Douglass Club of Austin

The Douglass Club was organized by Laura Pierce and fourteen other founders in 1906 and joined the National Federation in 1912 and the State Federation in 1914. It is a member of the Texas Association of Women and Youth Clubs (TAWC) and the National Association of Colored Women Clubs (NACWC).

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TAWC, formerly Texas Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, was organized in 1905 by Mrs. M.E. Y. Moore in Gainesville, Texas. By forming a federation of independent women's clubs, activities focused on working together to improve the home, moral and social life in the African-American communities of Texas. In 1906, the Texas Association affiliated with the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACWC) and adopted the motto of the NACWC, "Lifting As We Climb."

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Texas became part of the Southwest Region under NACWC. This region included eight states: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

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In 1956, the name of the organization changed to the Texas Association of Woman's Clubs. The Federation further organized itself into nine districts in the state of Texas.

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Although most of the community improvement efforts were focused at the local club level, a number of impressive statewide initiatives were implemented, including a state-supported home serving the needs of young girls in danger of dropping out of school.

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The Douglass Club of Austin, Texas is the oldest African-American women's service organization in Austin and Central Texas. The organization was formed to provide an avenue for African-American women to address the needs of their family, community, and nation, by addressing issues that improve quality of life.

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For more than 114 years, the Douglass Club has served Austin and Central Texas by providing youth scholarships and good citizenship awards and aiding the elderly, and contributing in the community.