New England Woman's Press Association facts for kids

The NEWPA logo from around 1901.

The New England Woman's Press Association (NEWPA) was a group created by women who worked in newspapers. Six women in Boston started it in 1885. By the year 1900, it had more than 150 members.

NEWPA wanted to bring women journalists together. They also aimed to help women succeed in a field mostly run by men. The group used the power of news to help society. They raised money for charities. They also supported women's right to vote and other important causes.

NEWPA was a founding member of several big groups. These included the General Federation of Women's Clubs and the National Federation of Press Women. Famous members included Lucy Stone, Julia Ward Howe, and Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin. The group held its last meeting in 1982.

How NEWPA Started

The Beginning

In November 1885, Marion A. McBride from the Boston Post newspaper had an idea. She invited other women who worked in Boston newspapers to form a group. McBride had already helped start similar groups in Illinois.

Boston was a great place for a new group. It had many newspapers, but few hired women full-time. Most women worked part-time. They often faced limited chances and disrespect from male co-workers.

On November 17, six women met at the office of Sallie Joy White. She was a reporter for the Boston Herald. They officially formed the New England Woman's Press Association (NEWPA). The founding members were McBride, White, Helen M. Winslow, Grace W. Soper, Estelle M. H. Merrill, and Cora Stuart Wheeler. Sallie Joy White became the first president.

The group first met at the Woman's Journal office. Later, it grew too big and moved to the Parker House Hotel.

What NEWPA Aimed For

Over the next year, more women joined NEWPA. Alice Stone Blackwell helped write the group's rules. NEWPA wanted to be a professional group, not just a social club. So, only women living in New England who worked professionally in the press could join. This meant writers, editors, and correspondents. They had to be earning a living from their work.

The group officially became a corporation on September 15, 1890. Starting in 1891, they allowed "associate members." These members could not vote.

Most NEWPA members were from the Boston area. Others came from Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Nova Scotia. They included newspaper owners and editors of different sections. Many were freelance journalists.

Lillian A. Lewis was the first African-American woman reporter in Boston. She made news when she joined NEWPA in 1889. In the 1920s, NEWPA started accepting other types of writers. These included radio script writers and public relations writers. The group usually had over 120 members until the mid-1940s.

NEWPA's rules became a guide for many other women's press groups. For example, a group in California used NEWPA's rules. NEWPA's main goal was to help newspaper women get to know each other. They also wanted to use the press to help with good causes. These included social, charity, and reform efforts.

NEWPA was part of the women's club movement. It joined the General Federation of Women's Clubs in 1890. It also joined the International Federation of Women's Press Clubs in 1891. Later, it became part of the National Federation of Press Women in 1938.

Activities and Events

In its early years, NEWPA held meetings twice a month. They also had elections every November and an outing each spring. They invited famous authors to speak. These included Jane Cunningham Croly and Amelia Edwards.

Every February, they held a "Gentlemen's Night." Male friends and family were invited to the Hotel Vendome. Important speakers like Mayor Josiah Quincy attended. One member wrote in 1901 that women would set aside all work for this special night. They also hosted other events like author readings and receptions. During World War I, they held fewer social events but continued their monthly meetings.

NEWPA created the Woman's Press Bureau in 1888. This helped members find work. On February 11, 1894, they showed off women's journalism. They published a special "women's edition" of the Boston Post. Women wrote, edited, and produced the entire paper.

In the 1930s and 40s, NEWPA had regular radio shows on WEEI and WORL. They also started a monthly bulletin in the 1930s. They offered workshops on topics like "Writing a Feature Column."

In 1946, NEWPA started annual awards. These awards recognized great work in news stories and feature stories. The "New England Newspaper Woman of the Year" award began in 1951. Winners included Catherine Coyne and Mary Crewmen.

Helping the Community

In its early years, NEWPA was very active in helping the community. On January 18, 1887, a woman named "Mme. Charpiot" spoke to the group. She was in charge of a home for women struggling with addiction. She talked about the need for women to work at police stations. These women, called "matrons," would help female prisoners.

Marion McBride had been working on this issue since 1886. She gathered facts and figures about women arrested. She sent this information to newspapers across the country.

In February, NEWPA members voted to support the idea. They signed a petition for the state government. Soon after, the Boston Globe published an article about the need for police matrons. NEWPA reporters kept the public's attention on the issue. By May, a law was passed to appoint police matrons in Massachusetts cities. A special holding place for women was also set up in Boston. McBride said the success was thanks to the Boston press.

The group also worked for international copyright laws in 1889. They pushed for "clean journalism" around 1900. During a tough economic time in 1893, they formed a charity group called "Samaritania." It raised money for the poor. It also helped journalists who needed support. They held events like author readings to raise funds. They even sponsored a hospital bed for women writers.

In 1914, NEWPA marched in a parade for women's voting rights in Boston. In 1919, Dr. Grace E. Cross represented NEWPA at a protest in Washington, D.C.

However, NEWPA was less involved in the women's rights movement of the 1960s and 70s. They did not take a formal stand on the Equal Rights Amendment. Some former leaders said members were too busy for activism.

The Later Years

Over time, NEWPA's membership went down. Other groups like the Society of Professional Journalists became popular. To try and get new members, NEWPA started letting men join in the early 1970s. But attendance kept falling. The group held fewer meetings. NEWPA had its last annual meeting in 1982.

Presidents

Notable Members