WOMEN OF INFLUENCE
ROWENA WOODHAM JELLIFFE (1892-1992)
Rowena Woodham Jelliffe came to Ohio by means of Oberlin College, where she served as president of the Oberlin Women's Suffrage League. She co-founded the Karamu House, establishing an east side settlement welcoming people from all races, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds. The Karamu House is the oldest African American theater in the United States. Her efforts to write and produce children’s plays with interracial casting drew a largely African American constituency and provided an opportunity for artists to flourish, working side by side with those from another background. She was an avid civil rights supporter, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and campaigning for numerous civic and arts organizations into her retirement.