AAA Salutes Nannie Helen Burroughs in Celebration of Black History Month

Posthumous Membership Awarded to Late Civil Rights Leader Eighty One Years After Being Declined

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AAA joins Omega Psi Phi fraternity in honoring civil rights advocate, educator and religious leader Nannie Helen Burroughs (1879-1961) at a tribute sponsored by Project ENRICH, an outreach to Maryland high school students sponsored by the fraternity's Gamma Pi chapter.

A letter from the Library of Congress shows Ms. Burroughs was declined membership in AAA in 1930 for "…not meeting the criteria for membership."  Though research of AAA's corporate archives could not determine that Ms. Burroughs was declined for discriminatory reasons, the nation's largest Auto Club welcomed the opportunity to grant the membership in honor of her great legacy.

Representing AAA, featured speaker Yolanda Cade, managing director, AAA National Public Relations, will present a posthumous AAA membership card to the Nannie Helen Burroughs Project. "It is an honor to award this symbolic AAA membership in recognition of Ms. Burroughs' many contributions. It is clear from her many achievements that AAA's decision in 1930 did not limit or define her, and it does not define AAA, either.  AAA is an organization with long-standing and deep commitments to the communities we serve, and we believe she would be proud to be counted among our 53 million members in 2012." said Cade. "She was a dynamic force for more than six decades in this country, and her legacy is an inspiration to all who believe in equality for every American."

The card will be presented in a shadow box with the following tribute: "As a leading member services organization in which education and advocacy have been integral to our 110-year mission, AAA proudly recognizes the legacy of Nannie Helen Burroughs. Educator, civil rights advocate and religious leader, Ms. Burroughs was a dynamic force for more than six decades in this country, and her legacy is an inspiration to all who believe in equality for every American."

In 1909, Burroughs founded the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington, D.C.  The school is now a national historic landmark that bears her name and continues to operate as an elementary school.

Burroughs also helped establish the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) and worked with the National Baptist Convention for more than 50 years. In 1931, President Herbert Hoover appointed her to chair a committee on Negro Housing, part of a White House Conference on Home Building and Home Ownership.

Also expected to speak are Tom Brokaw, author of The Greatest Generation; Traki Taylor-Webb, Dean of Education at Bowie State and historian of the Nannie Helen Burroughs School; Sylvia Cyrus, executive director of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), founder of Black History Month; and James Wyatt, who has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of Burroughs and her work.

The event is Saturday, February 11, 2012, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., at Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Springdale, Maryland. Students, parents, guests and the media are welcome.

For more information about Burroughs, please visit www.nburroughsinfo.org.

As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 53 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com. AAA news releases, high-resolution images, broadcast-quality video, fact sheets and podcasts are available on the AAA NewsRoom at AAA.com/news.

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SOURCE AAA