In today’s moment in Women's History, we will highlight Lois Lambert Reeves, born January 5, 1917, in Pittsburgh and raised in York, Pennsylvania, who passed on February 23, 2010, in Atlanta at age 93.
A 1935 graduate of William Penn High School, she wrote poetry that appeared in local papers and threw herself into the fight for women’s suffrage and voter registration while still a teenager. Her mother and sister later helped desegregate York’s elementary schools, a family legacy of courage she carried forward.
At Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, Lois served as director of the YMCA and YWCA.
She turned her modest home at 218 Bibb Street into a vital haven.
When the school’s leadership stood aside from the civil rights movement, she and Dean Hattie Kelly quietly made it a stop on an “Underground Railroad” for Freedom Riders and Selma marchers. Floors filled with sleeping bags. Hot meals appeared from the hospitality program, and baked goods helped fund three dollars for each traveler’s journey.
Students from Africa, Jamaica, and beyond gathered there on weekends, sharing stories, songs, and hope. Young activist Bernard Lafayette stayed ten days, learning the terrain. Lois later spoke at one of Selma’s first organizing rallies…fearless and persuasive. John Lewis himself once rested under her roof.
A fun fact: years later, in an Atlanta assisted-living facility, she passed Senator Lewis in a hallway; neither realizing the quiet woman he walked by had once given him shelter on the road to Montgomery.
Lois Lambert Reeves never sought the spotlight. She simply opened doors, fed dreams, and stood firm so others could walk forward.
Remember… Education is FREEdom of mind and never should be colorblind. DO NOT let this woman's work (and many others) die in vain… get to the polls for the midterms no matter the threat on 3 Nov. You have a bit of time to make up your mind.
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