Rare African American Women's Fraternal Organization The United Lilys of Greater New York

1940. A rare group portrait of the lost African American women's fraternal organization, "The United Lilys of Greater New York." This pre-civil rights group photo evokes a sense of community specifically dedicated to Black women, a group most marginalized in the time of this photo. The women are dressed in coordinated dresses, gloves, floral corsages, and hats, arranged in purposeful formal formation, with one young boy included, suggesting an intergenerational membership or ceremonial role. The image dates from the 1940s, reflecting the height of Black urban fraternal culture amid Jim Crow segregation and preceding the Civil Rights era. Photo measures 8" x 10". Online archives lack information on this lost women's group but speaks volumes to the importance of these community level organizations that formed out of communal necessity and stands as a testament while many others have disappeared from public memory. Black women's fraternal societies offered rare opportunities for leadership, mutual aid, and social solidarity at a time when mainstream institutions systematically excluded them. They organized charitable efforts, sponsored cultural events, supported education, and nurtured civic identity. These groups not only fostered sisterhood but also laid essential groundwork for the later Civil Rights Movement. Photographing their ranks in full regalia symbolically declared their presence, dignity, and agency in oppressive times. Overall very good condition. A rare and poignant record of a likely lost Black women's fraternal organization.