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= Crystal Bird Fauset (sandbox draft) = Crystal Bird Fauset (June 27, 1893 – March 27, 1965) was a civil rights activist, public speaker, social worker, race relations specialist, and the first female African-American state legislator elected in the United States, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Born in Maryland and raised in Boston, Fauset started her professional career as a public school teacher in Boston, teaching from 1914 to 1918. She would then go onto work for the Young Womens Christian Association, and then with the American Friends Service Committee for which she engaged in over 200 public speaking events to communicate topics concerning race relations. In 1933, Fauset helped form the Institute of Race Relations at Swarthmore College. In 1935, she became assistant to the director of Philadelphia's Works Progress Administration (WPA). Fauset also began politically organizing for the Democratic National Committee, becoming the Director of Colored Women's Activities in 1937.

In 1938, Fauset was elected to the Pennsylvania state legislature. She was elected from a predominantly white district, having gained strong support from women through her telephone campaign. She served for a year as a state representative in which she introduced nine bills and three amendments on issues ranging from low-cost housing projects to fair employment legislation.

During the Roosevelt administration, Fauset was appointed to the Office of Civilian Defense in October 20, 1941, and worked as a race relations advisor. In 1944, she broke away from the Democratic Party and publicly supported the Republican presidential candidate. In her later years, Fauset turned to global issues and helped found the United Nations Council of Philadelphia, later known as the World Affairs Council.

Personal Life
Crystal Dreda Bird was born in Princess Anne, Maryland to parents Benjamin Oliver Bird and Portia E. (Lovett) Bird. She was one of nine children. Her father was the first principal of Princess Anne Academy, a school for black students. The Academy would later become part of the University System of Maryland. Portia Bird would become the principal after her husband’s death in 1897, and would remain in the position till her death in 1900. Crystal Dreda Bird was then raised by her maternal aunt, Lucy Groves in Boston, who encouraged her to become an educator. Bird attended integrated public schools and, in 1914, graduated from Boston Normal School. She received a B.S from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1931, the same year she married educator, civil rights activist, and anthropologist Arthur Fauset who was the half-brother of Jessie Redmon Fauset, a Harlem Renaissance writer. They would divorce in 1944.

Professional Life
After graduating from Boston Normal School, Bird worked as a public school teacher from 1914 to 1918. She then resigned to become a field secretary for the Young Women's Christian Association where she worked on programs aimed at black youth and women throughout the United States. In this position, she also began speaking out about the concerns of the black community and interracial matters.

American Friends Service Committee
While attending Columbia University, Bird joined the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organization, in September 1927. The AFSC had become interested in improving race relations in the United States and had formed their Interracial Section in 1925, two years before offering Bird a staffing position. As an active member of the AFSC, she made 210 public appearances between September 1927 and September 1928, speaking to between 25,000 to 50,000 people. With her speeches, she aimed to have "people of other racial groups understand the humanness of the Negro wherever he is found" and to "lift the curtain that separates the white people and the colored people, to lift the curtain of misunderstanding that is so dividing us." She addressed prejudice and emphasized the contributions of African-Americans. The majority of Bird's appearances occurred with white groups in places such as Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Baltimore, Washington, and Indiana. Her appearances in Philadelphia introduced her to the public and left them with a high level of impact.

1928-1937
After finishing her service with the AFSC, Bird continued her education and received a B.S from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1931. She then helped establish the Institute of Race Relations at Swarthmore College in 1933, for which she was the joint executive secretary of the summer seminars for two years. The Institute documented discrimination against African-Americans due to employment and housing matters. In 1935, Fauset became assistant to the director of Philadelphia's Works Progress Administration (WPA), a New Deal agency centered on public works projects such as constructing roads and financing artistic and literary endeavors. In conjunction with She also began politically organizing for the Philadelphia Democratic Women's League and the Democratic National Committee, becoming the Director of Colored Women's Activities in 1936. At the 1936 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Fauset organized black female WPA workers to form the Willing Works Democratic Organization (WWDO). Comprised of a thousand members, the WWDO helped increase voter participation and registration under the Democratic Party in Philadelphia. Through her time at the Institute of Race Relations and then with the Democratic Party, Fauset became acquainted with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and they developed a friendship. Eleanor Roosevelt's willingness to meet with African American leaders, the New Deal programs under the Roosevelt administration, and increased governmental aid to black communities had led to a realignment of black voters from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party by the time of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's reelection in 1936.

State Legislature
Supported by the Democrats, Fauset ran for state legislature in 1938. She was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to represent the predominantly white 18th District of Philadelphia, having gained strong support from women through her telephone campaign. Fauset was one of the first politicians to utilize telephoning in her campaign. She promised to represent all her constituents: "I shall work for legislation that affects the general welfare of the people regardless of color.

Despite the fact that she represented an area that was 66% White at the time, she overcame challenges and was able to introduce nine bills and three amendments. Fauset advocated for affordable housing, public health efforts, public relief, and fair employment legislation to ban racial discrimination. Additionally, she sponsored an amendment to the Pennsylvania Female Labor Law of 1913 to improve women's workplace rights.

In 1939, Fauset was awarded her first Meritorious Service Medal from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for her civic work. In January 1940, she resigned from the state legislature in order to begin a new position as assistant director of the education and recreation program of the WPA, and the organization's race relations advisor in Pennsylvania.

Office of Civilian Defense
In 1941, Fauset was appointed to the Race Relations Division of the Office of Civilian Defense (OCD), one of the World War II agencies of the Roosevelt administration. The OCD was headed by Mayor of New York City Fiorello LaGuardia from 1941 to 1942, and then by James M. Landis. The agency was tasked with monitoring the volunteer defense activities of millions of Americans on the home front. Fauset specifically looked at African American efforts. The OCD had been criticized for its lack of racial inclusiveness. Fauset worked on the recruitment of African American civilians to the war effort and urged communities to allow blacks to participate in local civil defense planning. She addressed complaints of racial discrimination among black servicemen and spoke out against segregation in the U.S. military. Additionally, Fauset advised both the First Lady and Fiorello LaGuardia, on race relations.

By some historical accounts, Fauset is considered a member of President Roosevelt's "Black Cabinet" that promoted civil rights for African Americans. Despite her involvement with the Democratic Party, Fauset broke away after questioning the Party's inaction on furthering African American voters and civil rights and becoming discontented with the Roosevelt administration's slow record on civil rights. She became a member of the Republican National Committee's division on Negro Affairs in 1944 and endorsed Thomas E. Dewey, the Republican presidential candidate.

Global Efforts
Fauset continued her work after World War II and turned her attention to more global issues. In 1945, she helped found the United Nations Council in Philadelphia (later, the World Affairs Council) and remained an officer till 1950. She continued to volunteer for the organization years after. Fauset also attended the founding of the United Nations in San Francisco in 1950.

During the 1950s she traveled extensively to Africa, India and the Middle East. She befriended independence leaders and future presidents Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria, as well as Ralph Bunche, an African American diplomat and 1950 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Later Life
In 1955, Fauset was awarded a second Meritorious Service Medal from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. During her later years, Fauset lived in New York City. She died in her sleep while visiting Philadelphia on March 27, 1965.

Some of Fauset's surviving papers and photos were are housed in an archive collection at Howard University. Her influential accomplishments for African American people earned her a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Marker. It was unveiled in 1991 and can be found outside her old home on 5402 Vine Street in Philadelphia. The memorial reads "The first Black woman elected to a state legislature in the U.S., Fauset, who lived here, won her seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1938. She later served as a Civil Defense race relations advisor under Franklin D. Roosevelt."