Augusta T. Chissell facts for kids

Augusta Theodosia Lewis Chissell (1880 – May 14, 1973) was an important African-American leader. She fought for women's right to vote, also known as suffrage. She was also a strong community leader in Baltimore, Maryland.

Augusta Chissell helped start many groups. One of the most famous was the Baltimore branch of the NAACP. This group works for equal rights for Black people. In 2019, she was honored in the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame. This was for her work to make things fair for women and for people of all races.

Early Life of Augusta Chissell

Augusta Theodosia Lewis, often called "Gussie," was born around 1880 in Baltimore. Her parents, William S. and Sarah S. Lewis, were both of mixed race. Before she got married, Augusta lived with her parents. She worked as a milliner, which means she made and sold hats.

Later, she married Robert Garland Chissell. He was an important African-American doctor. Augusta was also a very good piano player.

Fighting for Rights: Suffrage and Civil Rights

Augusta Chissell lived in a brick house in Baltimore. Her good friend and fellow activist, Margaret Gregory Hawkins, lived right next door. Augusta, Margaret, and another activist named Estelle Young worked hard. They wanted to make life better for women and Black people in Baltimore. They often held meetings in their own homes.

The DuBois Circle: A Club for Change

In 1907, Hawkins and Chissell started a club called the DuBois Circle. This was a club for African-American women. It began by focusing on books and art. But soon, the group started working on political and community issues.

The leaders of the DuBois Circle held political meetings. They met in their homes and at churches. They worked to get women the right to vote.

Leading the NAACP and Other Groups

Augusta Chissell was one of the first people to help start the Baltimore branch of the NAACP. When it began in 1912, she was the first vice president.

She also led the Women's Cooperative Civic League. This group worked on local problems. They focused on housing and public health. This included making sure food was clean and air was pure. They also worked on trash removal.

In 1915, Estelle Young started the Progressive Women's Suffrage Club. It was also known as the Colored Women's Suffrage Club. Margaret Hawkins was the vice president, and Augusta Chissell was the secretary.

Teaching Women How to Vote

In 1920, the 19th Amendment was passed. This law gave women the right to vote. After this, Chissell wrote a regular newspaper column. It was in the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper.

Her column was called "A Primer for Women Voters." It helped women learn about their new rights and duties as voters. Chissell answered questions from readers about how to vote. Sometimes, she even suggested which politicians to support.

Chissell also organized weekly "Citizenship Meetings" for women voters. These meetings were held through the Colored Young Women's Christian Association (CYWCA). The Progressive Women's Suffrage Club also taught classes on how to vote.

Even after the 19th Amendment, Black people faced challenges. They were often stopped from voting because of unfair rules. These included poll taxes and literacy tests. Augusta Chissell and other Black activists kept working. They fought until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 helped make voting fair for everyone.

Working for Social Justice

In 1936, Chissell became the president of the Women's Auxiliary of the Baltimore Urban League. She worked hard to get white women interested in social justice issues in Baltimore. She wanted them to help make things fair for all races.

Chissell continued her work as a leader in the Cooperative Civic League even when she was in her eighties. She led the committee that planned the yearly Baltimore Flower Mart. She also held many roles in the Baltimore NAACP throughout her life. She led the Special Gifts committee in 1935 and the Interracial Committee in 1941. She served the NAACP until she passed away in 1973.

Death and Legacy

Augusta Chissell died on May 14, 1973. She is buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Baltimore.

For a long time, the stories of Chissell, Estelle Young, and Margaret Hawkins were not in history books. Beverly Carter, an archivist for the DuBois Circle, helped bring their stories to light. Starting in 2015, she used old club notes and newspaper articles. She wrote about the Black women who were active in Baltimore politics.

In 2019, Augusta Chissell was added to the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame. U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings nominated her. He wrote about her important work:

Ms. Chissell played an extremely important role in the suffrage movement even though women of color were often excluded from the mainstream organizational work to secure women's rights. With limited resources and support, she was a vocal supporter of the suffrage movement and continued working hard even after women won the right to vote to educate and activate new women voters.

Also in 2019, a historical marker was placed at 1532 and 1534 Druid Hill Avenue. These were the old homes of Hawkins and Chissell. This marker is part of the National Votes for Women Trail.

In 2020, USA Today newspaper created a "Women of the Century" project. This was to celebrate the 19th Amendment. They asked experts from each state to name ten important women from 1920 to 2020. Augusta Chissell was one of the ten women chosen for Maryland. Other famous women on the list included Billie Holiday, Adrienne Rich, and Barbara Ann Mikulski.

See also

• List of suffragists and suffragettes
• Timeline of women's suffrage