The National Council of Negro Women was founded in on December 5, 1935 in New York City by Mary Mcleod Bethune, child of slave parents, distinguished educator and government consultant. Mrs. Bethune saw the need for harnessing the power and extending the leadership of Black women through a national organization. NCNW is an "organization of organizations", and serves as a clearinghouse for the activities of women.
NCNW sponsors educational, economic, social, cultural and scientific self-help projects nationally and in communities across the nation. Through its projects, the NCNW strives to achieve equality of opportunity and eliminate prejudice and discrimination based upon race, creed, color, sex or national origin.
The University of Alabama Section of NCNW was founded in January 1998 by a group of young, independent, African-American women that had a vision of bringing the organization to a predominately white campus.