Aurora Reading Club of Pittsburgh

The Aurora Reading Club of Pittsburgh was established in 1894 by six local women, and is one of America's oldest African American arts and cultural organizations. Its initial purpose was to pursue “a systematic course of study in a manner to be decided by a majority of the membership and shall be for the mutual improvement of the membership in literature, art, science and matters relating to the vital interests of the day.” This purpose is reflected in the club's motto “Lifting As We Climb.”

Development

The club was founded in 1894 by Rachel Lovett Jones along with Frances Golden, Anna Posey, Virginia Woodson Proctor, Hannah Grinage Lovett and Cora Virginia Hill Washington.

In the early years, members traveled to each other's homes by horse and buggy to meet, sometimes staying overnight because of the duration of the journeys. The ladies presented papers they had written on various subjects. Frequently, guest speakers were invited to make presentations. Members adopted causes and supported them raising funds and donating goods. They spread goodwill by visiting the infirmed and knitting sweaters for enlisted soldiers.

In celebration of the club's 125th Anniversary, the History Committee researched early members and in some cases ancestors of current members. A few were born before slavery ended; some were entrepreneurs; some were college graduates; many were very involved in the community including serving as volunteers on Urban League Boards and Committees, the NAACP, the YWCA, churches, the civil rights movement and for the Lemington Home for the Aged which was a skilled facility for “infirmed colored people” where they made social calls and entertained the residents.

The Aurora Reading Club is one of the nation's oldest African American arts and cultural organizations; it has operated continually for 125 years. Its 25 members uphold many of the traditions begun by the club's founders. Members continue to hold formal meetings seven times a year to discuss books and/or hear from guest speakers. Throughout the year members attend lectures, performances, concerts, visual arts events, and fundraisers as well.

Aurora members engage in socially conscious initiatives by giving of their time, talent, and treasure to local, national, and international causes. Projects have included purchasing and donating goods to local shelters for women and children, tutoring children for Reading Is Fundamental, supporting missionary projects in Africa and making monetary donations to local and national organizations including the Smithsonian's National Museum for African American History and Culture, the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, libraries and universities.

Over the years, The Aurora Reading Club of Pittsburgh has enjoyed mutually beneficial partnerships with Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures, United Black Book Clubs of Pittsburgh, the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, The Children's Museum – Saturday Light Brigade, the Heinz History Center, the Friday Club of Greensburg and Carnegie Libraries of Pittsburgh by participating in events, building audiences, supporting fundraisers and serving as volunteers. Individually and collectively, members are actively engaged in the community as civic leaders, board members and volunteers. Professionally, members have and continue to hold leadership positions within their organizations, and many have broken racial and/or gender barriers.

In 1971, the club established a Book Fund to which members and supporters make donations. These funds are used to support organizations that encourage reading by purchasing books. In 1996, the fund was renamed The Edith Holland Memorial Book Fund in honor of one of its most ardent champions.

In 2002, the Heinz History Center became the official home to The Aurora Reading Club archives which includes meeting minutes, yearbooks, anniversary programs, newspaper clippings, artifacts and projects that have been created by members to celebrate milestone anniversaries. The Club archives are available to the public upon request. Since then, these legacy projects have been added to the collection:

• A quilt made in 2004 that reflect the lives of the members at that time that was created under the guidance of fiber artist Tina Brewer
• A scrap book, profiling the current members that was created in 2009
• “Reflections of an Aurora Woman,” a sculpture by artist Vanessa German created in 2014

Notable members

• Selma Burke (1900 – 1995)
• Maida Springer Kemp (1910 – 2005)
• Vivian Davidson Hewitt (born 1920)
• Jesse Matthews Vann (1885 – 1967)

Further reading

• "African American Family Histories and Related Works in the Library of Congress" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
• Brewer Jr., John. African Americans in Pittsburgh. Arcadia Pub. ISBN 9780738544878.
• Finley, Cheryl. Teenie Harris, photographer : image, memory, history. University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 9780822961741.
• Crouch, Stanley; Willis, Deborah. One shot Harris : the photographs of Charles "Teenie" Harris. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 9780810932722.
• Gadomski, Michael (2015). Pittsburgh : a renaissance city. Schiffer. ISBN 9780764349232.
• Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation (2016). Pittsburgh then and now. Pavilion. ISBN 9781910904916.