 In the early 1890s, when the "Woman's Era" polled readers to see if there was a need for a national organization of black clubwomen, the response was overwhelmingly positive.In 1895, an obscure Missouri journalist named John Jacks sent a letter to the secretary of the British Anti-Slavery Society, Florence Belgarnie.In the letter, Jacks criticized the anti-lynching work of Ida B.