Maritcha Remond Lyons
Maritcha Remond Lyons | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | January 28, 1929 | (aged 80)
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | American educator Civic leader Writer |
Years active | 1892–1929 |
Maritcha Remond Lyons (May 23, 1848 – January 28, 1929) was an American educator, civic leader, suffragist, and public speaker in
Early life
Lyons was born at 144 Centre Street in
The Lyons' home on Vandewater Street was attacked several times during the
In 1865, Lyons was refused entry to the high school in Providence because she was African-American. The state had no high school for black children.[8] The family successfully sued the state of Rhode Island in a campaign to bring an end to segregated schools. At the age of 16, she testified before the state legislature, "plead[ing] for the opening of the door of opportunity".[9] Lyons later became the first African-American student to graduate from Providence High School.[8]
Career
Teaching
After graduating from high school, Lyons returned to New York[10][11][12] to accept a teaching position at Brooklyn's Colored School No. 1, the first African Free School in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. Colored School No. 1 was Brooklyn's first school for African Americans, opened at the current site of the Walt Whitman Houses, one of the largest housing projects in New York City.[13] Lyons' teaching career spanned nearly 50 years. She devoted herself to elementary education and by the end of her career she was the assistant principal of Public School No. 83, the first fully integrated school in Brooklyn.[14]
Lyons was a well-known lecturer and speaker. She once won a debate against Ida B. Wells at the Brooklyn Literary Union and Wells credits Lyons with teaching her how to become a better public speaker.[15]
Activism
On October 5, 1892, Lyons and educator and activist Victoria Earle Matthews organized a testimonial dinner in New York’s Lyric Hall for Ida B. Wells and her anti-lynching campaign. They continued to work on this issue, founding the Women’s Loyal Union of New York and Brooklyn in February 1892.[16]
Lyons fought for voting rights for women as a member of the Colored Women's Equal Suffrage League of Brooklyn.[17]
Memoir, writing and book
Lyons' memoir and photographs of herself and her family are included in the Harry A. Williamson Papers at the
A young adult book was written about Lyons, Maritcha: A Remarkable Nineteenth-Century Girl, based on her memoir and writing.[8]
In addition to her memoir, Lyons contributed eight biographical sketches to Hallie Quinn Brown's Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction (1926),[18] which include sketches of Sarah H. Fayerweather (1802–1868) and Agnes J. Adams (1885–1923).[19]
Personal life
Lyons lived in Brooklyn, with her brother and his family, until she died.[11][12][20]
Family tree
Some of the family members include:
Please note capitalization of surnames is typically used in genealogy trees
- George LYONS Sr.
- Albro LYONS Sr. Married to Mary Joseph MARSHALL.
- Maritcha Remond LYONS. Born: May 23, 1848, New York, NY. Died: January 28, 1929, Brooklyn, NY.
- Albro LYONS Jr.
- Mary Elizabeth "Pauline" LYONS. Married to William Edward WILLIAMSON.
- Henry "Harry" Albro WILLIAMSON. Born: October 25, 1875, in Plainfield, NJ. Married: 1901. Married to Laura Julia MOULTON. Divorced. Married: 1920. Married to Blanche C. ATKINS (Died: 1960). Died: January 3, 1965.
- Albro LYONS Sr. Married to Mary Joseph MARSHALL.
Other
- Lyons Community School in the DUMBO neighborhood, was also named after her.[21]
Works or publications
- Bolden, Tonya. Maritcha: A Remarkable Nineteenth-Century Girl. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2004. OCLC 163592738
- Williamson, Harry A. Henry Albro Williamson Collection. New York: OCLC 437118355
- Henry Albro Williamson Collection Finding Aid (PDF)
- Includes Lyons' unpublished memoir: Memories of Yesterdays: All of Which I Saw and Part of Which I Was (1928)
- Lyons, Maritcha R. "Sarah H. Fayerweather", "Agnes J. Adams", and 6 others. Brown, Hallie Q. Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction. Chapel Hill, N.C.: Academic Affairs Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2000. OCLC 45351693
See also
- New York City Draft Riots
- First National Conference of the Colored Women of America
References
- ^ Harry Albro, Williamson (1970). Henry Albro Williamson Collection (PDF finding aid). New York: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: New York Public Library. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- . Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- S2CID 151779467.
- ^ Johnson, J. "Philanthropy". Black Women in America. Oxford University Press. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- ^ "Mauritchia R Lyons - United States Census, 1870". FamilySearch. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ISBN 0-231-12543-7.
- ^ a b "About Lyons - Maritcha Lyons". Lyons Community School. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Schomburg Center Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon" (Video short feature). Innovation Trail. February 10, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
Includes segment with Maria Liriano, Associate Chief Librarian, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, on Maritcha Lyons
- ^ Maritcha Lyons - Brown University Library Collection.
- ^ "Maritcha Lyons - United States Census, 1900". FamilySearch. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ a b "Maritcka R Lyons - New York, State Census, 1905". FamilySearch. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ a b "Maritcha R Lyons - United States Census, 1910". FamilySearch. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- The New York Public Library. 1 October 1990. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- S2CID 151779467.
- ISBN 978-0-195-30173-1. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- S2CID 151779467.
- ^ Goodier, Susan (8 November 2017). "A Fundamental Component: Black Women and Right to Vote". The Gotham Center for New York City History. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-810-39177-2.
- ISBN 978-0-195-05237-4.
- ^ "Maritcha Lyons - United States Census, 1920". FamilySearch. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ "MaritchaRLyonsPark". NYC Dept of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
Further reading
- Dodson, Howard, Christopher Paul Moore, and Roberta Yancy. The Black New Yorkers: The Schomburg Illustrated Chronology. New York: John Wiley, 2000, p. 117. OCLC 39615641
- Mather, Frank Lincoln. Who's Who of the Colored Race: A General Biographical Dictionary of Men and Women of African Descent, Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale Research Co, 1976, p. 182. OCLC 2780796
- Peterson, Carla L. Black Gotham: A Family History of African Americans in Nineteenth Century New York City. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011, p. 349. OCLC 711865478
- Smith, Jessie Carney, ed. "Maritcha R. Lyons". Notable Black American Women Book II Book II. Detroit: Gale Research, 1996, pp. 417–420. OCLC 33839389
- Whitehead, K. Wise. "Lyons, Maritcha R." OCLC 679300106, 5163773815