Photo by: LaShauna Bell
Since it is Black History Month, it’s time to shed light on some of the most powerful women in history. This month is very centered around what history men made, and though they did their part, the black women in social movements have been shut out time and time again. Here’s to them, “You got to go out and kick ass.” – Maya Angelou.
- Kimberle Crenshaw
As a self-proclaimed feminist, I couldn’t leave her off the list. Kimberle Crenshaw is a force for civil rights. She coined the term intersectionality, modernizing feminism to be more inclusive. She also co-founded the African American Policy Forum. She is now a law professor at Columbia university. You can learn more about her here.
2. Madam C.J. Walker
It turns out we have no excuse to be broke. Madame C.J. Walker became the first female “self-made” millionaire in spite of Jim Crow laws and being an orphan, by creating her own line of hair care products. Walker did not hoard her wealth, but instead became a very generous philanthropist and lecturer. You can learn more about her here:
3. Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou was an artist and an activist. She was the first African American woman to have a non-fiction bestseller, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She has an NAACP Image Award, she was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, she read her poem at Bill Clinton’s inauguration even though she never officially held the title of Poet Laureate, and she won a “best spoken word” Grammy. You can learn more about her here:
4. Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth was able to escape from slavery and go on to become an icon. She sued a white man for selling her young son and won the case. In the book Bad Girls Throughout History, she gave herself the name Sojourner Truth as a “mission statement”. She went on to lecture throughout the country and is most famous for her “Ain’t I a Woman” speech at the Ohio Woman’s Rights convention. She was a leader in the civil rights and feminist movements. You can learn more about her here.
5. Billie Holiday
Gather round all you jazz cats, we’ve got a legend coming up. Billie Holiday worker her way up from a prostitute to a superstar in her lifetime. She released her first record at eighteen, became the first African American woman to tour with an all-white band, and played sold out shows. You can listen to her famous, powerful song “Strange Fruit” here. and learn more about her life here.
6. Angela Davis
Angela Davis is a scholar, an activist, and someone I want to be best friends with. . She started controversial, interracial study groups in high school, studied at the Sorbonne, was a part of the Black Panthers and the Che-Lumumba all black communist group. That led her to being nominated for Vice President for the United States Communist Party. After being accused of trying to help the Soledad brothers escape prison, and being incarcerated herself, Davis became devoted to speaking out the broken prison system She continues to fight for racial equality and feminism to this day. You can learn more about her here.
7. Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks is famously known for refusing to give up her seat on the bus for a white passenger. This ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott and eventually lead to the conclusion of the unconstitutional bus segregation laws in Alabama. Parks continued to fight for civil rights, working with the NAACP, the Planned Parenthood Foundation, and the Black Power Movement, even when it cost her her job and caused threats to her life. She was always brave in the face of adversity for the sake of equality. You can learn more about her here:
These are only a few of the amazing black women who have shaped and are continuing to shape our world. Please let us know who your personal heroes are!
These women and more can be found in the book Bad Girls Throughout History by Ann Shen. Buy it here.