Remembering civil rights activist Anna Arnold Hedgeman of Anoka
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Most Minnesotans don't know that a Black woman who grew up in Anoka, Minn., and graduated from Anoka High School — Anna Arnold Hedgeman — was the only woman on the organizing committee for the 1963 March on Washington. She was also the first Black student to attend Hamline University in St. Paul.
Hedgeman was a lifelong activist for civil rights and social justice, but has been largely forgotten.
New York University historian Thomas Sugrue wrote a book exploring the stories of Northern activists who challenged racial inequality, "Sweet Land of Liberty: The Forgotten Struggle for Civil Rights in the North." Hedgeman is featured prominently in the book.
Sugrue spoke in 2018 at the Minnesota Historical Society's History Forum to a sold-out audience that had never heard of that trailblazing Anoka woman.
Hedgeman died in 1990 at the age of 90. There’s now a Hedgeman Center for Student Diversity Initiatives at Hamline University.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.