{{Short description|African-American women's organization}} {{Other uses|Link (disambiguation){{!}}Link}} {{Infobox fraternity | name = The Links | crest = Logo for The Links, Incorporated.png | founded = {{start date and age|1946|11|9}} | flower = White rose | chapters = 299 | lifetime = 17,000+ | nickname = | birthplace = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | affiliation = Independent | type = Service | status = Active | emphasis = African American women | scope = International | pillars = Friendship, Integrity, Honesty, Service, Commitment, Family Relationships, Courage, Respect for Self and Others, Legacy, Confidentiality, Responsibility, and Accountability | colors = {{color box|#009959}} Emerald Green and {{color box|#FFFFFF}} White <!--The green shown here is an exact hex code equivalent to the Pantone code number. However, scanning the logo and that swatch as shown shows a slightly different hex code, thus in practice, which may have been an inadvertent usage or simply a designer's choice. If needed, that alternative hex code is #00a361. As the Pantone color is specifically cited in the Links user's guide, I've opted to use that one here.--> | symbol = Globe of the world encircled by a chain | address = 1200 Massachusetts Avenue, NW | city = Washington, D.C. | state = <!--Leave blank in this case.--> | postal code = 20005 | country = United States | website = {{URL|https://linksinc.org/}} }} '''The Links''' is an American social and service organization of prominent black women. It was founded in 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of 2025, it has 299 chapters and more than 17,000 members in the United States and other countries. Its members include Kamala Harris, Marian Wright Edelman, and Betty Shabazz.
== History == The Links, Incorporated, a nonprofit corporation, originated in 1946 in Philadelphia when founders Sarah Strickland Scott and Margaret Roselle Hawkins saw the need for a new kind of inner-city women's organization.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Hudson |first=Christina |date=2022-01-25 |title=The Links, Incorporated (1945- ) |url=https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/the-links-incorporated-1945/ |access-date=2025-06-29 |website=BlackPast.org |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Olive D. |date=October 22, 2020 |title=The History and Impact of Links, Incorporated in Texas {{!}} Handbook of Texas |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/links-incorporated |access-date=2025-06-29 |website=Texas State Historical Association |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Britannica.com">{{Cite web |title=The Links, Incorporated {{!}} American organization {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Links-Incorporated |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829034551/https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Links-Incorporated |archive-date=August 29, 2024 |access-date=February 7, 2022 |website=Britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 9, 2021 |title=The Links, Incorporated Celebrates 75 Years Of Excellence |url=https://www.bet.com/article/gv0bzg/the-links-celebrates-75-year-anniversary |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207175758/https://www.bet.com/article/gv0bzg/the-links-celebrates-75-year-anniversary |archive-date=February 7, 2022 |access-date=February 7, 2022 |website=BET}}</ref><ref name="Graham-2014">{{Cite book|last=Graham|first=Lawrence Otis|title=Our kind of people|date=2014|publisher=HarperCollins e-Books|isbn=978-0-06-187081-1|location=[Place of publication not identified]|oclc=877899803}}</ref>{{Rp|page=102}} They recruited the other founding members: Frances Atkinson, Katie Green, Marion Minton, Lillian Stanford, Myrtle Manigault Stratton, Lillian Wall, and Dorothy Wright.<ref name=":4" />
All of the founding members were members of prominent black professional families of Philadelphia; six were the wives of physicians and the seventh the wife of a bank president.<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=103}} All had bachelor's or master's degrees from elite universities, and had been active in other Black social organizations. Most were members of St. Thomas Episcopal Church.<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=104}}
Chapters were established in Atlantic City, New Jersey; Baltimore Maryland; Central New Jersey; Petersburg, Virginia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Raleigh, North Carolina; Rocky Mount, North Carolina; St. Louis, Missouri; Tarboro, North Carolina; Wilmington, Delaware; and Wilson, North Carolina.<ref name=":4" /> Delegates from these chapters meet for a national assembly on November 9, 1946 and officially established The Links.<ref name=":4" /> Hawkins served as its first president.<ref name=":4" />
After the national assembly, members began contacting women in other cities to establish new chapters.<ref name=":4" /> The organization was incorporated on March 28, 1951.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=http://nia.ecsu.edu/nrts/lhayden/portsmouth_links/history.html#:~:text=The%20Portsmouth%20Chapter%2C%20The%20Links,those%20on%20the%20national%20level. |access-date=June 30, 2025 |website=Portsmouth Chapter, The LINKS, Incorporated}}</ref> By 1952, it had 56 chapters.<ref name="Britannica.com" /><ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=105}} The organization was involved in the Civil Rights movement and supported the work of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).<ref name=":4" /> In 1958, The Links expanded its efforts to support youth services.<ref name=":4" />
Later changes included supporting education and health in of both African Americans Africans.<ref name=":4" /> The group made its largest single donation in 1974— $132,000, to the United Negro College Fund to support historically Black colleges and universities.<ref name=":4" />
Over the decades, the group transformed itself from "a group of women married to influential men, to a group of women who became influential themselves", according to one member. The evolution caused "clear conflict between the old guard and the new guard", according to another.<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=108}} In 2008, there were approximately 12,000 members of 273 chapters of The Links in 42 states.<ref>[http://www.linksinc.org/about.shtml About the Links, Inc.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516214041/http://www.linksinc.org/about.shtml|date=May 16, 2008}} Retrieved April 17, 2008, from The Links, Incorporated Web site.</ref><ref name="Graham-2014" /> By 2022, The Links had grown to 16,000 members and 292 chapters in the United States, The Bahamas, and the United Kingdom.<ref name=":4" /> The Links Foundation, Inc. is its separate philanthropic organization.<ref name=":9" />
== Symbols == The group's name was suggested by founding member Lillian Wall as a symbol of enduring friendship.<ref name="Mjagkij">{{Cite book |title=Organizing Black America: an encyclopedia of African American associations |date=2001 |publisher=Garland |others=Nina Mjagkij |isbn=0-8153-2309-3 |location=New York |pages=308 |oclc=44720533}}</ref> The Links' core values or pillars are friendship, integrity, honesty, service, commitment, family relationships, courage, respect for self and others, legacy, confidentiality, responsibility, and accountability.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Gibson-Thompson |first=Nage |title=Home |url=https://linksinc.org/ |access-date=2025-06-29 |website=The Links Incorporated |language=en-US}}</ref> Its emblem is a globe of the world, encircled by a chain.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=2010 |title=Protocol Manual |url=https://fresnolinksinc.com/uploads/3/9/4/1/3941944/protocol_manual_2010.pdf |access-date=October 12, 2024 |website=The Links Fresno |publisher=The Links, Incorporated |archive-date=September 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240901155030/https://fresnolinksinc.com/uploads/3/9/4/1/3941944/protocol_manual_2010.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Its colors are emerald green and white.<ref name=":5" /> Its flower is the white rose.<ref name=":5" />
== Organization == The Links' national headquarters is in Washington, D.C., in a building that was purchased in August 1984 to house both the society and its related foundation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Farr |first=Stephanie |date=November 7, 2021 |title=Smith Memorial Playground gets $25,000 donation from The Links, Inc., a service organization founded in Philly |url=https://www.inquirer.com/news/the-links-incorporated-donation-smith-memorial-playground-philadelphia-20211107.html |access-date=February 9, 2022 |website=Philadelphia Inquirer |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Mjagkij" /><ref name=":9" /> In 1954, The Links decentralized its operations into four geographic areas: Central, Eastern, Southern, and Western.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Regional History |url=https://easternshorenylinksinc.org/regional-history/ |access-date=2025-06-25 |website=Eastern Shore NY |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://midcitieslinks.org/about-us/ |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=Mid Cities Links, Incorporated |language=en}}</ref> Each area oversee the chapters located within its states. As of 2024, there were 17,000 members in 299 chapters.<ref name="Talley-2021">{{Cite web |last=Talley |first=Scott |date=June 26, 2021 |title=The Links, Inc., 'committed to service in the community' in Detroit |url=https://www.freep.com/mosaic-story/news/local/detroit-is/2021/06/01/links-inc-service-community-detroit/7476922002/ |access-date=February 7, 2022 |website=Detroit Free Press |language=en}}</ref> In, 1999 each chapter membership was limited to no more than 55 women.<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=102}} Chapters are also organized into clusters or groups of chapters located within the same metro-area.<ref name=":8" />
== Membership == Women interested in joining any of the local chapters must be nominated by a current member;<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=109}} if a chapter has 55 members, no more may be accepted until one leaves.<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=102}} Admission is "extremely competitive", according to Lawrence Otis Graham.<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=109}} One member of a Washington, D.C. chapter describes having spent "twelve years of strategizing, party-giving, and brownnosing to get into this group."<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=103}} Most women do not join The Links until they are in their 40s or older, and most remain members until they die.<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=109}}
The Links has been criticized for its exclusivity; one member noted that while a woman could be nominated by any other member, for practical intents those admitted are "usually those who know at least half of the chapter's membership".<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=109}} Social, professional or economic prominence within a city's Black population also may help get a candidate admitted, as members with such backgrounds help add to the chapter's prestige.<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=109}}
== Activities == Chapters typically also hold multiple social events for a city's black elites, such as debutante cotillions, fashion shows, gala fund-raisers, balls, luncheons, and formal parties.<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|pages=103,107}} Members are required to accumulate volunteer hours.<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=103}} The national core focuses include education, health, youth services, art, domestic legislation, and international welfare.<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=107}}<ref name="Britannica.com" /> The Links has provided support to Africare, the Haitian Refugee Center, the NAACP, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the United Negro College Fund.<ref name=":9" /><ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=102}}
== Chapters == {{Main|List of The Links chapters}} As of 2024, there were 299 chapters of The Links, located in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.<ref name=":0" />
== Importance == According to Graham, The Links is the "most elite organization" for prominent American black women,<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=102}} and is both the largest and the most influential.<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=102}} Membership in the organization, he writes, signals to other prominent blacks that "your social background, lifestyle, physical appearance, and family's academic and professional accomplishments passed muster".<ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=102}}
Los Angeles PBS station KCET called The Links "the most prominent" of the black women's clubs.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bythewood-Porter|first=Taylor|date=July 22, 2021|title=The Links, Incorporated: How African American Debutantes Shaped a New Vision of Black Womanhood|url=https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/the-links-incorporated-how-african-american-debutantes-shaped-a-new-vision-of-black-womanhood|access-date=February 7, 2022|website=KCET|language=en|archive-date=February 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207181050/https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/the-links-incorporated-how-african-american-debutantes-shaped-a-new-vision-of-black-womanhood|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' called it "one of the most influential and prestigious".<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=McFadden|first=Syreeta|date=July 1, 2021|title=Meet the Women Bringing Weed to the Deep South|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/blounts-moore-black-investment-legal-weed-1186858/|access-date=February 7, 2022|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref>
John Lewis called The Links a "distinguished organization of outstanding community service and influence".<ref name="Talley-2021" />
== Notable members == {{Main|List of The Links members}} As of 2025, The Links has more than 17,000 members.<ref name=":0" /> The group's members include philanthropists, college presidents, politicians, activists, judges, doctors, bankers, lawyers, executives, educators, and the wives of well-known public figures.<ref name="The Economist-2020">{{cite news|date=August 22, 2020|title=America's black upper class and Black Lives Matter|newspaper=The Economist|url=https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/08/22/americas-black-upper-class-and-black-lives-matter|access-date=July 21, 2021|archive-date=February 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207154050/https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/08/22/americas-black-upper-class-and-black-lives-matter|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Graham-2014" />{{Rp|page=105}}
== See also == * List of African-American fraternities and sororities
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Links, The}} Category:The Links Category:Black elite Category:African-American culture Category:Upper class culture in the United States Category:1946 establishments in Pennsylvania Category:Women's clubs in the United States Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C. Category:African-American upper class Category:African-American women's organizations Category:American organizations established in 1946