Baltimore Civil Rights Leader Victorine Q. Adams: The Power of the Ballot

Victorine Quille Adams was a Baltimore native and the first African American woman elected to the city council. Born in 1912, she lived through stringent segregation, racial violence and economic turbulence. Educated at Morgan State and Coppin State Universities, she took to the classroom and enriched the lives of her students. In 1946, she founded the Colored Women's Democratic Campaign Committee to educate African American women about the vote and the power of the ballot box. In concert with fellow educators Mary McLeod Bethune, Kate Sheppard and Dr. Delores Hunt, she persisted in educating and empowering voters throughout her life. Author Ida E. Jones reveals the story of this civic leader and her crusade for equity for all people in Baltimore.

Ida E. Jones is the university archivist at Morgan State University. She became intrigued with Victorine Adams during Morgan's sesquicentennial celebration in 2016. As member of the Baltimore City Historical Society, she endeavors to excavate Baltimore history for all to enjoy. She believes that through examining history and archives, our lives are enhanced by learning about others who sought to make the world a better place.