Symbols of Mary B. Talbert's legacy are visible across the city of Buffalo.

A mural of her is located right next to that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., part of the Freedom Wall at the corner of Michigan Ave. and E. Ferry St.

She's prominently featured in exhibits at the Buffalo History Museum. There are historic markers at the location of her home on Michigan Ave., and even at her final resting place in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

But the lasting signs of her life lie in the people she fought for.

Mary Talbert was born in Ohio in 1866. She graduated from Oberlin College, and became a teacher and assistant principal at a school in Arkansas, where she was an advocate for African American education and civil rights.

She moved to Buffalo after marrying local businessman William Talbert. They lived just a few steps from the historic Michigan Street Baptist Church, a center for African American culture in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

"I could best describe her as a social activist. She was a humanitarian, she was a suffragist, she believed in civil rights, human rights," said Lillian Williams, University at Buffalo associate professor of history in the transnational studies department.

A native of Niagara Falls, Williams has dedicated much of her career to researching Mary Talbert. In fact, she's traveled the world following Talbert's fight for equality and searching for related documents, many of which have been preserved because of her efforts.

As a graduate student, Williams was instrumental in the naming of Talbert Hall on UB's North Campus.

"I basically want to tell her story because I think it's a powerful story and I think it can be a catalyst for other people," Williams said.

Talbert was a key leader in the National Association of Colored Women's clubs. She pushed for a law to make lynching a federal crime.

She spoke out against efforts to suppress voting rights and educational opportunities. In 1905, her home in Buffalo was the site of some of the first meetings of the Niagara Movement, as African American activists gathered to talk about civil rights.

That would lead to the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which still exists to this day.

"She was one of those individuals who did not allow the word no to stop her when it comes down to dealing with the rights of people," said Rev. Mark Blue, current president of Buffalo's NAACP chapter.

To him, Talbert is a giant in the civil rights movement, and while much progress has been made the wake of Talbert and others, he believes much more must be done to end discrimination.

"We have not all arrived yet. We're on a ladder. As you climb, bring somebody along with you," Blue said.

Talbert was a board member and vice president of the NAACP. The year before she died in 1923, she received the Spingarn Medal, the organization's highest honor. It is on display at the Buffalo History Museum, where Talbert is prominently featured in exhibits, along with photos in documents in the museum's research library. 

"Other people who have gotten it:  Dr. Martin Luther King, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, George Washington Carver," said Tony Greco, director of exhibits and interpretative planning. "These are huge figures and she's among them."

Talbert rallied behind the movement to give women the right to vote and worked to unite women of color not only in this country, but around the world.

Women like Buffalo's Vivian Coram. She was born in 1933 and lived through the civil rights movement. Coram recalls a time when her grammar school guidance counselor told her to take home economics instead of going to college to be a nurse, because of the color of her skin.

"As far as she was concerned, the average African America woman did housekeeping," Coram said.

She credits the influence of trailblazers like Mary Talbert for opening the possibility that she could ignore that advice, and eventually did attend Trocaire College and become a registered nurse for nearly 30 years.

Coram is also a longtime member of the Mary B. Talbert Civic and Cultural Club, which gives scholarships to African American students and donates to other groups in the community as a way to carry on the mission of Mrs. Talbert.

"I think she would be very proud to know that she left something behind,” Coram said. "That people would remember her for the good things that she had done."

There are further efforts immortalize Mary Talbert and other women who paved the way.

The Erie County Commission on the Status of Women is planning a series of monuments dedicated to trailblazing women of Western New York. They're hoping to break ground this summer, with Talbert among the first three.