Lucille Boynton Skaggs Edwards (July 23, 1875-Sept 14, 1972) was a journalist in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1906, she published The Women's Aurora, making her the first black woman to publish a magazine in Nebraska. She also worked as a political organizer and was a clerk in the district court.
Life She was born in July 1875 in Washington, D.C., and married to August C. Edwards in 1897. Before marrying, she worked as an English teacher, probably in Knoxville, Tennessee. She also lived in Alabama and Des Moines, Iowa, before settling in Omaha in the early 1900s. The couple had children: Toni, Gerald, Alie, and Marjorie. August was a general practice physician, and was president of the Negro Medical Society of Nebraska. In June 1926, August and Lucille divorced.Doctor Complains Wife Peeped at his Patients. Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Tuesday, June 1, 1926. Page: 17 Toni lived into her 100s and worked in bio-chemistry, running the chemical lab at the University of California Berkeley and working with Melvin Calvin.Shashidhara, Meera. Living To Be A Hundred. Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd, 2013
Lucille Skaggs Edwards died on September 14, 1972, in Brooklyn, New York City, and is buried in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Queens.Baer, D. (2021, April 14). "Lucille Boynton Skaggs Edwards (1875-1972)." BlackPast.org.
Career In 1906, Edwards published The Women's Aurora,in Shashidhara, Meera. Living To Be A Hundred. Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd, 2013. Edwards' daughter, Toni, remembers her editing this journal in Des Moines and working for a different publisher, but other sources suggest Edwards was also the "printer" or "publisher" and the magazine was based in Omaha. making her the first black woman to publish a magazine in Nebraska. She also worked as a stenographer in the office of the Clerk of the District Court,Patterns on the Landscape: Heritage Conservation in North Omaha. Published by Landmarks Heritage Preservation, 1984 page 40-41 Frank McGrath.
She continued to write articles for Omaha newspapers, frequently focusing on topics of education and family life. In 1917, Edwards wrote an article for John Albert Williams' Monitor entitled "Our Women and Children", in which she writes, "Never has there been such a demand for trained men and women."Angus, Jack. Black And Catholic In Omaha: A Case Of Double Jeopardy: The First Fifty Years Of St. Benedict The Moor Parish. iUniverse, 2004, pages 5-6
She was active in Republican politics for the first half of her life,Republicans Prepare for Active Campaign. Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Sunday, October 12, 1930. Page: 13 and in the Catholic Church. In 1918, Edwards and Lula Lewis started a black Catholic missionary society which attracted the involvement of Father Francis Cassilly, a professor at Creighton University, and became Saint Benedict the Moor Church.Saint Benedict's. Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Wednesday, July 15, 1931. Page: 16
Her party affiliation changed by the 1930s. In 1931, during the administration of Democratic Mayor Richard Lee Metcalfe, she replaced Gertrude Lucas as head of the welfare board among the Omaha Black population.Miss Gertrude Lucas Named to Court Post. Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Wednesday, February 24, 1932. Page: 1 She supported Metcalfe in the 1933 election.Rallies for Metcalfe. Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Thursday, March 16, 1933. Page: 6
In 1934, she served as secretary under president John O. Wood, vice president Charles J. Coleman, and treasurer Minnie Griffin in an organization which sought to organize blacks living in North Omaha to support the Democratic Party.Organize on North Side. Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Tuesday, November 20, 1934. Page: 27 In 1936, she organized support for the candidacy of Terry Carpenter for US senator.Carpenter Meeting. Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Sunday, November 1, 1936. Page: 6 She was also on the executive board of the women's division of the Douglas County Democratic Committee.County Democratic Women Have Election. Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Sunday, June 20, 1937. Page: 3
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