(c. 1885 – after 1930)

Sometimes change begins with something small enough to hold in your hand.

Lyda D. Newman was an inventor and hairdresser living in New York City at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1898 she patented an improved design for the hairbrush, creating a tool that was easier to clean and more effective for everyday use.

It was a practical invention, something millions of people would eventually use without thinking twice.

But Lyda Newman’s story does not stop in the bathroom mirror.

She was also deeply involved in the growing movement for women’s suffrage. At a time when women were still fighting for the basic right to vote, Newman worked with suffrage organizers in New York to help register women voters and mobilize communities.

For women like Newman, the fight for the ballot was not only about politics.

It was about dignity.

There is a verse in Proverbs that says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

Lyda Newman did exactly that.

Through organizing and advocacy, she helped open the door for women to participate in the democratic process. Her work joined thousands of other women who marched, organized, and demanded that their voices be counted.

The tools she invented made daily life easier.

But the work she did for suffrage helped shape the future of a nation.

Sometimes the quiet hands that improve everyday life
are the same hands helping move history forward.

Bread Crumbs

Not every act of courage looks dramatic.

Sometimes courage looks like organizing neighbors, registering voters, and refusing to believe your voice does not matter.

Lyda Newman reminds us that progress is built by ordinary people who decide their voice belongs in the conversation.

Sometimes the change God places in our hands
is meant to help others find their voice too.

Steps From Our Sisters
Honoring the Women Who Marched Before Us