# Elna Spaulding

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**Elna Virginia Bridgeforth Spaulding** ( **Bridgeforth**; January 23, 1909 – January 7, 2007) was an American civic leader and politician. She served on the Board of Commissioners for [Durham County](/source/Durham_County,_North_Carolina) from 1974 to 1984, the first African American woman to do so.

## Early life and education

Elna Virginia Bridgeforth was born on January 23, 1909, at [Tuskegee Institute](/source/Tuskegee_University) in [Tuskegee, Alabama](/source/Tuskegee,_Alabama).[1][2] She was the daughter of [George Ruffin Bridgeforth](/source/George_Ruffin_Bridgeforth), a dairy farmer on the faculty of Tuskegee,[3] and Datie Bridgeforth ( Miller).[1][4] Bridgeforth attended Trinity High School in [Athens, Alabama](/source/Athens,_Alabama), graduating in 1926, and earned the [Bachelor of Music](/source/Bachelor_of_Music) degree from [Talladega College](/source/Talladega_College) in 1930.[1]

After graduating from Talladega, Bridgeforth moved to [Durham, North Carolina](/source/Durham,_North_Carolina) in 1930 to teach music in Durham's [public schools](/source/Durham_Public_Schools).[2][5] She taught for a year before she became the head of the music department at [Winston-Salem Teachers College](/source/Winston-Salem_State_University) from 1931 to 1933.[1][5] Bridgeforth married [Asa T. Spaulding Sr.](/source/Asa_T._Spaulding_Sr.) in 1933.[1]

## Women-in-Action for the Prevention of Violence and its Causes

In September 1968, Spaulding founded Women-in-Action for the Prevention of Violence and its Causes, a [nonprofit](/source/Nonprofit), inter-racial organization in Durham.[6][7] She served as the organization's first president until 1974, when she ran for the [Durham County](/source/Durham_County,_North_Carolina) Board of Commissioners.[1] The organization worked to ease racial tensions in the community and its work led to court-ordered [school integration](/source/School_integration) in 1970.[6]

In 1991, Women-in-Action established the annual Elna B. Spaulding Founder's Award.[8] The award's second recipient was Spaulding's fellow Durham county commissioner [Josephine Dobbs Clement](/source/Josephine_Dobbs_Clement).[9]

## Durham County Board of Commissioners

Spaulding was first elected to the Durham County Board of Commissioners in 1974.[2] Spaulding received the most votes out of the five [Democrats](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) and four [Republicans](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States)) in the race; the top five vote getters were elected to the board.[10][11] She was the first African American woman elected to the board.[5][12] Spaulding was re-elected for four additional two-year terms to the Board of Commissioners, serving until her retirement in 1984.[13]

[Duke University](/source/Duke_University) honored Spaulding with the William C. Friday Award in Moral Leadership in 2001.[14]

## Personal life and legacy

Elna Bridgeforth and Asa T. Spaulding were married on June 24, 1933. They had four children: [Asa T. Jr.](/source/Asa_T._Spaulding_Jr.), Patricia Ann, Aaron Lowery, and [Kenneth Bridgeforth](/source/Kenneth_Spaulding).[1] Asa Spaulding Sr. died in 1990. She died on January 7, 2007, in Durham, at the age of 97.[2] One of her grandchildren is blogger, columnist, and activist Pam Spaulding.[15][16] The Elna B. Spaulding Conflict Resolution Center in Durham is named for her.[17]

## References

1. ["Asa and Elna Spaulding papers, 1909-1997 and undated, bulk 1935-1983"](https://archives.lib.duke.edu/catalog/spauldingasaelna). *Archives & Manuscripts*. [Duke University Libraries](/source/Duke_University_Libraries). Retrieved January 14, 2021.

1. Ferreri, Eric (January 9, 2007). ["Durham's Elna Spaulding, 97, dies"](https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/659726448/). *[The News & Observer](/source/The_News_%26_Observer)*. Retrieved January 14, 2021.

1. ["Bridgeforth Rites Held on Tuesday"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/67683782/bridgeforth-rites-held-on-tuesday/). *The Tuskegee Herald*. 1955-02-08. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-01-15. – via Newspapers.com.

1. Estrin, James (November 6, 2019). ["Surviving Droughts, Tornadoes and Racism"](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/06/business/black-family-farmers.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved January 14, 2021.

1. Vann 2017, p. 68.

1. ["Women-In-Action for the Prevention of Violence and Its Causes, Inc. Durham Chapter Records"](https://repository.duke.edu/dc/womeninaction). *Collections & Archives*. [Duke University Libraries](/source/Duke_University_Libraries). Retrieved January 14, 2021.

1. Greene, Christina (1996). [""In the Best Interest of the Total Community"?: Women-in-Action and the Problems of Building Interracial, Cross-Class Alliances in Durham, North Carolina, 1968-1975"](https://www.jstor.org/stable/3346808). *Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies*. **16** (2/3): 190–217. [doi:10.2307/3346808](https://doi.org/10.2307/3346808). [ISSN 0160-9009](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0160-9009). [JSTOR 3346808](https://www.jstor.org/stable/3346808)

1. Cohen, Marla (1993-03-31). ["Women-in-Action Celebrates 25 Years; Group Targets Roots of Violence"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/67683079/women-in-action-celebrates-25-years/). *The News and Observer*. p. 27. Retrieved 2021-01-15. – via Newspapers.com.

1. Kauffman, Susan (1992-04-16). ["Durham Organization Honors Advocate for the Poor"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/67683361/durham-organization-honors-advocate-for/). *The News and Observer*. p. 67. Retrieved 2021-01-15. – via Newspapers.com.

1. ["General"](http://dcoftp.net/boe-ftp/Election%20Results%20Archive/1974_Elections/1974_General.pdf). Durham County Board of Elections. November 5, 1974. p. 9. Retrieved January 14, 2021.

1. ["Indy endorsements 2004"](https://indyweek.com/news/indy-endorsements-2004/). *[Indy Week](/source/Indy_Week)*. October 20, 2004. Retrieved January 14, 2021.

1. Greene, Christina (2005). [*Our Separate Ways: Women and the Black Freedom Movement in Durham, North Carolina*](https://books.google.com/books?id=Wz_8H4jRJQ4C&dq=Elna+Spaulding+Junior+High&pg=PA227). Univ of North Carolina Press. pp. 226–227. ISBN 978-0-8078-5600-0.

1. Anderson 2011, p. 453.

1. ["Elna B. Spaulding to Receive Duke Honor"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/67683599/elna-b-spaulding-to-receive-duke-honor/). *The News and Observer*. 2001-11-17. pp. B9. Retrieved 2021-01-15. – via Newspapers.com.

1. Vargas, Jose Antonio (2009-02-24). ["Bloggers Are Changing the Way the Gay Rights Movement Communicates"](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/23/AR2009022303105.html). *The Washington Post*. [ISSN 0190-8286](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0190-8286). Retrieved 2021-01-15.

1. Spaulding, Pam (2009-12-25). ["Recording family legacy: a history and photo tour of "my Durham" for my nephew"](https://www.rawstory.com/2009/12/pandagon-recording_family_legacy_a_history_and_photo_tour_of_my_durham_for_my_nephew/). *Raw Story - Celebrating 16 Years of Independent Journalism*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20151105182147/http://www.rawstory.com/2009/12/pandagon-recording_family_legacy_a_history_and_photo_tour_of_my_durham_for_my_nephew/) November 5, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-01-15.

1. [Elna B. Spaulding Conflict Resolution Center](https://durham.nc.networkofcare.org/mh/services/agency.aspx?pid=ElnaBSpauldingConflictResolutionCenter_371_2_0), Bull City Online Resource Guide.

### Bibliography

- Anderson, Jean Bradley (2011). [*Durham County: A History of Durham County, North Carolina*](https://books.google.com/books?id=4gyxDsR0t7QC). 2nd ed. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-4983-9.
- Vann, Andre D. (2017). [*African Americans of Durham County*](https://books.google.com/books?id=QnIuDwAAQBAJ). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-6134-5.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Elna Spaulding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elna_Spaulding) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elna_Spaulding?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.