As Black History Month comes to a close, I found it appropriate to uplift Black women and their contributions to society that your history and science classes didn’t teach you. Bringing attention to the accomplishments of these women is so important because monumental steps were taken to get to where we are as a society, and it is crucial to recognize each contributor to this daunting task.
The first woman I wanted to uplift is Henrietta Lacks. In 1951, she went to John Hopkins Hospital for cervical bleeding, and they found a tumor on her cervix. A cancer and virus researcher, Dr. Gey, collected a sample of cancer cells from all who were diagnosed with cervical cancer. Each sample usually died quickly in the lab, except Henrietta Lacks cells doubled every 20-24 hours. These cells have since been named ‘HeLa’ cells and are now used to study the effects of various effectors have on the growth of cancer cells. This is helpful to the study of cancer because it allows research to be done on human cells without harming a human being. At the time, Mrs. Lacks’ family was unaware that this research was happening and wasn’t being compensated for or communicated with; John Hopkins Hospital has since acknowledged their shortcomings and has advocated for HeLa cells since.
The next woman is Willa Brown. Willa Brown is the first Black woman to hold a commercial pilot’s license in the United States of America and advocated for desegregation of the army during World War 2. During the Great Depression, Willa worked in various positions until she eventually enrolled in Northwestern University to earn her master’s degree in business administration. Living in Chicago piqued her interest in aviation, she was very interested in Bessie Coleman’s legacy (the first African American woman to earn a pilot’s license) and Colemen’s story inspired her own. Willa began taking aviation lessons and received her master mechanic’s certification in 1935, three years later she received a pilot’s license, which she was the first Black woman in the United States to do so. Willa and her husband, Cornelius R. Conffrey, founded the Coffrey School of Aeronautics, a school that offered a full education without restrictions on race and gender. During this time, she also became a founding member of the National Airmen’s Association of America (NAAA), a Black aviators’ group whose purpose was to encourage the participation of other African Americans in aviation. Her participation in both groups gave her the platform to advocate for African American men to become pilots and desegregation of the military. Willa continued to advocate for civil rights, even after her unsuccessful campaign for congress, and was shown as the “Aviatrix, Maker of Pilots” in newspapers during the 1940’s.
The last woman I wanted to highlight is Susie King Taylor. Susie was born into slavery in Georgia in 1848 and lived on a plantation until she was seven years old. In 1855, Susie moved to Savannah to live with her grandmother. Although there were strict laws prohibiting the formal education for African Americans, Susie was a student at two secret school. At 14 years old, Susie was able to escape slavery and became the first black teacher who openly educate Black people in Georgia. Susie married Edward Kind, who was a black officer in the United States Colored Infantry and served as a nurse for that organization. When she wasn’t serving as a nurse for African American soldiers, she taught reading and writing to the soldiers. In 1866, Susie opened a school for African American children and maintained the position of an educator until it was no longer fiscally possible. Susie took a position as a domestic servant to make ends meet and moved to Boston with the family she served. In 1902, Susie published her memoirs and became the only African American woman to publish her experiences in the Civil War.
These women were all crucial for development in their respective fields and it is important to recognize and celebrate their achievements completely. They all deserve recognition and fought so the future doesn’t have to endure the pain they did.