Mary Church Terrell born September 23, 1863, died 1954 In addition to being a leading African-American educator, Mary Church Terrell was a writer, lecturer, and activist. She was a dedicated leader in the suffrage and civil rights movements. From 1896 to 1901, Terrell served as president of the National Association of Colored Women, an organization which she helped to found. Terrell also taught school, and served on the Washington, D.C. Board of Education for eleven years, becoming the first African-American woman ever appointed. In 1953, Terrell was at the forefront of a group that demanded enforcement of a Washington, D.C. law forbidding discrimination in restaurants. The suit went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in Terrell's favor. It was this lawsuit which opened up integration in the District of Columbia.