The Woman's Era Club was the first African-American
women's club in Boston and was founded by
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin. The club, depending on the source, was founded anytime between 1892 and 1894. though it had also earlier been called "The New Era Club." There were 113 founding members and Ruffin served as the president. Ruffin remained president of the Woman's Era Club until 1903. and
women's suffrage. Ruffin wanted the club to help with "racial uplift" and also "urban progressivism and the crusade for the rights of women." It was also important to the club to publicize progress that black people made. The club's motto was "make the world better," which were also the last words of
Lucy Stone. In 1895, the Woman's Era Club proposed a national conference for African-American women. This led to the
National Conference of the Colored Women of America, the first conference of black women in the United States which took place in July 1895. In 1901, the club moved its headquarters to
Tremont Temple in Boston. Some sources state that Ruffin was president of the club until 1903, In addition, they were now meeting at the Robert Gould Shaw House.
Conflict with GFWC The Woman's Era Club joined the Massachusetts State Federation of Women's Clubs in 1895. However,
The Evening Transcript on the other hand, wrote that black women's clubs in the
South did not approve of Ruffin's move because they did not want to create discord or lose the support of white women's clubs who were helping in their own communities. == Notable members ==