Margaret Murray Washington

Join us as we highlight one of many early innovators in human sciences, Margaret Murray Washington. Mrs. Washington was an educator and land-grant administrator who took health, hygiene, and home cleanliness lessons from Tuskegee University’s campus and taught them to African American women in rural Alabama. Many of her contemporaries were founders of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. Had it not been for the racism of the time, Washington and other African American professionals would be known and celebrated in AAFCS. Let’s start a conversation on how to honor these “hidden figures” of our profession.

As a result of attending this sessions, participants will be able to:

1. Discuss Margaret Murray Washington’s life and work
2. Explain Margaret Murray Washington’s work’s connection to family and consumer science and the university land grant system.
3. Connect Margaret Murray Washington’s life’s work and legacy to current family and consumer science trends.
4. Discuss ways to highlight Margaret Murray Washington and other “hidden figures” from family and consumer science’s past within AAFCS and externally.

Members: To view and access the resources for the module, you must be logged in to your MyAAFCS account.

Resources for this professional development module include the following:

• Resource documents provided by presenters
• Weblinks to additional resources
• AAFCS Professional Development PDU Certificate

Meet the Presenters

LynDee Lombardo ;has spent much of her time research, writing, and presenting about variours topics related to Textiles, Clothing and Design since earning her Master’s Degree from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln,   Some of her favorite subjects are creative and self-motivated women such as Amelia Earhart, Ellen Swallow Richards, and our U.S. First Ladies.  For the AAFCS 2023 Conference in Baltimore, she presented a session on “Dressing the First Lady: Costumes and Causes” and a luncheon talk on her recent visit to the Yokohama Silk Museum.  Ms. Lombardo was the Washington Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Professional of the year in 2013 and received an AAFCS Leader Award in 2014.  She has participated as an AAFCS Leadership Academy mentor in 2013 and presently with the 2023-24 cohort.  She is also a sewist and quilter.

Meilana Charles has over 10 years of Extension experience and currently works as Oregon State University's African Heritage Program Coordinator and Workgroup Leader. Her work has focused on improving the lives of low-income and limited-resource individuals, families, and communities through nutrition education, parenting programs, and financial literacy. Prior to Extension, Ms. Charles worked in childcare and after-school settings. Meilana has been a member of AAFCS since 2013 and serves as co-chair of the Building Leadership Capacity community and a co-facilitator in the Diversity and Inclusion community. Ms. Charles has an M.S. from Texas Woman's University in Child Development and B.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences from Northwestern State University.