Rachel Cliff (politician)
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Rachel Cliff | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1806 New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | June 28, 1885 (aged 78–79) |
| Occupation | Janitress |
| Known for | Delegate to 1855 Colored Convention |
| Spouse | Isaac Cliff |
| Children | 1 |
Rachel Cliff (1806–1885) was one of two women to serve as an official delegate to the Philadelphia meeting of the 1855 Colored Convention, along with Elizabeth Armstrong.[1][2] She worked as a "janitrix", or janitress, in Philadelphia.[3]
Rachel Cliff was born in New Jersey, the home-state of both of her parents, in 1806.[4] She moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and married Isaac Cliff, a barber.[5]
Activism
Cliff was involved with the Colored Conventions Movement, a movement composed of free and fugitive African Americans that sought to advance African American rights in law, labor, and education.[6]
1855 Colored National Convention
Cliff was a delegate at the 1855 National Colored Convention in Philadelphia, one in a series of conventions comprising the Colored Conventions Movement. She was one of only two female delegates from Pennsylvania.[7] During the 1855 convention, delegates discussed the creation of an Industrial School for African Americans, heard a report from the Committee on Mechanical Branches among the Colored People of the Free States, and issued an address on behalf of those held in slavery.[7]