Freddye Scarborough Henderson

Freddye Scarborough Henderson (February 18, 1917– January 19, 2007) was an American business woman and travel agent known for pioneering travel agencies geared towards African-Americans.[1] Henderson was born in Franklinton, Louisiana, on February 18, 1917[2] She earned a B.S. in home economics from Southern University in 1937 and was the first African American to earn a degree in fashion merchandising from New York University in 1950[3] and went on to teach fashion and textiles at Spelman College.[4] She married Jacob R. Henderson in Georgia in 1941. From 1944 to 1950 Henderson owned a dress shop in Atlanta. In 1950, Henderson became a fashion editor for the Associated Negro Press and had a fashion column which was syndicated in many black newspapers in America. From 1957 to 193, Henderson wrote a syndicated weekly column, “Travel by Freddye,” which ran in the Pittsburgh Courier.[4]

In 1955, Henderson and her husband created the Henderson Travel Service located in Atlanta. It was the first African American travel agency in the Southeast[5] and the first fully accredited black travel agency in America.[6] She planned Martin Luther King Jr's trip to Oslo to accept his Nobel Peace Prize and accompanied him on the trip.[4]

She died on January 19, 2007, after a lengthy illness and was buried at Atlanta's South-View Cemetery.[7]

References

  1. ^ Jordan, Casper L (1996). "Freddye Scarborough Henderson (1917-)". In Smith, Jessie Carney; Phelps, Shirelle (eds.). Notable Black American Women. Detroit: Gale Research. pp. 284–287. ISBN 9780810391772. OCLC 24468213. Retrieved July 24, 2020 – via Gale In Context: Biography.
  2. ^ "Henderson, Freddye Scarborough (1917–2007) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed". www.blackpast.org. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  3. ^ "Obituary for Mrs. Freddye Henderson – ATLANTA, GA". www.murraybrothersfuneralhome.com. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  4. ^ a b c Taylor, Candacy A. (2020). Overground railroad: the Green Book and the roots of Black travel in America. New York. ISBN 978-1-4197-3817-3. OCLC 1086339267.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ Powell, Kay (January 22, 2007). "Freddye Henderson, 89, travel agency pioneer". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. B6. Retrieved June 20, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Taylor, Candacy (2020). Overground Railroad. New York: Abrams Press. p. 156. ISBN 978-1-4197-3817-3.
  7. ^ "Henderson, Freddye". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. January 23, 2007. p. D7. Retrieved June 20, 2020 – via newspapers.com.


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