The Lily is the first U.S. paper written by women, and it all started thanks to Amelia Bloomer in 1849. We broke down all the facts on the "women-centric" newspaper that is making a comeback in 2018!
1. Amelia Bloomer is the women behind the newspaper
Bloomer created The Lily inside her New York home in 1849. Interestingly enough, her husband was not fond of her idea to create a newspaper written by women for women, but regardless of that she became the first woman to publish a U.S. paper.
Amelia Bloomer is also known to be the leading lady behind why women chose to wore bloomers. Named after her, these pants proved that women could wear them and make a change just like men.
2. Suffragettes Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were contributing writers
Stanton joined Bloomer as a lead writer for The Lily where she used her words to advocate for the abolishment of slavery and women's right to vote.
Fun fact: She ended all her articles as "Sunflower".
Susan B. Anthony also joined in on the fun and spread the word about The Lily to all her friends around town.
Bloomer was the reason Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton became friends. They met at an anti-slavery meeting where they quickly became friends and used their voices together to spread awareness to end slavery.
3. The Lily is back after more than a century out of publication
After almost 161 years, The Lily is finally back as an official news source.
The Lily's final publication was in 1856, however with help from The Washington Post the beloved women owned news source is back in action.
4. "Team Lily" created a mural in Washington, D.C. to encourage women to speak out
The mural says, "We're Getting Louder, Louder, Louder" as an ode to keep pushing women to use their voices for good and speak up on behalf of females everywhere.
Amy King, editor in chief and creative director of The Lily, explains that the Lily team was really inspired by all the women who have been speaking up lately to celebrate their bravery, but also remind others to be just as brave and outspoken in order to push for change.
5. #31days31firsts campaign celebrates National Women's History Month
The Lily enlisted four female illustrators to depict 31 women, from modern day icons like Rihanna - to figures who paved the way long before we were born.
Some are familiar faces, others are new and surprising.
To learn more about The Lily, check out their site: https://www.thelily.com/
