In 1941, nationally recognized Civil Rights leader Dr. Rosa Slade-Gragg took tremendous personal and financial risk to secure the headquarters building for the Detroit Association of Women’s Clubs (DAWC) during her presidency of the organization; to avoid the racially restrictive clauses prohibiting African Americans from living on certain streets, Slade-Gragg had the building’s address officially changed. Dr. Slade-Gragg's brave actions ensured that association members would have a home base for community organizing efforts that aimed to create equality for women and Black Americans, and she would go on to continue this work on a national scale, serving as an advisor to three United States Presidents (Roosevelt, Kennedy, and Johnson).

During her tenure as president of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs (1958-62), Dr. Slade-Gragg successfully advocated for legislation designating the Frederick Douglass House in Washington D. C. as a National Historic Site operated by the National Park Service, and she was later in attendance as President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964.

The DAWC was founded as part of the Black uplift movement of the early 20th century to “promote charitable, educational, religious, social activities, and community uplift, and to aid in the solution of racial problems.” The DAWC began with eight clubs; membership peaked in 1945 with 75 clubs and 3,000 members.

Throughout its history, the DAWC has hosted weddings, receptions, recitals, and cotillions in the clubhouse, becoming a significant part of Black Detroiters’ social lives. The DAWC’s service to its community has been significant, leading initiatives including scholarships, clothing drives, community clean-ups, food distributions, and literacy programming.

Not having the ability to operate from their headquarters building has limited the programs and social support services that DAWC can provide to their community. Having a physical space where Black women could safely go in person for social connection and community organization was integral to the founding of DAWC and remains critical today.

The DAWC and the City of Detroit worked together to add the clubhouse to the National Register of Historic Places and are collaborating to develop a Historic Structure Report, funded by a grant from the National Park Service, which will provide a roadmap for restoring the clubhouse, but partnerships and financial support are needed to ensure the DAWC is reopened to members and the public for community-serving programs and initiatives.

Detroit Association of Women’s Clubs was named to the National Trust's list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2026.