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City of Duluth to proclaim April 13 Ethel Ray Nance Day in Duluth at media event

Thursday, April 13, 2023 | 10:00 AM | City Hall Rotunda| 411 W First Street, First Floor, Duluth, MN

[DULUTH, MN] In celebration with community members, the City of Duluth invites the media and public to an event to honor Duluth-born civil rights activist Ethel Ray Nance.

Ethel Ray Nance was born on April 13, 1899. Her father, William Henry Ray, established the Duluth branch of the NAACP in 1920 after the lynching of Clayton, Jackson, and McGhie. Ethel Ray Nance held positions as a stenographer for the Minnesota State Relief Commission, which helped the victims of the 1918 fires, an executive secretary for W.E.B. DuBois, the first African-American secretary in the Minnesota State Legislature, one of Minneapolis’ first African-American policewomen, and more. She became a researcher of Black history, became involved with the African-American Historical Society; she was involved in the Minnesota Negro Council, the San Francisco African-American Historical Society, the NAACP, the Federal Public Housing Authority, and the San Francisco Board of Education. In 1978, Nance became the oldest person to earn a B.A. degree from the University of San Francisco. She is arguably one of the most important civil rights activists in US History.

The City of Duluth wishes to honor and celebrate the life and work of Ethel Ray Nance. Mayor Emily Larson will proclaim April 13 Ethel Ray Nance Day in Duluth at 10:00 AM Thursday, April 13 in the Rotunda at City Hall. Council President Janet Kennedy will read the proclamation.

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