{"id":30477,"date":"2024-07-24T21:02:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T21:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scencyclopedia.org\/sce\/?post_type=entry&#038;p=30477"},"modified":"2024-07-24T21:25:25","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T21:25:25","slug":"weston-annie-bell","status":"publish","type":"entry","link":"https:\/\/www.scencyclopedia.org\/sce\/entries\/weston-annie-bell\/","title":{"rendered":"Weston, Annie Belle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Annie Belle Weston was born Annie Bell Ranzy in 1892 at Fort Motte in Calhoun County, South Carolina and later moved to Columbia to attend high school. Weston earned a B.A. from Benedict College in Columbia and an M.A. from Columbia University in New York City.<\/p>\n<p>Weston was a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. While in New York, she helped charter the organization\u2019s Kappa Sigma chapter and served as Basileus, president of the chapter, from 1936 to 1938. In 1947, Weston assisted in chartering the Beta Epsilon Sigma alumnae chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Inc. in Columbia. Weston\u2019s lifelong commitments to youth empowerment, literacy, and Black advancement mirrored those of Sigma Gamma Rho and Black Greek Letter Organizations more broadly.<\/p>\n<p>By the early 1940s, Weston had returned to Columbia, South Carolina, and become an active presence in the Black-led Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), an alternative to the all-white South Carolina Democratic Party. Weston served as party secretary and advised women across the state on forming PDP auxiliaries. She pushed Black men to acknowledge the political efficacy of Black women. In her 1947 speech, &#8220;Women Fail To Use Their Political Power,&#8221; Weston argued that Black women had the potential to not only obtain the right to vote for African Americans but also to eradicate the &#8220;corrupt practices of the courts, the sadistic tendencies of the law enforcement officer, the inequalities of the educational systems and the unwholesome recreation conditions.&#8221; She served as one of two female PDP delegates to the 1948 Democratic National Convention. While campaigning for Black voter registration and the PDP into the 1950s and 1960s, she also pushed for greater female representation in the party.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to her political activism, Weston dedicated herself to providing opportunities for the personal and political development of youth. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, she hosted youth oratorical contests, delivered addresses on preventing juvenile delinquency, conducted talent show fundraisers to support youth programs, and served on President Truman\u2019s National Committee for the Midcentury White House Conference on Children and Youth. In the 1950s, she served as director of the Columbia NAACP youth chapter and state superintendent of youth chapters for the NAACP. In 1962, Weston formally incorporated the Las Tres Cinco Club at Allen University as a non-profit &#8220;to promote the educational and social interest of negro youth.&#8221; Near the end of her life, Weston directed the youth center at Fellowship Church in Columbia.<\/p>\n<p>Weston also left a legacy as a member or officer of the Order of the Eastern Star, League of Women Voters, South Carolina Council on Human Relations, and the Culture Club and National Alumni Association of Benedict College. Her work was recognized by the National Association of Colored Women&#8217;s Clubs, the South Carolina Federation of Women for Education and Community Work, the National Council of Negro Women, and the National Alumni Association of Benedict College. During her career, Weston taught at several colleges and remained a sought-after speaker for graduations, commencements, church gatherings, political events, and youth programs. In 1962, she became the first woman to receive an honorary doctorate from Benedict College. Dr. Annie Belle Ranzy Weston passed away on February 29, 1968, and was buried at Palmetto Cemetery in Columbia, South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p><em>Alabama Tribune<\/em>. \u201cColumbia, S.C. &#8212; Sponsor Rhythm Extravaganza.\u201d October 15, 1948.<\/p>\n<p>Beta Epsilon Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Columbia, SC. \u201cBeta Epsilon Sigma Chapter Charter Members,\u201d February 1, 2023. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo.php?fbid=509015628006366&amp;set=pb.100066938000506.-2207520000&amp;type=3\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo.php?fbid=509015628006366&amp;set=pb.100066938000506.-2207520000&amp;type=3<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Byrd, Levi. \u201cCheraw, S.C.\u201d <em>New Pittsburgh Courier<\/em>, December 29, 1945.<\/p>\n<p>Jones-Branch, Cherisse. \u201c\u2018To Speak When and Where I Can\u2019: African American Women\u2019s Political Activism in South Carolina in the 1940s and 1950s.\u201d The South Carolina Historical Magazine 107, no. 3 (2006): 204\u201324.<\/p>\n<p><em>New Pittsburgh Courier<\/em>. \u201cAround Town.\u201d October 8, 1960.<\/p>\n<p><em>New Pittsburgh Courier<\/em>. \u201cSoutheastern Regional Conference Is Held By Sigma Gamma Rho.\u201d April 2, 1949.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;South Carolina Deaths, 1915-1973,&#8221; <em>FamilySearch<\/em> (https:\/\/www.familysearch.org\/ark:\/61903\/1:1:6TQH-SS67 : Mon May 06 20:07:36 UTC 2024), Entry for Annie Belle Ranzy Weston and Abraham Ranzy, 29 Feb 1968.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Columbia Record<\/em>. \u201cBenedict Instructor To Speak.\u201d March 2, 1948.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Columbia Record<\/em>. \u201cBenedict Plans Comedy Drama.\u201d October 31, 1958.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Columbia Record<\/em>. \u201c\u2018Charming Intruder\u2019\u2019 Tonight at Allen.\u201d November 2, 1960.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Columbia Record<\/em>. \u201cChurch Convention Set in Spartanburg.\u201d June 23, 1964.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Columbia Record<\/em>. \u201cDr. Weston Final Rites Set Sunday.\u201d March 1, 1968.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Columbia Record<\/em>. \u201cElks Hold Speaking Contest at Benedict.\u201d June 9, 1948.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Columbia Record<\/em>. \u201cHigh Schools Announce Plans for Graduation.\u201d May 15, 1952.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Columbia Record<\/em>. \u201cP-TA Meets Here Tonight.\u201d December 3, 1956.<\/p>\n<p><em>The New York Age<\/em>. \u201cEducator and Lecturer At Southern Baptist.\u201d July 28, 1956.<\/p>\n<p><em>The New York Age<\/em>. \u201cSorors In Elections of Officers; Plan Swank Function Here.\u201d June 18, 1938.<\/p>\n<p><em>The State<\/em>. \u201cAllen to Present \u2018Charming Intruder.\u2019\u201d October 30, 1960.<\/p>\n<p><em>The State<\/em>. \u201cBenedict Open 87th Session on Wednesday.\u201d September 8, 1956.<\/p>\n<p><em>The State<\/em>. \u201cFuneral Announcements.\u201d March 3, 1968.<\/p>\n<p><em>The State<\/em>. \u201cNAACP To Meet.\u201d February 20, 1955.<\/p>\n<p><em>The State<\/em>. \u201cNegro Baptist Women Observe 70th Anniversary.\u201d July 1, 1958.<\/p>\n<p><em>The State<\/em>. \u201cNegro Baptist Women Open Sumter Meeting.\u201d June 23, 1949.<\/p>\n<p><em>The State<\/em>. \u201cNegro Nurses Capped at Hospital Here.\u201d September 19, 1942.<\/p>\n<p><em>The State<\/em>. \u201cNews of City Parks.\u201d June 9, 1947.<\/p>\n<p><em>The State<\/em>. \u201cNews of City Parks.\u201d December 8, 1955.<\/p>\n<p>Stackhouse, T.B. \u201cServing A Community.\u201d <em>The State<\/em>, February 20, 1968.<\/p>\n<p><em>The State<\/em>. \u201cWaverly Beauty School Holds Its First Finals.\u201d September 23, 1956.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Annie Belle Weston was born Annie Bell Ranzy in 1892 at Fort Motte in Calhoun County, South Carolina and later moved to Columbia to attend high school. Weston earned a B.A. from Benedict College in Columbia and an M.A. from Columbia University in New York City. Weston was a proud member of Sigma Gamma [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":-1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","class_list":["post-30477","entry","type-entry","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","ecms-a-z","ecms-african-americans","ecms-calhoun-county","ecms-categories","ecms-civil-rights-era-1955-1969","ecms-counties","ecms-education","ecms-encyclopedia","ecms-ethnicity","ecms-great-depression-1930-1938","ecms-jazz-age-1919-1929","ecms-midlands","ecms-politics","ecms-post-war-america-1946-1954","ecms-regions","ecms-richland-county","ecms-time-periods","ecms-turn-of-the-century-1890-1913","ecms-women","ecms-world-war-i-1914-1918","ecms-world-war-ii-1939-1945"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Weston, Annie Belle - South Carolina Encyclopedia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scencyclopedia.org\/sce\/entries\/weston-annie-bell\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Weston, Annie Belle - South Carolina Encyclopedia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dr. Annie Belle Weston was born Annie Bell Ranzy in 1892 at Fort Motte in Calhoun County, South Carolina and later moved to Columbia to attend high school. 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