscrimination. This occurred after a settlement with an African-American D.C. woman, who a local chapter had initially refused to admit.
New beginnings for DAR
“At first, I had some of the same expectations of the organization that many may have,” Allen-Craft told theGrio about joining. “I was anxious and apprehensive in my first meeting. I knew the Marian Anderson story and didn’t know how I’d be received, but from the very first meeting that I attended, I felt welcomed.”
Times have certainly changed.
There is no way to know exactly how many of DAR’s more than 919,000 past and current members are black. Applications for membership do not have a check box for race, and the organization does not keep track of the race of its members. Yet, it is clear the organization has made some significant diversity gains.
Last year, for instance, The New York Times profiled the establishment of a new chapter in Queens, New York with significant African-American membership, founded by a black woman.
Allen-Craft’s story might be part of a trend of new beginnings for DAR towards greater racial harmony.
Are you a descendant of patriots?
Bren Landon, director of public relations for DAR, is encouraged by Allen-Craft’s election. “As more and more black women take on the role of chapter regent, and other leadership roles,” Landon told theGrio, “it reflects DAR’s commitment to the inclusion of, and appeal to, all women who can trace their lineage to someone who contributed to the American Revolution and who want to be active in helping to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism in their local communities.”
In her term as regent, Allen-Craft wants to encourage other black Americans to understand just how important genealogical research is. She will also continue to open up her chapter of DAR to the surrounding community.
“African-Americans have been here as far back as the very first colonists,” she said. “Our lineage goes back very far. I want others to understand that, just like me, they could be the descendants of patriots. I’m not the only one.”
Follow Donovan X. Ramsey at @iDXR