Marshalltown, Iowa (July 5, 1899 -January 17, 1990) age 90 yrs

Anna Arnold Hedgeman was an educator, civil rights advocate, and writer. In 1973 she was the only woman on the planning committee for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Ms. Hedgeman urged the men to include women in the planning. The committee selected Mylie Evers to speak, but she was stuck in traffic, so Daisy Bates spoke. Despite these struggles, the march was a success. Hedgeman organized 40,000 people from the National Council of Churches to join. Ms. Hedgeman’s first meeting with the South’s Jim Crow segregation laws occurred on a train ride to Mississippi. From St. Paul to Chicago, she rode in the dining car, which was open to Blacks and whites. Yet, the conductor told her to sit in the “colored” car when the train reached Cairo, Illinois. This car was located behind the train’s engine. It was dirty and overcrowded. She was also banned from the dining car.