Women’s History Month: Henrietta Crawford’s Vineland Story Worth Knowing
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was produced as part of the South Jersey Emerging Journalists Project (SJEJP), an independent initiative dedicated to supporting content creators and emerging journalists from underserved communities across Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, and Atlantic counties.
BY KADAYSHA LITTLE | South Jersey Emerging Journalists Project
CLAYTON — More than a local hero, the late Henrietta Crawford was a New Jerseyan woman who spearheaded meaningful change towards women’s and civil rights.
Her activism, devotion and hospitality can be admired and applied to today. Dr. James E Johnson, a New Jersey based historian, covered the life of Crawford in his publication “Henrietta Crawford: Radical Black Evangelist in Post-Civil War New Jersey, 1842-1917.”
“Henrietta Crawford was a pioneering individual who impacted women’s suffrage rights as well as the interests of African Americans,” he stated.
Crawford created space for herself when there was none. An incident in July of 1894 in Vineland articulates Henrietta’s bold commitment towards liberation.
Women were denied their legally granted right to vote for school board trustees. Crawford chose to fight and not back down. She, alongside several hundred women, marched to the ballot box to vote, despite resistance from Republican Mayor Charles P. Lord.
The encounter was detailed in an account from Frank D Andrews’ titled “History of Cosmopolitan Hall, Formerly Plum Street Hall Now the Auditorium: With Some Account of the Society Who Built the Hall and the Men, Women, and Events that have Made It Famous in the Annals of Vineland.”
“The women-several hundred strong-lined up and, marching to the ballot box, endeavored to vote their ticket…A colored woman named Crawford, who has great influence with the colored
voters, managed to force her ballot into the box and then struggled out of the crowd and jeered the officers.”
Voter suppression is in headlines today, with growing controversy surrounding the SAVE Act or the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. The SAVE Act is an introduced bill that requires specific forms of proof of citizenship for voting registration.
Crawford strived tirelessly toward accessible and inclusive voting systems, regardless of race or gender. Johnson commented on lessons we can take from Henrietta’s legacy.
“It offers the opportunity to understand how women persevered when they were unable to vote,” he said. Henrietta Crawford’s family experienced racially motivated violence and psychological aftermath that followed. Shot and killed, her brother-in-law, Charles Francis died in a hunting incident.
Demonstrations occurred in the Black community, expressing their ever-growing disdain for the prevalent racial violence. Soon after, shooter James Dixon stood on trial in front of an all-white jury and was acquitted.
To follow the results of the trial, Crawford’s sister and wife of Francis, Caroline, was brought to mental insanity. Crawford stood by her sister and community all the while being consumed by grief and frustration. In hardship, Crawford continued her work in activism and spiritual leadership for her entire life.
“It really speaks to who we are and our basic strengths,” Johnson said. “We can look at a person who has to go through that and to maintain their focus. I think that we can look to her as a role model, for continuing through struggle, because we wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t been for the earlier strugglers who have made it possible for us to enjoy the rights that we have.”
Passionate about storytelling and public engagement, Kadaysha Little has been in several roles involving communications since graduating from Thomas Jefferson University. She flourishes in the opportunity to combine voice, values, and vision to make an impact. She can be reached at kadaysha.sjejp@gmail.com
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