Jennie Belle Murphy Covington
*Jennie Belle Murphy Covington was born on this date in 1881. She was a Black feminist and activist.
Jennie Belle Murphy was born in Clinton, Texas, to an unknown father and Rachel Thomas. She was raised in Dement, Texas, by her aunt and uncle, Jane and Will Jones. She attended Guadalupe College in Seguin, Texas, where she met and married Dr. Benjamin Covington in 1902.
Murphy Covington was active in Houston's Black and female communities, holding chairs on various organization boards. She founded the first branch of Houston's YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association) and was chairwoman for the branch, which provided a safe space for Black girls and women to meet. The YWCA – Blue Triangle branch still provides recreational and educational services to the young women of Houston's Third Ward today.
Murphy Covington co-founded and was chairwoman of the Houston branch of the Texas Commission on Interracial Cooperation. She also belonged to the Married Ladies Social, Art, and Charity Club, the Ada Miller Band, and the Court of Calanthe. She was an ardent member of the Antioch Baptist Church on Robin Street.
Because of Jim Crow laws, Houston hotels were segregated, so she and her husband hosted many prominent Blacks who visited the city, including Marian Anderson, Booker T. Washington, Roland Hayes, William Pickens, and Anne Brown. Jennie Belle Murphy Covington died on October 8, 1966, survived by her daughter, one brother, and two sisters. She is buried in Paradise Cemetery (North) in Houston. In 1990, her daughter and grandchildren dedicated electronic chimes to Antioch Baptist Church to honor her and her husband. In 1994, a Texas historical marker was placed at the site of the Covington home at 2219 Dowling Street.
