Dates

• Existence: 1863 - 1916

Biographical Note

William A. Hunton, the son a freed slave from Canada, began his Y work in 1888 as the first employed YMCA secretary at a “Colored YMCA” in Norfolk (Va.). Three years later, when serving as the national secretary for colored work, he wrote "First Steps," a pamphlet describing his vision for the YMCA regarding race relations.

Hunton worked among the soldiers in the Army camps during the Spanish-American War and in developing Student YMCAs on black campuses throughout the South. He helped communities meet Julius Rosenwald’s challenge grant to build YMCAs for African-American communities, and then helped recruit and train the staff and volunteers to lead those associations.

Hunton traveled extensively in the United States and abroad. He was awarded an honorary degree by Howard University.

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