Gertrude Bustill Mossell
| Gertrude Bustill Mossell | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
Gertrude Emily Hicks Bustill October 20, 1855 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | January 22, 1948 (aged 92) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Spouse(s) | Nathan Francis Mossell |
| Parent(s) | Charles Hicks Bustill |
| Relatives | Paul Leroy Robeson, nephew |
Gertrude Emily Hicks Bustill Mossell (July 3, 1855 – January 21, 1948) was an African-American author, journalist and teacher.
After an early career contributing articles to Philadelphia newspapers, she became women's editor of the New York Age from 1885 to 1889, and of the Indianapolis World from 1891 to 1892. She strongly supported the development of black newspapers, and encouraged more women to enter journalism.
She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 3, 1855, to Emily Robinson and Charles Hicks Bustill. Her great-grandfather, Cyrus Bustill, served in George Washington's troops as a baker and after the War of Independence, he started a successful bakery in Philadelphia. The elder Bustill also co-founded the first black mutual-aid society in America, the Free African Society. Among the many other Bustills of distinction are Gertrude's great-aunt, abolitionist and educator Grace Bustill Douglass and her daughter Sarah Mapps Douglass, who followed in her mother's footsteps.
Gertrude went to public school in Philadelphia, at the Institute for Colored Youth and the Robert Vaux Grammar School. She delivered a graduation speech entitled "Influence", which impressed Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, editor of the African Methodist Episcopal newspaper, The Christian Recorder. Bishop Henry McNeal published "Influence" and invited Bustill to contribute poetry and essays to the newspaper. Years later, Bustill's articles on political and social issues, with a heavy emphasis on women's rights and responsibilities, were being read in a number of periodicals, including the AME Church Review, the Philadelphia Times, the Philadelphia Echo, and the Independent. For a time, she edited the Woman's Department of the New York Freeman, the Indianapolis World, and the New York Age.
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