A Spark in the City: The Birth of NANBPWC, Inc.

A Spark in the City: The Birth of NANBPWC, Inc.

In the heart of bustling 1930s New York City, amid the roaring sounds of progress and the whispered dreams of Black professionals yearning for unity, one woman dared to dream bigger.

She didn’t want another local meeting. She wanted a movement.

In 1934, Emma Odessa Young lit the match. She began planting the seeds for something far greater than a single club — she envisioned a national force, a network of strong, intelligent, fearless Black business and professional women who would lift as they climbed.

One year later, her vision caught fire.

Ollie Chinn Porter, president of the New York Club and a powerhouse in her own right, took up the torch. With grace and strategy, she reached out to like-minded clubs across the country — rallying ambitious women from Philadelphia, Atlantic City, and beyond.

Together, they answered the call.

Joining forces were seven dynamic founders:

• Emma Odessa Young

• Ollie Chinn Porter

• Effie Diton of New York City

• Bertha Perry Rhodes

• Josephine B. Keene

• Adelaide Flemming of Philadelphia

• Goldeana Pearle Flipping of Atlantic City

Each woman brought fire, brilliance, and purpose to the table — and in July of 1936, they made history.

Under the summer sun, the first national convention was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at the Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church on Arctic Avenue. The air crackled with energy as ideas were shared, hands were shaken, and the foundations of a new legacy were laid brick by brick.

From those sacred walls emerged not just a new organization — but a movement with a mission: to promote and protect the interests of Black business and professional women, to encourage leadership, and to empower the next generation.

Ollie Chinn Porter was elected the first national president, and the NANBPWC, Inc. was born.

What started as a dream in the mind of a New York realtor had transformed into a beacon of excellence, courage, and sisterhood that would echo through generations.

And it all began with a simple yet powerful idea — that together, Black women could shape the future.