Political activist and educator Anna Arnold Hedgeman was the first African American woman to serve on the cabinet of a New York mayor when she worked during the term of New York City Mayor Robert Wagner from 1957 to 1958. Her career spanned more than six decades as an advocate for civil rights. In 1963, she helped A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin planned the March on Washington and was the only woman among the key event organizers. Anna Arnold was born on July 5, 1899, in Marshalltown, Iowa, to William James Arnold II and Marie Ellen Arnold. When Anna was a child, the family moved to Anoka, Minnesota, where the Arnolds were the only Black family in the community. Her father created an environment that prioritized education and a strong work ethic. Arnold learned how to read at home and was not allowed to attend school until she was seven years old. After graduating from high school in 1918, Arnold was accepted into Hamline University, a Methodist college in St. Paul, Minnesota. She graduated four years later with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, the first African American to earn a degree at that institution. While at Hamline, … Continue reading Anna Arnold Hedgeman (1899-1990)