Uncrowned Community Builders

A native of Lynchburg, Virginia, Mrs. Anderson was a graduate of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University). She taught at an elementary school near Lynchburg until her marriage to Mack G. Anderson in 1893, when the newlyweds moved to New York City. The couple had four children and the family came to Buffalo in 1908. Soon after their arrival, Mack Anderson established Buffalo's first black hotel, the Manhattan Hotel.

Mrs. Anderson soon became actively involved as a member of the Michigan Avenue Baptist Church where she became a friend of Mary B. Talbert. They sponsored youth programs and taught Sunday School. As her church activities continued, she was elected church clerk and served in that office from 1922-1943. In the early thirties, she became a member of the Deaconess Board. During the Depression years of the thirties, the church organized a group known as the Prosperity Club, a social group of men and women that assisted in fundraising for the church.

As the years went by, Mrs. Anderson became more involved in the community. She was an early member of the Phyllis Wheatley Club of Colored Women and also became active in the Federation of Colored Women's Clubs. These two organizations sponsored cultural programs such as musical teas, lectures, dramatic presentations, art exhibits, and social activities. A member of the Naomi Chapter of the Eastern Stars, she held several offices and became Worthy Matron about 1932.

Having observed a number of friends becoming ill and needing care, she became interested in nursing. The first minority person enrolled in the American Red Cross Home Nursing course, she received certification from the national office. This led to some part-time volunteer care of local patients in their homes.

An early supporter of the Buffalo Urban League, she was an active volunteer assisting in the promotion of many special events. She also worked in a small community center that had been organized by the YMCA in the Prudy Street area. Mrs. Anderson joined in working with a parents club to encourage the leadership of youth programs and their sponsorship of annual outdoor carnivals.

Because of declining health, Mrs. Anderson had terminated many of her activities in the early forties. She died in 1948 at the age of 81.

Mrs. Anderson is related to two other Uncrowned Queens. She is the mother of Theresa G. Evans, and grandmother of Theresa's daughters, Gwendolyn Greene and Theresa Greene Reed.