City of Baltimore Women's History Month Annual Luncheon

Enolia Pettigen McMillan (October 20, 1904 – October 24, 2006) was a trailblazing educator, civil rights activist, and community leader who made history as the first female national president of the NAACP. She was a powerful advocate for educational equality and racial justice. Born in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, Enolia Pettigen was the daughter of a former slave, John Pettigen, and Elizabeth Fortune Pettigen. Seeking better educational opportunities, her family moved to Maryland when she was eight. Enolia attended Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore and later earned a scholarship from Alpha Kappa Alpha to study at Howard University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in education in 1926. She went on to earn a master’s degree from Columbia University in 1933. Her thesis challenged Maryland’s segregated school system, exposing the inequalities in school terms, salaries, and curricula for Black students. Enolia began her teaching career in 1927 and quickly rose to leadership positions, becoming a principal and later president of the Maryland State Colored Teachers' Association. After the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, she was among the first Black teachers to integrate previously all-white schools. She retired from teaching in 1968 but continued her activism. In 1969, she became president of the Baltimore NAACP, leading critical fundraising efforts that helped save the national organization from financial crisis. In 1984, McMillan made history as the NAACP’s first female national president. Although the role was largely ceremonial, she significantly influenced the organization’s policies. McMillan played a key role in relocating the NAACP’s headquarters from New York to Baltimore in 1986. She was an outspoken critic of the Reagan administration’s policies and led protests against apartheid in South Africa. Enolia McMillan was also a dedicated advocate for higher education. In 1975, she became the first female chair of the board of regents at Morgan State University. Her achievements were widely recognized—she was inducted into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame in 1990. In 2000, a street near the NAACP’s Baltimore branch was renamed Enolia P. McMillan Way. Enolia married Betha D. McMillan in 1935, and they had one son, Betha Jr. She passed away on October 24, 2006, just days after her 102nd birthday. Her life and legacy continue to inspire those committed to justice and equality.