Ida R. Cummings (b. 1867 – d. 1958)
Cummings was an active clubwoman and suffragist during her lifetime. Born in Baltimore, Cummings was an educator and the first black kindergarten teacher in the Baltimore school system in 1897. Active in her community, she was the president of the Colored Fresh Air and Empty Stocking Circle from 1919-1940 – which raised money for children’s Christmas stockings. She was the chairman of the Woman’s Section Council of Defense during World War I and was the president of the Woman’s Campaign Bureau of the Colored Republican Voter’s League of Maryland. She also held a national office in the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs and was identified by NAACP as a prominent suffragist in the movement.
Additional Sources:
Alexander Street Short Biography: https://search.alexanderstreet.com/view/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cbibliographic_details%7C4384849/biographical-sketch-ida-r-cummings#page/1/mode/1/chapter/bibliographic_entity|bibliographic_details|4384849
AAREG Short Biography: https://aaregistry.org/story/ida-cummings-organizer-for-her-people/
Maryland African American History and Culture: https://lewismuseum.org/idacummings/
