as creating her patented invention, Newman was an active community member and organizer for women's suffrage in the early 20th century. As a suffragist, she spent her time canvassing neighborhoods in New York City, hosted street meetings to educate passing people, and to support the Woman Suffrage Party, Newman started the Negro Suffrage Headquarters in Manhattan. On August 29, 1915, the New York Times noted under "Suffrage Centre for Negroes", "The Woman Suffrage Party is to open a suffrage headquarters for colored people at 207 West Sixty-third Street on Wednesday. This will be in charge of Miss Lyda Newman, who is doing excellent work for suffrage among her own people. The headquarters will be gayly decorated with suffrage posters, flags and streamers. Many colored women have been asked to play hostess at the new headquarters while Miss Newman goes canvassing among voters in the neighborhood (sic)." On Thursday, September 2, 1915, the New York Times followed up with a second news blurb under "Negro Suffrage Headquarters", "Headquarters for the work of the negro suffragists were opened at 207 West Sixty-third Street last evening with a big open-air meeting outside the building. Miss Lyda D. Newman is in charge of the work, and will continue canvasing and organizing street meetings through the thirteenth Assembly District from now until election day. Dr. Mary Halton and Miss Portia Willis were among the speakers last evening. Sixty-third Street was opened yesterday as a play street with no traffic from 3 to 9 P.M., and mothers are invited to the headquarters and watch their children play from the windows (sic)." In 1924, seven years after women's suffrage was achieved in the year 1917, Lyda Newman can be found on the 51st election district for New York City voter list as a registered voter. Lyda D Newman was a female inventor who rose to fame following her invention of the first hairbrush with synthetic bristles. She was born sometime between 1865 and 1885 in Ohio. Little is known about her personal life, due to the way women—especially Black women—were treated during the time. However, records show that she spent the majority of her life living and working in Manhattan, specifically in San Juan Hill. New York censuses state that her main occupation throughout the majority of her life was as a hairdresser. When working as a hairdresser, Newman noticed how hard it was to effectively style