In light of Black History Month, we’ve compiled this list of inspiring Black women who have defied the odds all throughout American history.
- Sojourner Truth
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Sojourner Truth — born Isabella Baumfree in 1797 — became a famous Black evangelist, abolitionist, women’s rights activist, and author after witnessesing the horrors of slavery first hand. She became a devout Christian, and in 1843 she “changed her name to Sojourner Truth [and began to] speak out against slavery and oppression.”
Because Truth had never learned to read or write, she spread her gospel through speeches, giving lectures on tours that helped her reach many more Americans. During her later years, she helped recruit Black troops during the Civil War, and worked with the Freedman’s Bureau in Washington, D.C. Her efforts had a significant impact on history, despite the hardships she faced as a Black woman and a former slave.
- Harriet Tubman
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When Harriet Tubman escaped slavery in 1849, she did not have to go back. But she risked her freedom and life over and over again by helping dozens of other enslaved people escape, using a network of safehouses and escape routes called the Underground Railroad. Tubman was incredibly successful in these efforts: she was never caught, and everyone she traveled with made it to freedom.
Tubman’s legacy does not end there. During the Civil War, Tubman was enlisted as a spy for the Union. In 1863, Tubman was “the first and only woman to organize and lead a military operation during the Civil War” during a raid on the Confederacy, and during this expedition she helped free more than 700 enslaved people in a single night. Undoubtedly, Tubman faced seemingly impossible obstacles, but she overcame them using her sharp wit and knowledge.
- Bessie Smith
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Crowned the “Empress of Blues” by the end of the 1920s, Bessie Smith was a popular and genre-defining jazz and blues vocalist. In fact, she was the highest paid Black entertainer of her era, and collaborated with other Black musicians like Louis Armstrong. Through her relatable songs, Smith was able to affect her listeners’ emotions in a powerful way that few other musicians could.
The music from Smith’s career would go on to have a great influence on American musicians for years to come. For example, Smith’s method of “[streamlining] notes to her songs, making familiar melodies sound idiosyncratic, personal, and authentic” would later encourage “jazz musicians to approach their instruments vocally.” But Smith would later influence other famous Black female vocalists, like Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin.
- Claudette Colvin
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In March 1955, Colvin at 15 years old refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus — nine months before Rosa Parks did. Colvin was dragged off the bus and brought to an adult jail, despite being a minor. But she took this risk to fight for her own freedom, disappointed with a segregated society that oppressed those of a different color.
Incredibly, when asked about why she did not get up after being asked to, Colvin said, “[It] felt as though Harriet Tubman’s hands were pushing me down on one shoulder and Sojourner Truth’s hands were pushing me down on the other shoulder.” Colvin was inspired by past Black women, and she drew on them as powerful sources of inspiration to find the courage to stand up for what she believed in.
- Maya Angelou
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Maya Angelou was many things: storyteller, activist, autobiographer, editor, and Hollywood’s first female Black director, to name a few. One of her most famous works, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, details how she experienced racism and sexual assault during her childhood, becoming mute out of guilt for speaking out against her assailant. But she still grew to love language, and eventually she began to speak again, finding a passion for words.
By finding power in her voice again, Angelou went on to write a number of works, ranging from children’s books to essays to poetry. Through her writing, she explored “personal identity and resilience” through “race, sex, family, community and the collective past.” Angelou touched the hearts of millions through her work, bringing the experience of a Black American woman in the 20th century to light in homes all over the world.
- Serena Williams
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Serena Williams, with her sister Venus, trained tirelessly to become a professional tennis player since her youth. This vigorous training paid off as Williams is undoubtedly a champion in the sport and a well-respected athlete all around the world. Since 1999, “she has won a record 23 Grant Slam singles titles” and was even recognized as the AP Female Athlete of the Decade in 2017.
But Williams didn’t earn these titles easily. She put in hours of hard work and dedication. In fact, in 2011 she had to overcome several health scares. Williams had to undergo a number of medical procedures after doctors found a blood clot in her lungs, a discovery that lead many to believe she would retire from the spot she had come to dominate. But nevertheless, she persevered, and to this day Williams is held up as an exemplar athlete. - Michelle Obama
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During her time as the 44th First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama spent her time advocating for issues that mattered. These issues ranged from advocating for “healthy families, service members and their families, higher education, and international adolescent girls’ education.” But this type of work was nothing new; Obama had been serving communities through dedicated support since she left her career as a lawyer to become a public servant.
Obama truly reached the public in a unique way as she could “connect to younger generations by remaining attuned to popular culture.” She wielded the power of social media to promote her messages of empowerment to the masses, and to this day Obama still continues working on the issues she worked on during her time at the White House.
Of course, this short list does not even come close to encapsulating all the awe-inspiring Black women in American History. These are just a few of the amazing Black women who defied the odds against them to make a change that profoundly impacted their communities and the world around them.