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.
Karen Nance, the granddaughter of civil rights activist Ethel Ray Nance who worked with W.E.B. DuBois, is publishing a biography of Ethel Ray Nance.
2nd Annual Ethel Ray Nance Commemoration/Celebration 2024
April 10-14, 2024 in Duluth and
April 16-18, 2024 in Twin Cities
Ethel Ray Nance Commemoration 2024 – Duluth, Minnesota and Twin Cities: Tuesday, April 9, 2024: First arrivals: Karen Felicia Nance and 3 additional Nance family members (no community activities scheduled)
Day 1 – Wednesday, April 10, 2024 (10 AM – 5 PM) Karen and family members: Assemblies and meetings in Duluth Public Schools – 1 Middle School and 1 High school (possible meeting with ISD 709 Superintendent, Cabinet Members and School Board Members
Day 2 – Thursday, April 11, 2024 (10 AM – 5 PM) Ethel Ray Nance family: Local visits to community venues (Family Freedom Center – FFC: Coffee and Conversation with active seniors) and, Duluth Public Schools – 1 Middle School and 1 High school.
Day 3 – Friday, April 12, 2024: 12 Noon: Ethel Ray Nance family – (Please note: the city hall time may switch to 11 AM.) City of Duluth Proclamation/Reception Mayor Reinert, Ethel Ray Nance family, community members, more family members arrive, book signing opportunity Day 3 – Friday, April 12, 2024: Early evening – Possible book signing opportunity – (evening is flexible at this printing)
Day 4 – Saturday, April 13, 2024: 1 PM – 4:30 PM / Presentation and MAJOR Community book signing (Nordic Center – North Lake Avenue, Duluth
Ethel Ray Nance birthday reception and dinner Note: Limited seating Book signing opportunity Entertainment and speakers 5:00 PM
Lyric Conference Center – Holiday Inn and Suites, Downtown Duluth 200 West First Street, 55802
Day 5 – Sunday, April 14, 2024: 11 AM Worship Service at Historic St. Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church – 530 North 5th Avenue East – Keynote: Karen Nance, book signing opportunity
Monday April 15, 2024 – Travel Day to Twin Cities
Tuesday, April 16-Thursday, April 18, 2024
Friday, April 19, 2024 – Departures from Twin Cities
