Lena Santos Ferguson was a catalyst for change. Because of her, the Daughters of the American Revolution took actions to ensure that no chapter may discriminate against an applicant on the basis of race or creed and actively promoted inclusivity throughout the National Society. Her struggle to become a member of DAR lasted from 1980 to 1983 after her initial application was not advanced by a DAR chapter. After she became a DAR member-at-large, an agreement was reached in 1984 between Mrs. Ferguson and the DAR that resulted in DAR revising its National Bylaws to bar discrimination by any of its chapters on the basis of race or creed. Among other things, DAR also focused more research on Revolutionary War Patriots of color, and supported students of color in the Washington, D.C., community through DAR scholarships.
In 2023, DAR renamed its Washington, D.C., nursing scholarships as the “Daughters of the American Revolution – Lena Ferguson Scholarship,” in honor of Mrs. Ferguson and her contributions that changed DAR for the better. DAR also doubled the funds given to two nursing students at the University of the District of Columbia, raising the awards to $5,000 each annually.
Plans are also underway to dedicate a plaque honoring Mrs. Ferguson in the Daughters Tribute Memorial Garden at DAR National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The plaque will be unveiled at the DAR’s 132nd Continental Congress in June 2023 during the Daughters Tribute wreath laying ceremony held at the beginning of the week of Congress festivities. This ceremony will be attended by the DAR National Board of Management along with all members wishing to participate.
Learn more below about Lena Ferguson’s life and contributions to DAR.
About Mrs. Ferguson
Lena Santos was born in 1928 in New Britain, Connecticut, and grew up in nearby Plainville. Her mother was the daughter of a white Maine sea captain and a Black woman from Virginia. Her immigrant father, from Cape Verde, was of mixed Black and Portuguese ancestry.
Mrs. Ferguson traced her family ancestry through her mother to the American Revolution. Her ancestor, Jonah Gay, had supported the Revolutionary War effort as a member of the town committee of Friendship, Maine.
Left: Santos Family pictured in 1946 in Plainville, CT. Right: Lena Santos pictured in the early 1950s.
In 1953, she came to Washington, D.C., where she was an office worker for the Navy Department. She began volunteering at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic School in D.C., in 1965 and later became the school secretary. She retired from the school in 1995. Mrs. Ferguson passed away in 2004 in Washington, D.C. She is inurned with her husband in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
In 2008, the Council of the District of Columbia approved a ceremonial resolution honoring Mrs. Ferguson for her patriotism and outstanding contributions to the Daughters of the American Revolution, the District of Columbia and the African American community.
Joining the DAR
Mrs. Ferguson was admitted to the Daughters of the American Revolution as an at-large member in 1983. When she had originally attempted to join the organization through a DAR chapter in Washington, D.C., in 1980, the chapter did not advance her application after her multiple attempts to join. This event drew national media attention and sparked an important dialogue with Mrs. Ferguson that changed the face of DAR.
Mrs. Ferguson and the DAR reached an agreement in 1984 on several matters, after she was denied membership in a D.C. chapter. This agreement included DAR revising its National Bylaws to bar discrimination by any of its chapters on the basis of race or creed. DAR continues to strive to be a more diverse and inclusive organization and supports its members of color whose participation in all aspects of the National Society was advanced by Mrs. Ferguson’s strength and commitment. Because of Mrs. Ferguson, the DAR became a more welcoming membership organization for all women.
Eventually, Mrs. Ferguson joined a different DAR chapter in Washington, D.C., and she was active with the Margaret Whetten Chapter for many years. She served as a National Vice Chair of the D.C. Community Scholarship for 20 years and took great enjoyment in selecting the scholarship recipients and celebrating their successes.
Forgotten Patriots
As part of the 1984 agreement with Mrs. Ferguson, DAR agreed to research and identify Black Patriots who served during the American Revolution and work with the DAR Lineage Research Committee to help establish the lineage of eligible applicants related to these Patriots. The work expanded to identify African Americans, Native Americans and individuals of mixed heritage who supported the struggle for independence during the American Revolution.
A series of research booklets for each of the original states was published that identified names and resources related to Patriots of color. In 2001 these booklets were merged into one volume and their contents greatly expanded via the DAR publication, African American and American Indian Patriots in the Revolutionary War.
The DAR continued to expand the project and it eventually evolved into the Forgotten Patriots Project. In 2002 a well-received DAR Museum exhibition, “Forgotten Patriots: African American and American Indian Service in the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783,” was opened to the public and a DAR Library seminar of the same name was held featuring noted historians from around the country.
In 2006 a new, intensified effort to identify additional names of Patriots of color was undertaken by the DAR that ultimately resulted in the organization’s publication of the 874-page Forgotten Patriots: African American and American Indian Patriots in the Revolutionary War in 2008. Initially sold in book form, after the books were sold-out, the publication was digitized in 2011 and made available as a downloadable PDF free of charge on the DAR public website for all to access.
District of Columbia Scholarships
The 1984 agreement also required DAR to establish two scholarships for minority students in the District of Columbia. Mrs. Ferguson managed the awards for two decades until the time of her death. Her daughter, Serena DeSantos Ferguson, took up the management of the scholarships for several years following her mother’s passing. In 2016, management of the scholarship transitioned to the nursing program at the University of the District of Columbia, with support logistics and communications from DAR.
In 2023, in honor of Mrs. Ferguson, DAR renamed the DAR Nursing Scholarship at the University of the District of Columbia the “Daughters of the American Revolution Lena Ferguson Scholarship.” The amount of funds awarded was also doubled to $5,000 for each of the two students selected. Inspired by Mrs. Ferguson’s desires to strengthen and advance her community as well as the DAR, these scholarships will honor her memory and help deserving students achieve their dreams of becoming exemplary nurses.
From left: Lena Ferguson, husband James Ferguson, daughter Serena DeSantos Ferguson, grandson Greyson Mann and daughter Sonya Ferguson.
