Carrie Merriweather: Alliance Black History

Carrie Elizabeth Merriweather
The first female African-American missionary to be sent by the C&MA.

Born July 28, 1881, in Carthage, Indiana, Merriweather moved to Cleveland, Ohio, at the age of 17 to attend Friends’ Bible School. While there, she befriended Mrs. B. H.Smoot, ardent supporter of the C&MA’s foreign missionary effort. At Smoot’s encouragement, Merriweather enrolled at Nyack in 1910 with only $50 to cover her expenses. She spent the next two years studying and paying for her tuition by faith and hard work. In 1890, The Christian and Missionary Alliance established a mission post in Sierra Leone hoping that it would provide a gateway into what was known as “French Soudan”—a vast expanse of land stretching from present-day Mali to the eastern highlands of Ethiopia. At a point of desperation, the field sent out a call in 1912 for more missionaries. Carrie Elizabeth Merriweather, a second-year student at The Missionary Training Institute (now Nyack College, Nyack, N.Y.), heard that call and decided to respond, ultimately forgoing her graduation. She arrived at Freetown, Sierra Leone, in November 1913, becoming the first female African-American missionary to be sent by the C&MA.

Check out the C&MA's article here to find out more about her inspiring story.