Who We Are
The Essex County Civic Club was formed in the Bethany Baptist Church in Newark, NJ in 1910. It was comprised of young women from the ages of eight to twenty-one years of age. At that time the club was known as the "What I Can" club, raising money for needs of the church, social and education programs. In 1915 some of the most prominent Bethany women in Newark encouraged the young girls of Bethany to go to Trenton to join the New Jersey State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs.
“May we strive to touch and to know the great, common human heart of us all, and, O Lord God, let us forget not to be kind!”
Our Motto
“To work and serve the hour. Lifting as we climb.
Our Mission
The Mission of the ECCC is to improve the quality of life for all people, especially African-Americans, by implementing a Four-Point Program of Education, Legislation, Economic empowerment and Health & Welfare.