Founded June 10, 1930 by Mrs. Fannie B. Peck (1879-1970), the Housewives League of Detroit (HLD) was created and organized as a direct result of the economic conditions that existed for the Negro populace in the United States in general, and Detroit, in particular.
The HLD’s founding came close on the heels of the establishment of the Booker T. Washington Trade Association (BTWTA), founded by Rev. William H. Peck of Bethel AME Church, husband of Fannie Peck, and several local Negro businessmen and professionals in Detroit.
With the backing of the BTWTA, the Housewives’ League of Detroit designed a consumer-business support model that helped to sustain the economic foundation of Detroit’s black population. Based on the knowledge that “housewives controlled 80% of the family’s income,” the HLD’s strategy of interconnectedness between consumer and business, paved the way for Negro employment opportunities, and increased business and consumer education.
The success of the Housewives League of Detroit encouraged Negro women in other cities to unite and organize Housewives Leagues for their communities. Among the cities with Housewives Leagues charters: St. Louis, Missouri; Cincinnati, Ohio; Frankfort, Kentucky; Austin, Texas; and Baltimore, Maryland. In 1933, the Housewives Leagues throughout the United States organized and became the National Housewives League of America, with Fannie B. Peck as president.
