Weston, Annie Belle

Dr. Annie Belle Weston was born Annie Bell Ranzy in 1892 at Fort Motte in Calhoun County, South Carolina and later moved to Columbia to attend high school. Weston earned a B.A. from Benedict College in Columbia and an M.A. from Columbia University in New York City.

Weston was a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. While in New York, she helped charter the organization’s Kappa Sigma chapter and served as Basileus, president of the chapter, from 1936 to 1938. In 1947, Weston assisted in chartering the Beta Epsilon Sigma alumnae chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Inc. in Columbia. Weston’s lifelong commitments to youth empowerment, literacy, and Black advancement mirrored those of Sigma Gamma Rho and Black Greek Letter Organizations more broadly.

By the early 1940s, Weston had returned to Columbia, South Carolina, and become an active presence in the Black-led Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), an alternative to the all-white South Carolina Democratic Party. Weston served as party secretary and advised women across the state on forming PDP auxiliaries. She pushed Black men to acknowledge the political efficacy of Black women. In her 1947 speech, “Women Fail To Use Their Political Power,” Weston argued that Black women had the potential to not only obtain the right to vote for African Americans but also to eradicate the “corrupt practices of the courts, the sadistic tendencies of the law enforcement officer, the inequalities of the educational systems and the unwholesome recreation conditions.” She served as one of two female PDP delegates to the 1948 Democratic National Convention. While campaigning for Black voter registration and the PDP into the 1950s and 1960s, she also pushed for greater female representation in the party.

In addition to her political activism, Weston dedicated herself to providing opportunities for the personal and political development of youth. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, she hosted youth oratorical contests, delivered addresses on preventing juvenile delinquency, conducted talent show fundraisers to support youth programs, and served on President Truman’s National Committee for the Midcentury White House Conference on Children and Youth. In the 1950s, she served as director of the Columbia NAACP youth chapter and state superintendent of youth chapters for the NAACP. In 1962, Weston formally incorporated the Las Tres Cinco Club at Allen University as a non-profit “to promote the educational and social interest of negro youth.” Near the end of her life, Weston directed the youth center at Fellowship Church in Columbia.

Weston also left a legacy as a member or officer of the Order of the Eastern Star, League of Women Voters, South Carolina Council on Human Relations, and the Culture Club and National Alumni Association of Benedict College. Her work was recognized by the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, the South Carolina Federation of Women for Education and Community Work, the National Council of Negro Women, and the National Alumni Association of Benedict College. During her career, Weston taught at several colleges and remained a sought-after speaker for graduations, commencements, church gatherings, political events, and youth programs. In 1962, she became the first woman to receive an honorary doctorate from Benedict College. Dr. Annie Belle Ranzy Weston passed away on February 29, 1968, and was buried at Palmetto Cemetery in Columbia, South Carolina.

Alabama Tribune. “Columbia, S.C. — Sponsor Rhythm Extravaganza.” October 15, 1948.

Beta Epsilon Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Columbia, SC. “Beta Epsilon Sigma Chapter Charter Members,” February 1, 2023. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=509015628006366&set=pb.100066938000506.-2207520000&type=3.

Byrd, Levi. “Cheraw, S.C.” New Pittsburgh Courier, December 29, 1945.

Jones-Branch, Cherisse. “‘To Speak When and Where I Can’: African American Women’s Political Activism in South Carolina in the 1940s and 1950s.” The South Carolina Historical Magazine 107, no. 3 (2006): 204–24.

New Pittsburgh Courier. “Around Town.” October 8, 1960.

New Pittsburgh Courier. “Southeastern Regional Conference Is Held By Sigma Gamma Rho.” April 2, 1949.

“South Carolina Deaths, 1915-1973,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6TQH-SS67 : Mon May 06 20:07:36 UTC 2024), Entry for Annie Belle Ranzy Weston and Abraham Ranzy, 29 Feb 1968.

The Columbia Record. “Benedict Instructor To Speak.” March 2, 1948.

The Columbia Record. “Benedict Plans Comedy Drama.” October 31, 1958.

The Columbia Record. “‘Charming Intruder’’ Tonight at Allen.” November 2, 1960.

The Columbia Record. “Church Convention Set in Spartanburg.” June 23, 1964.

The Columbia Record. “Dr. Weston Final Rites Set Sunday.” March 1, 1968.

The Columbia Record. “Elks Hold Speaking Contest at Benedict.” June 9, 1948.

The Columbia Record. “High Schools Announce Plans for Graduation.” May 15, 1952.

The Columbia Record. “P-TA Meets Here Tonight.” December 3, 1956.

The New York Age. “Educator and Lecturer At Southern Baptist.” July 28, 1956.

The New York Age. “Sorors In Elections of Officers; Plan Swank Function Here.” June 18, 1938.

The State. “Allen to Present ‘Charming Intruder.’” October 30, 1960.

The State. “Benedict Open 87th Session on Wednesday.” September 8, 1956.

The State. “Funeral Announcements.” March 3, 1968.

The State. “NAACP To Meet.” February 20, 1955.

The State. “Negro Baptist Women Observe 70th Anniversary.” July 1, 1958.

The State. “Negro Baptist Women Open Sumter Meeting.” June 23, 1949.

The State. “Negro Nurses Capped at Hospital Here.” September 19, 1942.

The State. “News of City Parks.” June 9, 1947.

The State. “News of City Parks.” December 8, 1955.

Stackhouse, T.B. “Serving A Community.” The State, February 20, 1968.

The State. “Waverly Beauty School Holds Its First Finals.” September 23, 1956.