Our History Since 1961
What began around a card table in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has grown into a national legacy spanning 25 chapters, four generations, and six decades of service, fellowship, and educational philanthropy.
How It All Began
In 1961, four visionary women — Florence Creque, Bernice Murrell, Demerice Erwin, and Bessie Allen — gathered at a champagne brunch in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and founded what would become the first nationally based African American social bridge club in America.
Their purpose was never simply to play cards. They used bridge as a conduit for sisterhood, community outreach, family entertainment, and civic activism. They invited nine other women to join them — each a community role model — and together they named their club the “Holidays Bridge Club,” because it provided a theme for celebrating together throughout the year. More importantly, it exemplified the continuity of their bonds: summer, winter, spring, and fall.
On June 23, 1965, the two founding chapters incorporated to form The Holidays, Incorporated. Judge Richard Erwin, spouse of founder Demerice, guided the incorporation process — and in doing so, branded the Holiday spouses “Labor Days.” Their children became “Everydays” and their grandchildren “Somedays.” The Holidays was never just an organization. It was always a family.
Meet Our Founders
To appreciate The Holidays, one must know something about our founders. Each was active in church, community, and career — and together they built something that would outlast them all.
The Holidays' Legacy — A Work of Art
To mark the 40th Anniversary of The Holidays, Incorporated, internationally renowned artist Steve R. Allen — the Official Artist for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta — was commissioned to create a painting in honor of our founders. Entitled “The Holidays’ Legacy,” the work depicts African American women engaged in playing bridge, with portraits of the founders on the wall behind them. On the left wall is a photograph of Barbara Davis, who formed the Charlotte, North Carolina Chapter, and beneath the founders is Nellouise Watkins, who founded the Greensboro Chapter — women depicted for beginning a national movement.
The painting was printed as a limited edition Giclée of 300 on archival quality paper — a permanent tribute to the women who built this legacy.
Milestones in Our History
From a champagne brunch in Winston-Salem to 25 chapters across the nation — here are the moments that shaped The Holidays, Incorporated.
August 1961
Thirteen founding members gather at the home of Florence Creque for a champagne brunch to form the Holidays Bridge Club in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
November 1963
The Holidays make history as the first African Americans to host a formal dance and luncheon at the Robert E. Lee Hotel — thanks in part to an earlier protest led by Bernice Murrell.
1964
Bonds forged with a group from Charlotte, NC lead to the installation of the second chapter of The Holidays.
June 23, 1965
The two founding chapters incorporate to form The Holidays, Incorporated. Judge Richard Erwin guides the process. Barbara Davis of the Charlotte chapter is elected the first National President.
1967
The third chapter is installed in Greensboro, NC. On November 25, the three chapters convene for the first National Concourse at the Barringer Inn in Charlotte, NC.
August 1, 1972
The first issue of The Dayletter newsletter is distributed under National President Bessie Allen — becoming the organizational footprint in the sands of time.
1979
At the Concourse in Birmingham, Alabama, founder Florence Creque and Holiday Jessica Hayden introduce “Holiday Woman,” which is adopted as the official song of The Holidays, Incorporated.
June 22, 1991
A historic repositing ceremony is held at the Bethune Archives Museum in Washington, DC. Founders Bessie Allen, Demerice Erwin, and Bernice Murrell attend in person. The Holidays Incorporated Records formally join the National Archives for Black Women’s History.
2001
For the 40th Anniversary Concourse in Atlanta, internationally renowned artist Steve R. Allen is commissioned to create “The Holidays’ Legacy” — a painting honoring the founders, printed as a limited edition Giclée of 300.
2009
Holiday Leah Creque, daughter of founder Florence Creque, becomes the first “Everyday” of the Winston-Salem chapter to serve as National President.
2025
The Holidays, Incorporated establishes the Winning Hands Endowed Scholarship in partnership with UNCF — transforming six decades of annual giving into a permanent legacy of opportunity.
September 3–6, 2026
The Birmingham Chapter hosts the 55th Annual Concourse and the inaugural Winning Hands & Crowns of Legacy Luncheon, celebrating the 60th Anniversary of The Holidays, Incorporated.
Preserved for Posterity — Part of American History
"We in the Present have a Responsibility to both the Past and the Future. We are part of an Intergenerational Continuum."
The story of The Holidays, Incorporated is not just an organizational history — it is part of the documented history of African American women in the United States. The Holidays Incorporated Records are among 63 collections held at the National Archives for Black Women’s History (NABWH), located at the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site in Washington, D.C. — a site administered by the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The records contain a rich history of the organization from its birth to the present, including correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, annual reports, and more than 4,000 photographs. On June 22, 1991, founders Bessie Allen, Demerice Erwin, and Bernice Murrell attended the historic repositing ceremony in person.
Our Footprint in the Sands of Time
Since August 1, 1972, The Holidays, Incorporated has published The Dayletter — our official organizational newsletter and institutional memory. Through six decades of personal and professional news from chapters across the nation, The Dayletter has painted a composite picture of the historical impact of African American women throughout the latter half of the twentieth century.
"The Dayletter has truly become our organizational footprint in the sands of time."
Learn More About Who We Are
Our history is just one part of our story. Learn about our purpose, our chapters, our traditions, and what makes The Holidays, Incorporated unlike any other organization.
