Our History
Our History
Charter Members of the New York Chapter
Breaking bread and sharing a well-told story is something good friends do with ease. There is comfort in those moments, a sense of safety, free expression, and assurance that allows conversations to flow and for true connections to grow. That is precisely why and how The Girl Friends, Inc., one of the country’s oldest social organizations of African American women, was founded in 1927.
Eunice Shreeves, a New York City student at Cheyney Normal School for Teachers, wanted to find a way to remain in touch with close friends while they were in college and beginning new adventures as young adults. She invited four friends into her New York City home to share a hot pot of stew and some girl friendly banter. Lillie Mae Riddick, also a student at Cheyney, Henri and Elnorist Younge, sisters and students at Howard University, and Thelma Whittaker, a student at New York’s Wadleigh High School, joined Eunice around that welcome table.
During their conversation and in between sips of stew, Lillie suggested that their newly formed group should be called The Girl Friends, taking the name from a popular song of the era. And they selected apple green and emerald green as the club colors, and the yellow tea rose to represent the group. They committed themselves to lasting friendship and service, grounded in graciousness and conviviality.
Over the years, the chain of friendship that began during the Harlem Renaissance spread throughout the East Coast, to Philadelphia, Pa., Baltimore, Md., Boston, Mass., New Jersey, and New Haven, Conn. The first Conclave, when members from all the chapters come together, was held in 1933 in New York City with 28 members in attendance. Under the legal guidance of Baltimore Boy Friend Thurgood Marshall, The Girl Friends was incorporated in 1938.
Today, there are 49 Girl Friend chapters across the country with 2000-plus faithful and committed members.