Maria Coles Perkins Lawton 9b. 1864 – d. 1946)
Lawton, originally born in Virginia—lived in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and children. While in New York, Lawton was a reporter for a daily newspaper the Brooklyn Standard Union. She was one of the first black women to work in reporting and is hailed as leading the efforts to get stop local Brooklyn newspapers to stop using derogatory language towards blacks in their articles. Outside of reporting, Lawton was heavily involved in civic work. She was an active member of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs and in 1912 was appointed as an organizer for NACWC. She also served as president of the Empire State Federation, the overhead organization for New York State black women’s groups. An active member of the labor movement, Lawton represented women of New York at the Labor Conference in Washington, D.C in 1924. Lastly, she was an active member of the New York Republican Party and frequently entertained local and state leaders in her home and was involved with the League of Republican Colored Women.
Additional sources:
Alexander Street Short Biography:
https://documents.alexanderstreet.com/d/1009054790
Alexander Street Short Biography:
100 Years 100 Women Short Biography:
https://www.100years100women.net/uplifting-women-and-suffragists/blog-post-title-one-g837m
Women and the Vote New York State Short Biography:
https://www.womenandthevotenys.com/1suffragists-vetted/maria-coles-perkins-lawton
