Flaxie Madison Gwendolyn Holcombe Pinkett
Flaxie Holcombe Pinkett
AKA, Community Activist, Educator, Entrepreneur, Social Worker, Executive, & Philanthropist.
Flaxie Madison Gwendolyn Holcombe Pinkett, better known as “Flax”, was the only child of Charles Bates and Marth Ellen “Ella” Smith Holcombe in Washington DC. Charles worked as a railway postal clerk.
Flax was a dedicated student who graduated from M. Street in 1907, but had also gone to Howard Academy in 1905.
In December of 1905, Flaxie was one of four female friends that was in the Social Study Group begun by CC Poindexter.
Flaxie knew Fannie from M Street having graduated in the same class but also knew Robert Ogle from the class of ‘05 and
She also knew AKA founders Flagg and Hill from ‘04. Orrie Boyd, AKA Norma Boyd’s older sister and DST Founder Eliza P. Shippen from the class of ‘04 as well. It is assumed she knew Rosa/Mary/ Virgie from DC circles but had a close relationship with Pauline that extended well beyond graduation.
Her future husband John Pinkett was just one year ahead of her at M street as well and graduated with such other well known greats as AKA Founders, Carrie Snowden & Sarah Meriwether in the class of 06..
Social Study Literary Club
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APA founder Kelley discussed in 1917 that the black women had shown a greater deal of success of being able to matriculate through Cornell than the previous black male students so the women who were invited were a welcome presence.
However, as the numbers of men increased in the Social Literary club the women finding themselves greatly outnumbered graciously bowed out of the organization
Family
In 1912, her beau John went on to teach at Sumner High School in ST. Louis from his previous successes at JSU and Alcorn. Yes, that Sumner, the famed high school where Ethel Hedgemon Lyle and her future husband graduated in 1905 and where she was awarded the schools’ first scholarship to Howard.
He rose to head assistant in the day and eventually principal of the night school.
At the end of that school year, In 1913, he and Flaxie got married in August and welcomed John in April of 1914.
Graduating in 3.5 years from Cornell in 1911, Flax was well regarded and employed as a substitute teacher in 1913, when she married John Pinkett Jr.
By 1920, Flax was involved in community efforts and
In 1921, her husband John resigned from his post as a principal and went to head an insurance company.
In April of this same year he helped to charter the St. Louis Alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. The present day home of the current Home of the 34th Grand Polemarch, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc, Reuben A. Shelton, III ESQ. who is married to an AKA.
This was an especially critical time as the couple had 6 year old John Jr.. 5 year old Margot, 3 year old Flaxie Jr., 6 month old Frances and was expecting Charlotte in July of the next year.
In 1922, Her husband was the director of region II for Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
Flaxie Madison Pinkett
Story Coming!
SERVICE
By 1930, they were living in DC.
In 1931 her 17 year old son was at the center of the first storm around residential segregation at the university of Minnesota.
After his first night in the dorms, President Lotus D. Coffman came to discuss the student’s future there. Pinkett left the next day under pressure to move into the Phyllis Wheatley House, an African American settlement house in North Minneapolis. Fortunately, there was precedent set by the admittance of
Frances Mary McHie. AKA McHie- Raines wanted to become a social worker mainly due to her exposure to a local activist and businesswoman W. Gertrude Brown. After high school, she attempted to enroll at the University of Minnesota’s School of Nursing. After being turned down because she was Black, Minnesota senator Sylvanus A. "S.A." Stockwell and Mrs. Brown brought the issues and young Frances before the Minnesota State Legislature.
It was here in 1929 where she was immediately admitted to the school and soon became the first Black woman to graduate from the school in 1932.
That same year she received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University's school of Education.
W. Gertrude Brown and Frances welcomed young Pinkett at the Phyllis Wheatley Home.
His father wrote a letter to fix the issue but I did not find any evidence of a degree from Univ. of Minnesota.
Instead, what I did find was that young Pinkett returned to the greater Washington, D.C. area. He began an all-Black flight school called the Cloud Club because aspiring African American pilots were denied flight instruction elsewhere.
Served as a flight instructor in Alabama, making him a Tuskegee airman.
went on to achieve the rank of Captain in the Air Force.
He found a second career helping to run the family-owned John R. Pinkett, Inc. real estate business.
attorney
Pearl BAiley’s 3rd or 4th husband. ( That’s a juicy story!)
Oh and in 1937 John was listed as the representative of the Beta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha of Howard University during the Alpha’’s 25th Convention in New Orleans.
1932
Began the business with her husband John.
By 1932
At the same time Flax Sr. helped her husband create their real estate and insurance company empire once he found himself unemployed.
14 year old Flaxie Jr. graduating from high school in 1932,
Flax Jr. was employed that year in the firm to keep her away from the Infamous “Howard Hill” that Omega Founder Edgar Love described as the place where the trio bonded their “friendship”.
From Flaxie Jr.
1932 - It was 1932, at the depth of the Great Depression, and he had a wife and six children to support. And he was unemployed. So he did something that you might say was completely irrational, given the times and the conditions, given the economy, given the going failure rate of all businesses, given a skyrocketing suicide rateamongst once successful business executives and investors jumping off skyscrapers. Given almost 99.99% assurance of failure, he started his own business, and with great pride he gave it his own name: John R. Pinkett, Incorporated.
She credits some of his success to Howard as it was one of her father’s first major clients. Even stating that it was this very fact that enabled him to negotiate contracts with major stock insurance companies at a time when there were no Black agencies representing them anywhere in the world. We have never for-gotten our roots!
While Flaxie Jr. credits her father for a lot of the businesses success it was also Flax Sr. ‘s Howard connections and abilities that helped the business grow as well.
Flax Jr. was very close to her father and took over the business in 1958 however, she is just as well known for her legacy of service work. Some done in her own name and some with her sorority DST. Flax jr. chose a sorority more closely aligned with her personality but like her mother worked with Lucy Slowe and definitely followed in her mother’s footsteps as did most of her daughters.
Examples include:
Advocate for children
Did loads of philanthropy
Member of the arts
NCNW
1933 -
In June, she graduated from Howard with a bachelors in Science of Home Economics.
Margot pinkett dyson
Story Coming!
Frances cecelia pinkett Roberson
Story Coming!
Charlotte Beckley Pinkett Dodson
Story Coming!
Charles Calvin Pinkett
Story Coming!
Above: A brief obituary for Flaxie published in Jet magazine in 1968.
Right: Flaxie and her family.
Flaxie's Living legacies
Flaxie's granddaughter - Dr. Flaxie Roberson Fletcher, the first black graduate from the private boarding school Stoneleigh-Burnham School, now a doctor in the Los Angeles area. (Class of 1968)
Flaxie's great grand daughter - Sheri Slate, Chief Inclusion and Collaboration Officer , Senior Vice President Inclusive Future and Strategy at Cisco, Board Advisor at Textio.
Flaxie's great, great, grand daughter - Hailey –2020 graduate of Aberdeen University in Scotland.
There are of course many more family members and achievements of Flaxie's legacies and I hope to update you in the future.
Theodore Drury
Story Coming Soon!!
By 1926, Flaxie was active with the Kappa Omega Chapter, in Atlanta with founder Marie Woolfolk Taylor and still managed her service commitments with 6 children in tow. Most of the children grew up in Atlanta until they eventually moved to DC.
1920 - 1960’s
organized & directed several daycares for working mothers, Included one at Howard.
Here is a record of Flaxie’s service as recorded by the sources I could find.
By 1936, Flaxie had earned a B.A. from Cornell University, a Master’s Degree from NYU and 2 additional degrees from Howard University for a total of 4.
1936 -
Became the head director of the Emergency Nursery School.
Board of Trustees for Community Chest
In June, she graduated from Howard with a bachelors in Science of Art of Education..
1937, 1938
- Northwest Settlement Home for nursery schools, testified before the senate for the organization.
1938
Speaking on violence, seeing it in movies and its effect on people. (Does the theater increase crime?)
social worker
Contributor to the board of trustees.
1940 -
D. C. Social Workers Will Have Special Orientation Course Volunteers to Be Given Demonstrations of Case Work
1941 -
Speaker to churches and organizations all across DC on the number of issues.
A program for juvenile delinquency. - issue that sparked Norma to create what became the AHCR.
1942 -
The Citizens sponsoring committee, mass meeting. ( Including Dorothy Height)
Help opens Boys Club of DC, Roosevelt sent greetings
Plan recreation for the Boys club.
1943 -
Worked with the recreational division of the social council for troops.
Secretary of NW Settlement
Helping house black troops during the war.
1944 -
Focused on the Tuberculosis problem to the East Central Civic Association.
1945 -
Receiving award for having done at least 10 hours a week of service work, for at least 2 years for the soldiers.
1946 -
Retires from NW Settlement, donating her salary towards acquiring a new building.
1949 -
Received awards for service
1957 -
Participated in the NCNW with her husband John.
1958
husband dies & Flaxie Jr takes over the company.
She is a Delta, became “Man of the year.”
Fighting for children of special needs.
1963 -
organized choir
1964 -
Women’s clubs
