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Published June 1st, 2026, 06:38 pm

Women-led organizations marched on Washington during their historic efforts to achieve social, political and economic equality. Yet, not all women were included in the conversation. Many of the early women's suffrage groups excluded Black women and women of color.

Discrimination in the movement led to the formation of Black-led organizations like the Detroit Association of Women's Clubs (DAWC).

Founded in 1921 at Ferry and Brush at the height of the women's suffrage movement, the DAWC made it their mission to fight for their own version of equality—one that centered both gender and racial parity.

So what happened to the DAWC, its founders, and its mission? 

Every year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation compiles its list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in America. 

This year, in honor of our nation's 250th anniversary, the organization is centering its selections around the theme of equality—protecting and preserving spaces that have advanced the idea that all people are created equal.

The DAWC earned a place on this year's list. Executive Director Candace Calloway joins the show to share what the designation means, and why its essential to preserve this historic space.

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The Metro

Saving sacred ground: The Detroit Association of Women's Clubs makes the national endangered list

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36m