Whenever anyone speaks of Memphis Garrison there is often one word that they use - champion. Garrison was a champion of the causes she believed in.
The daughter of freed slaves, Garrison dedicated her life to working for the rights of all people. One of the first organizers of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People she founded her first state chapter in 1920. She began the NAACP Christmas Seal project, designing and selling the seals from her home. In 1963, Garrison served as a National Vice President of the NAACP and was appointed to the West Virginia Human Rights Commission. President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed her to serve on the National Citizens Committee for Community Relations. Garrison was also a champion of education
When she first started teaching school. She taught her students to read out of the Sears and Roebuck catalogue when there were no textbooks. She personally financed the college education of several young people and sent at least 1,500 books into Africa. During her lifetime Garrison received many honors for her work, including the Thomas Gillis Nutter Award for outstanding service, the West Virginia Human Rights Commission Award and an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Marshall University. Champion is the perfect word to describe Memphis Tennessee Garrison.
