Women's History Month: Antoinette Brown Blackwell

I wanted this week to be a week of firsts. It took me a little while, but I was finally able to find the first female ordained as a preacher in the U. S.

Antoinette Brown graduated from Oberlin College, and went on to become a popular speaker on women's rights and abolition. In 1853, she became the first female ordained by a recognized denomination (the Congregationalists) in the USA. Unfortunately, she only stayed with that church for a year, and left her denomination to join the Unitarian church.

She was very close friends with Lucy Stone (famous feminist) and sister-in-law to Elizabeth Blackwell.

While her name isn't well-recognized, I believe her role in America's religious history to be vital. She helped to set the stage for the United Methodists, the Presbyterians (PCUSA), the Episcopalians, the Lutherans (ELCA, NOT Missouri Synod), the United Church of Christ, and some Baptist churches (NOT Southern Baptist) to ordain women as preachers. There is still a long way to go, but at least we are on the right path.

Western New York Suffragists: Antoinette Louisa Brown Blackwell
Wikipedia: Antoinette Brown
Religioustolerance.org: When churches started to ordain women