From Brooklyn Historical Society Collection, Richetta Randolph Wallace Papers, ArMs 1978.137.

Richetta Randolph Wallace, circa 1930. Ms. Randolph is an inspiring figure in Brooklyn and national history. Known by her maiden name after her husband’s early death, Ms. Randolph was private secretary to the social activist Mary White Ovington in the first decade of the twentieth century, leading to a position as the first member of the administrative staff for the new National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Ms. Randolph later became the NAACP’s office manager and was private secretary to NAACP officers James Weldon Johnson and Walter White, among other important positions until her retirement in 1946. After retiring, she continued to take leadership roles as a congregant and officer at the Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in Manhattan. Born in Virginia in 1884, Ms. Randolph spent her early years in New Jersey and Manhattan before moving to Brooklyn in 1933, living at 251 Decatur St. in Bedford-Stuyvesant until her death in 1971.

Want to know more about Ms. Randolph and other important figures in African American History? BHS recently released its Guide to African-American History Archival Material at Othmer Library on Emma, the library’s catablog. Subject guides help researchers navigate BHS’ extensive holdings when looking for material on particular topics (in this case African-American history). To read more about the Richetta Randolph Wallace papers click here.

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