When referencing the quote “history is written by its victors,” we often attribute the role of “victor” to a man, specifically one in a prestigious military role or government position. And while this quote of unknown origins rings true all too often, some “victors” have gotten off from writing history in a way that really only benefits them scot-free. These “victors,” as you may have already guessed, are white women.
As a white woman myself, I can assure you that I am always happy to learn about women in history in contrast to the men who have dominated the world for the past thousands of years. Any woman will do, in that case. However, it’s gotten a bit mundane to only hear about Susan B. Anthony, Betsy Ross, or Amelia Earhart. Sure, these women made enough of a mark on the timeline of humanity to earn a spot in history textbooks, but they also aren’t the only ones.
The way women of color are erased from historical education and media is doing a disservice to feminism and its goals. Why would we want to cut the number of influential women we talk about in half, or more than half? Why would we, as women with a common goal of equity of sexes, let racist influences that dominate history-making be prioritized over those goals? When you think about it, it really makes no sense. Besides, even if white women wouldn’t benefit from a more inclusive-history education (which we would), why do we get to be prioritized over women of color when we have been on the side of the oppressor far too many times?
The fact of the matter is that Women’s History Month is not a beneficial and well-intentioned month if we just talk about the successes of white women, just as feminism is not beneficial nor well-intentioned if not intersectional. So, here are some accomplished and underrepresented women of color to include in your next conversation about women’s history.
Angela Davis
Angela Davis is best known as a radical activist for civil rights, specifically during the later half of the 20th century. She is a lesbian and now takes on oppression against intersectional members of the LGBTQ+ community and served as a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In her youth, she was arrested during the Soledad Brother’s case and spent 18 months in jail on false murder claims. Since then, she’s shown active interest in prisoner’s rights and the mass incarceration of Black men. She’s featured in the award-winning documentary “Thirteenth” (which I highly recommend watching) and continues to provide inspiration for women everywhere today.
Dolores Huerta
Labeled as one of the “most influential labor activists of the twentieth century,” Huerta is a Latina worker’s rights activist who has spent countless years organizing, lobbying, and negotiating for worker’s rights. Her work has resulted in significant legislation, such as the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975. She’s also received multiple high-profile awards, such as the Eleanor Human Rights Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She continues working today for the United Farm Workers of America, as well as the Dolores Huerta Foundation.
Susan La Flesche Picotte
Susan La Flesche Picotte was the first person in the United States to receive federal aid for professional education and was the first indigenous woman in the United States to receive a medical degree. After watching members of the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska die due to racism and malpractice from white doctors nearby, specifically indigenous women, she decided to train as a physician. By the late 1800s, she was running her own private practice and lobbied against alcohol usage in Washington D.C. Two years before she died in 1915, she opened her own hospital in the reservation town of Walthill, Nebraska.
Unfortunately, I could not find an indigenous name for Susan after researching, but I encourage you to remember her for what she was, rather than her anglicized name here: an indigenous woman.
Gloria Anzaldúa
Gloria Anzaldùa’s poems and writings, like “La Frontera” (recommended by HerCampus writer Ella Salazar, who writes more about her inspiration from Anzaldùa here), are regarded as groundbreaking works in the fields of Chicana feminist and queer theory. She was a figurehead of the development of Chicana and LGBTQ+ feminism in the late 20th century and combines autobiography, poetry, historical narratives, and myths together in her writings, which she calls “autohistoriateoria.”
Her unique experience on the U.S Mexican border, as a daughter of a Mexican American and Indigenous American, contributes to a unique viewpoint on the meshing of cultures, races, and classes, which she portrays through talented prose and essays.
Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman in Congress, earning a spot in the House of Representatives in 1968 and continuing her career for seven terms. She was also the first woman to seek nomination in the United States presidential election from one of the two major political parties (Democrats) in 1972.
A daughter of immigrants, “Fighting Shirley” truly did fight her way to the top and held a slew of accomplishments that ranged from founding the National Women’s Political Caucus and earning the title of the first Black woman on the House Rules Committee. Despite sexism and racism trying to stop her presidential run, she ended up gaining 10% of the nationwide vote, which is an impressive feat.
In 1991, Chisholm said that she “wanted to be remembered as a woman … who dared to be a catalyst of change.” And a catalyst of change, she was. All these women were. Even if we don’t learn enough about them in our United States schools, we live in a society that they all worked so hard to change for the better. We, even if some of us stuck in our white feminist ways don’t deserve it, are reaping the rewards of their hard work. It’s only fair that we give them more credit than they currently receive and spread the word about them the next time women’s history doesn’t give them a chance.
