Downtown in Nashville in Davidson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Welcome to Frankie Pierce Park
Frankie Pierce worked throughout her life for equality and human dignity, leading the creation of black branches of the YWCA and the Red Cross, and championing the Tennessee Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, the Negro Voters League and other civic groups.
On May 18, 1920, Pierce was the only African American to address the state woman's suffrage convention. She presented a poignant defense of racial and gender equality, drawing on the common bonds formed by women's service organizations during World War One. On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified, giving American women the right to vote. African American women and other women of color were still often excluded from having full voting rights and were not fully enfranchised
Later, Pierce and the League of Women Voters successfully secured state funds to open the Tennessee Vocational School for Colored Girls in North Nashville, where she served as superintendent until 1939.
Pierce remained an impactful activist and advocate until her death in 1954.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Parks & Recreational Areas • Women.
Location. 36° 9.865′ N, 86° 47.362′ W. Marker is in Nashville, Tennessee, in Davidson County. It is in Downtown. Marker is on Nelson Merry Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Nashville TN 37203, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Rev. Nelson G. Merry (here, next to this marker); Woman Suffrage Wins as Tennessee Ratifies (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Welcome to Frankie Pierce Park (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Black Churches of Capitol Hill (about 700 feet away); Avon N. Williams, Jr. (about 800 feet away); Nashville Sit-Ins (approx. 0.2 miles away); Mrs. John Hill Eakin - Mrs. Robert F. Weakley (approx. ¼ mile away); Lest We Forget: The Middle Passage (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nashville.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 22, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 66 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 22, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.