Constance Cummings-John
Constance Cummings-John was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1918. In 1935 she began to travel. During this period (1935) while living in London she was influenced by two African organizations, the West African Students' Union and the League of Colored Peoples (she became a member of the executive board of the latter.)
In 1936 she visited America and saw and felt the practice of its jim crow laws. Upon her return to London she became active in the International African Service Bureau(IASB). Some of the members of the IASB included I.T. A. Wallace, George Padmore and Amy Ashwood Garvey.
In 1937 Cummings-John became apart of the West African Youth League (WAYL). She along with four other women were members of the WAYL Central Committee, these women insured that the concerns of women were not ignored.
Constance Cummings-John remained steadfast in her efforts to serve the people. In 1961 Sierra Leone gained its independence. In 1964 she became the first African woman to win the position of mayor of Freetown. Years later she returned to London and continued to champion Pan-Africanism.
