Lillian A. Lewis (born in 1869) was the first African American woman journalist in Boston, Massachusetts. She started her career in the 1880s with the ''Boston Advocate'', a Black community newspaper, and began writing for the ''

Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Pulit ...

'' in the 1890s. To disguise her gender, she used the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

"Bert Islew."

Background

Lillian Alberta Lewis was born in 1869 in Boston, Massachusetts. She was born at 66 Phillips St. in Beacon Hill in the home of

Lewis Hayden Lewis Hayden (December 2, 1811 – April 7, 1889) escaped slavery in Kentucky with his family and escaped to Canada. He established a school for African Americans before moving to Boston, Massachusetts to aid in the abolition movement. There h ...

, who was a Black

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

and master of Boston's

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

. She attended the Bowdoin Grammar School,

Girls' High School Girls High School is a historically and architecturally notable public secondary school building located at 475 Nostrand Avenue in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It was built in 1886.''Brooklyn: a soup-to-nuts g ...

where she graduated in 1886, and

Boston Normal School Boston State College was a public university located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. History Boston State College's roots began with the Girls' High School, which was founded in 1852. In 1872, the Boston Normal School separated from Girl ...

. Lewis was reportedly a gifted student with an interest in literature. While in high school, she began writing and delivering lectures on subjects such as

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

, usually with a thread of humor running through them. One lecture that was especially popular was "The Mantle of the Church Covereth a Multitude of Humbugs," which poked fun at pious hypocrisy. On August 7, 1901, she married Ernest F. Feurtado, a Jamaican.

Career

Lewis began writing for the ''Boston Advocate'' in 1889, using the pen name "Bert Islew" to disguise her gender. ("Islew" is an

anagram An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...

of "Lewis".) That same year, she made headlines when she was admitted to the

New England Woman's Press Association The New England Woman's Press Association (NEWPA) was founded by six Boston newspaper women in 1885 and incorporated in 1890. By the turn of the century it had over 150 members. NEWPA sought not only to bring female colleagues together and further ...

. Sales had been flagging when Lewis joined the ''Advocate'', and her popular

society column In journalism, the society page of a newspaper is largely or entirely devoted to the social and cultural events and gossip of the location covered. Other features that frequently appear on the society page are a calendar of charity events and pi ...

, ''They-Say'', is credited with saving the paper. She also contributed to the ''

Richmond Planet ''Richmond Planet'' was an African-American newspaper in Richmond, Virginia. The paper was founded in 1882 gathering in an upper room of a building located near the corner of Third and Broad streets thirteen former slaves (James H. Hayes, James ...

'' and a monthly magazine called ''

Our Women and Children ''Our Women and Children'' was a magazine published in Louisville, Kentucky by the ''American Baptist'', the state Baptist newspaper. Founded in 1888 by William J. Simmons, president of State University, the magazine featured the work of African ...

'', wrote short stories, and contributed to various journals.

Monroe Alpheus Majors Monroe Alpheus Majors (October 12, 1864 – December 10, 1960)"Majors, Monroe Alpheus"
...

wrote of Lewis's work in 1893, "Her pen, as the sword, is ever drawn in defense of her race, and those who have had the honor of crossing weapons with her generally retire from the combat feeling that they have been vigorously fought." In 1889, '' The New York Journal'' referred to Lewis as "bright, witty, sparking, and of practical thought." In the 1890s, she began working for the ''Boston Herald'' as a stenographer and reporter. (A ''

Boston Post ''The Boston Post'' was a daily newspaper in New England for over a hundred years before it folded in 1956. The ''Post'' was founded in November 1831 by two prominent Boston, Massachusetts, Boston businessmen, Charles Gordon Greene, Charles G. Gr ...

'' announcement in 1892 refers to her as the Herald's "society editress".) She was one of the first African American women to write for a white-run newspaper. Lewis's knowledge of type-writing secured her a position as private secretary to Max Eliot. In 1894, Lewis was living on Myrtle Street in Beacon Hill and was considered one of the two "most brilliant and progressive young colored women in Boston." She was a stylish dresser, and moved with ease between Boston's elite South End and West End social circles. She continued writing for the ''Boston Herald'' until 1901. Lewis was also a public speaker, as she was invited to give talks to organizations such as the Colored National League. In 1920, Lewis became the first African American woman clerk in the Collector's Office at

Boston City Hall Boston City Hall is the seat of city government of Boston, Massachusetts. It includes the offices of the mayor of Boston and the Boston City Council. The current hall was built in 1968 to assume the functions of the Old City Hall. It is a cont ...

. She retired in 1934.

Published works

In 1925, Lewis published a book titled ''

Peter Salem Peter Salem (October 1, 1750 – August 16, 1816)BlackPast.org
"Salem, Peter" was an < ...

: Colored American Soldier of the American Revolution''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Lillian Alberta 1860s births Year of birth uncertain 20th-century deaths Year of death uncertain Date of death unknown People from Beacon Hill, Boston 19th-century American journalists 19th-century American women journalists African-American journalists African-American history in Boston 19th-century African-American writers 19th-century African-American women writers 19th-century American women writers 19th-century American writers 20th-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American women writers 20th-century American women writers Girls' High School (Boston, Massachusetts) alumni Journalists from Boston Boston Herald people