IUOM: "The Independent United Order of Mechanics was founded in 1757 in Lancashire, England. During its first hundred years as a strong and growing enterprise, the Order established several Grand Lodges in Northern England and Southern Scotland. In 1878, the Order registered as a Friendly Society in accord with the Friendly Societies Act enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In the late 19th century, the Order spread to ...{various countries}. The first branch in the United States of America formed in 1910. Today, District Grand Lodges operate throughout the world, including England, ... {various other countries}." We note that many of the countries listed have large black populations.
Wikipedia provides: "Independent Order of Mechanics – Founded April 19, 1868, in Baltimore, USA. Open to acceptable white men 18–55. Had 10,000 members in the late 1890s. Motto was "Friendship, Truth and Love". Emblems included representation of Jacob's Ladder and the ark. Apparently defunct by the early 1920s."
The membership restriction to white men was either not universal or did not last long. IUOM history displays many group photos showing black men and black women.
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