Virginia Hewlett Douglass was an African American suffragist, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1849. Hewlett was the daughter of the first Black instructor at Harvard University, Aaron Molyneaux Hewlett. Mr. Hewlett as well as Virginia's mother, Virgnia Josephine Hewlett, were psychical education instructors. However, Mrs. Hewlett ran her own women's gymnasium in Cambridge. It is clearly evident that Virgnia grew up in a family that valued education and achievement, especially with siblings that were authors and actors. In August 1869, Virginia married Federick Douglass, an American social reformer. Virgina's prevalence in such an unfair society at the time started when a petition for women's suffrage by the District of Columbia was signed and created by Virginia Hewlett Douglass, as well as her husband and a few others in 1877. This petition was a part of a movement organized by the National Woman Suffrage Association. At this part in history, women were not allowed to vote, and as it was an essential part of securing broader rights and reforms, it was crucial that women had the right to vote. Although much is not known about Virginia Hewlett, her contributions towards women suffrage made an impact for many. Virgina passed in 1889 at the age of 40.