Lillian A. Lewis

Lillian A. Lewis was one of the first women to make a name for herself as a columnist in Black newspapers. Her Column "They Say" appeared first in The Boston Advocate throughout the 1880s. In the 1890s, she became "the society editress of the Boston Herald" (Boston Post, Sep 20, 1892), where she later also wrote a more personal column concerned with travels and current events with titles such as "An Episode in Virginia" (July  1897). Lewis was an active member of the New England Women's Press Association. Myra B. Lord's History of the New England Woman's Press Association, 1885-1931 (1932) hence includes several interesting snapshots of her career (as well as on the racial integration of the Association). Regular references in other newspapers of the time (usually to Lillian Lewis rather than Lillian A. Lewis), often updates on Lewis's travel plans or her career paths, testify to her popularity. The Freeman (Feb 23, 1889, p. 4) lauded her in their "Women as Journalists" feature as follows:
"Those who know much about the newspapers of the race, know something of Bert Islew's Budget of Gossip in the spicy "They say Columne" of The Boston Advocate. Bright, witty, sparkling, one would not think Bert Islew's career antedates only three years and that she was barely twenty when she caught the public ear."
For examples of her writing as a gossip columnist, visit our "Gossip in Black Periodicals" exhibit.