Emma Odessa Young, a member of the New York Club of Business and Professional Women, conceived The National Association of Negro Business and Professional  Women’s Clubs (NANBPWC, INC.)in 1934. In 1935, the organization was made national and soon spawned clubs in the northeast and southern United States. The founders were college graduates, business owners, educators, and other professionally licensed women who recognized the need for a support network for Black-owned business during the Great Depression.  The scope of the organization since broadened to include community service initiatives. Today there are over 100 clubs nationally and internationally.