Who’s a Daughter of the American Revolution? Answer grows more diverse.
When Michelle Wherry joined the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), she wasn’t trying to make a statement. She simply thought it was a perfect way to honor her mother, who always said that she and her sisters came from a free Black line.
In the decade since, Ms. Wherry’s DAR activities have received national attention, in large part because she and many of her friends in the organization don’t fit a stereotype long associated with the 131-year-old society for people whose ancestors helped America achieve independence. “When you think about DAR, you think about white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants,” Ms. Wherry says. “And here you have women who are ... not what you think of as DAR. But they very much are.”
That’s more true now than ever. DAR’s membership has grown every year
Earning its reputationFamily and countryRethinking the Revolution
