March is Women’s History Month! For the second installment of the “It’s More Than History” lecture series, Dr. Ida E. Jones of Morgan State University talks about the life of Victorine Quille Adams, a prominent Baltimore educator and activist. This lecture is one of three sponsored by the Baltimore National Heritage Area and presented by The Peale. An additional lecture will be hosted online on April 12. All are presented for free. Catch up on past lectures on The Peale’s YouTube channel.

Victorine Quille Adams (1912-2006), a prominent figure in Baltimore, dedicated her life to education, activism, and community leadership. A Baltimore native, she graduated from Frederick Douglass High School in 1928 and Morgan State College in 1940. Initially a teacher in the segregated Baltimore Public School system, she later became a trailblazer as the first African American woman on the Baltimore City Council.

Adams co-founded significant organizations, including the National Council of Negro Women Baltimore section in 1943 and the Colored Women’s Democratic Campaign Committee in 1946, advocating for political engagement and the election of African Americans to public office. In 1948, she established the Charm Center, the city’s sole black-owned women’s clothing store, featuring Project Beauty and Charm to empower women through personal development.

In 1958, Adams and Ethel P. Rich founded Woman Power, Incorporated, mobilizing black women for political action and education. She made history in 1966 by winning a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates and later on the Baltimore City Council. Adams’ impactful initiatives included the Baltimore Fuel Fund, aiding impoverished families with heating costs. Victorine Quille Adams passed away on January 8, 2006, leaving a lasting legacy of advocacy, education, and community empowerment.

Presenter: Ida E. Jones is the Morgan State Archivist. She became intrigued with Victorine Adams during Morgan’s sesquicentennial celebration in 2017. She is a consummate scholar who believes deeply in the words of Mary McLeod Bethune, who stated, “Power must walk hand in with humility and the intellect must have a soul.

“Go back and fetch it”. We must look back to the past so that we may understand how we became what we are. and move forward to a better future.