Mary Fields Mary Fields, aka Stagecoach Mary Trailblazer Late in her life Cayton became friends with actor/activist Paul Robeson and writer Langston Hughes, who dedicated his poem “Dear Mr. She continued her passionate activism into her 60s and 70s, when she joined the Communist party. Unfortunately, as racism intensified in the city, revenue for the paper dropped and forced the Caytons to close the paper in 1913 and sell their home. Susie Cayton was also immensely involved in civic life, she founded the Dorcus Charity Club and successfully organized boycotts for business that discriminated against African Americans. The couple eventually became the only Black family to live in the affluent Capitol Hill area of Seattle. The paper appealed to both White and Black readers and eventually grew to be the second largest circulated paper in the city. Horace Cayton had founded the Seattle Republican newspaper in 1894 and Susie regularly contributed content and served as Associate Editor. In 1896, after graduating from college, Revels married newspaper owner Horace Cayton and moved west to join him in Seattle. She was named in honor of family friend and prominent abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts. Susie Sumner Revels Cayton Susie Sumner Revels Cayton Writer and Editorīorn in 1870 in Mississippi, Susie Sumner Revels was the daughter of Reverend Hiram Revels, the first elected African American to the United States Senate. She died in 1891 as one of the richest women in the city. Her wise investments made her a fortune and a prominent citizen of the city, which she used to establish multiple charities, schools, daycares and the first African American church in Los Angeles. After saving money for a decade, she invested in real estate, becoming one of the first Black female landowners in Los Angeles. Mason settled in Los Angeles and worked as a nurse and a midwife. Despite the obstacles Smith set in place, and the fact that she was not allowed to testify, she won her family’s freedom and adopted the surname Mason. ![]() Once she learned this, she petitioned the court for freedom for herself and her children. California was a free state and Biddy was legally free as soon as she entered the state, but her owner Smith kept her from learning of her right to freedom for five years. Her final owner, Robert Smith, converted to Mormonism and moved his household, including Biddy, to California with a larger group of church members. They were real estate magnates, writers, celebrated chefs, investors and trailblazers.īelow are the stories of six women and the exciting and inspiring lives they led when they went West.īiddy Mason Bridget “Biddy” Mason Real Estate Magnate and Philanthropistīiddy Mason was born into slavery in 1818, but her exact birthplace is unknown like so many enslaved people, she was forcibly taken from her family and sold several times. They built towns, established charities, created schools, developed churches, and did dangerous jobs such as delivering the mail. The frontier expansion offered both a new way of life and economic independence that was not afforded to either African Americans or women in the East.Īfrican American women made enormous contributions to the advancement and culture of the West. ![]() Although they're not usually the main characters in modern cowboy stories (if they're depicted at all), there were large numbers of African American men and women living in all of the Western states. Inspired by a true story, Gun & Powder depicts two African American sisters who became notorious outlaws in the Wild West. “The fabric of their lives needs to be folded into the tapestry of our nation’s history” – African American Women of the Old West
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |