On the evening of November 9, 1946 in Philadelphia, Margaret Rosell Hawkins and Sarah Strickland Scott invited seven of their friends to join them in organizing an inter-city club. This was the first meeting of The Links. These women were already involved with other organizations, such as sororities, business and professional associations, NAACP, the Urban League and Jack & Jill and were invited to become linked in this club of friendship. The vision was to form an organization that would respond to the needs and aspirations of Black women in ways that existing clubs did not.

The thrust was threefold: civic, educational and cultural. The club would implement programs that would foster cultural appreciation of the arts, develop richer inter-group relations, and help women to understand and accept their social and civic responsibilities. They structured the club with officers and dues were 50 cents per month. In 1949, at the First Assembly, The Links became a national organization with 14 chapters located in 10 states. Geographically, the once Philadelphia-based organization grew in 1950 to 28 chapters with three in California. By 1990, there were 240 chapters in 39 states and two foreign countries. Today, there are more than 17,000 Links in 299 chapters, representing 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Bahamas and the UK. Visit our headquarters in Washington, DC.

North Jersey (NJ) Chapter

The North Jersey (NJ) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated was founded in June 1949.

It was organized by Fannie Holland Curtis and sponsored by the Philadelphia Chapter.

Other charter members include Lillian Alexander, Mamie Jean Darden, Elizabeth Ghee, Margurite Gross, Bessie Hill, Alvan Martin, Ella McLean, Gertrude Norris, Gladys Shirley, and Mildred Morris Williams.