Our Founders

On the evening of November 9, 1946, Margaret Hawkins and Sarah Scott, two young Philadelphia matrons, invited seven of their friends to join them in organizing a new type of inter-city club. This organizing meeting of The Links was not a spontaneous action. In 1945, Link Hawkins had conceived the idea of a group of clubs composed of friends along the eastern seaboard and had spent many hours with Link Scott in thinking, planning and discussing the possibilities of such an endeavor.

The two women envisioned an organization that would respond to the needs and aspirations of Black women in ways that existing clubs did not. It was their intent the club would have a threefold aim-- civic, educational, and cultural. Based on these aims, the club would implement programs, which its founders hoped would foster cultural appreciation through the arts; develop richer inter-group relations; and help women who participated to understand and accept their social and civic responsibilities.

Besides the two founders, the original members of the Philadelphia Club were Links Frances Atkinson, Katie Green, Marion Minton, Lillian Stanford, Myrtle Manigault Stratton, Lillian Wall, and Dorothy Wright. The club elected Margaret Hawkins as president, Sarah Scott as vice president, Myrtle Manigault Stratton as recording secretary, Frances Atkinson as corresponding secretary, and Dorothy Wright as treasurer.

Topeka (KS) Chapter History

In November 1958, thirteen visionary women joined together in friendship and service to establish the Topeka (KS) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. The chapter was organized through the leadership of Gladys DePriest, Ethel Woodson, and Dimple Watkins, three women who recognized the power of collective action and the need for an organization through which accomplished African American women could address the educational, cultural, civic, and social needs of their community.

DePriest, Woodson, and Watkins extended an invitation to ten additional women who shared their commitment to service and community advancement. Together, Carrie Coleman, Jean Ann Price, Gladys DePriest, Annette Rease, Mary E. Gaines, Lucinda Todd, Evelyn Harper, Dimple Watkins, Dorothae Harris, Joy Williams, Oletha Jenkins, Ethel Woodson, and Arbeecher Kerford became the charter members of the Topeka (KS) Chapter. The chapter was installed by Vivian Beamon and sponsored by the Greater Kansas City (MO) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.

Their decision to organize came at a pivotal moment in both local and national history. Only four years earlier, Topeka had stood at the center of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, through which the United States Supreme Court declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. That ruling provided a legal foundation for dismantling segregation and helped propel the growing Civil Rights Movement. Yet the work of achieving genuine equality, opportunity, and inclusion remained far from complete.

Against this historic backdrop, the charter members established a chapter that would transform friendship into purposeful service. Their vision reflected the ideals upon which The Links had been founded in 1946: creating opportunities for women of African descent to respond collectively to the needs of their communities through civic engagement, education, cultural enrichment, and social responsibility.

From its beginning, the Topeka (KS) Chapter became part of a broader legacy of African American women who understood that progress required more than individual achievement. It required women willing to link their talents, influence, relationships, and resources in service to others. The thirteen charter members laid a foundation upon which generations of Topeka Links would continue to build.

Their legacy can be seen in the chapter’s enduring commitment to young people, educational opportunity, African American history and culture, health, international awareness, the arts, and community advocacy. Through initiatives such as scholarship programs, Black history programming, the African American Read-In, youth enrichment activities, health education, and programs promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the chapter has continued the work envisioned by its founders.

More than six decades after its chartering, the Topeka (KS) Chapter remains a testament to the foresight and courage of thirteen women who chose to lead, serve, and create lasting change. What began in November 1958 as a circle of friends united by a common purpose has become an enduring chain of friendship and service, strengthening the Topeka community, advancing opportunities for people of African descent, and carrying forward the distinguished legacy of The Links, Incorporated