The Black Sash: The Women's Defence of the Constitution League

In 1955 a small group of white middle-class women who were predominantly English-speaking formed an organization called The Women's Defence of the Constitution League . Founder members were Jean Sinclair, Ruth Foley, Elizabeth McLaren, Tertia Pybus, Jean Bosazza and Helen Newton-Thompson. The organisation grew into an avenue for liberal women to oppose government policies by means of marches, convoys, demonstrations and vigils. It came to be called the Black Sash because the women wore black sashes over one shoulder as they stood to demonstrate against discriminatory legislation. It was initially formed to protest against the Separate Representation of Voters Bill, a ploy by the government to remove Coloureds from the common voters' roll. The women saw this as a flagrant attack on the spirit of the constitution. To show their disapproval and bring this injustice into the public eye they stood silently on pavements outside public buildings in the major cities, wearing their black sashes. They attracted some support but also criticism from the white public. Supporters of the Congress Alliance were heartened by this stand, but efforts to form links between the Black Sash and the FSAW failed to materialize. Once the legislation on the Coloured vote had been passed the Black Sash continued to demonstrate against legislation that infringed the rule of law.
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"The Black Sash", an organisation of white women against Apartheid Laws, demonstrated, often on a daily basis, in front of the Johannesburg City Hall 1960. © Jurgen Schadeberg