Fannie Duncan

Fannie Mae Duncan
Community Leader
1918 - 2005
INDUCTED 2014

Fannie Mae Duncan will long be remembered as a pioneer in race relations in Colorado Springs. “Everybody Welcome” was a sign permanently displayed in the club she owned. Colorado Springs Multicultural Festival recognizes Fannie Mae Duncan as a pioneer among women and African-Americans.

Fannie Mae came to Colorado in 1933 with her widowed mother and six siblings. During World War II, her dream was a jazz club, and she borrowed money to buy a building for her “Cotton Club”. There she booked stars such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Mahalia Jackson, and Etta James, who attracted racially mixed crowds. Local authorities objected to her “mixing colors,” but she said turning away white customers would deny them their rights. Duncan displayed a permanent sign in the Cotton Club window: “Everybody Welcome.” Because racial restrictions in hotels left even celebrity African-American musicians without housing, she purchased an historic 42-room mansion to create luxurious accommodations for them and visiting black dignitaries. One of her guests, civil rights activist Medgar Evers, praised Duncan for facilitating peaceful integration.