Throughout history, countless Black women have shaped the world with their resilience, brilliance, and courage, all while facing trials of segregation and discrimination.
From powerful athletes to civil rights activists to revolutionary lawyers, these unsung women have made monumental contributions to Black generations across the globe. This article highlights their untold stories, celebrating their legacy and impact on shaping Black history and beyond.
Ella Jo Baker
Ella Jo Baker was born in 1903 in Norfolk, Virginia, and raised by her grandmother, a woman who had endured the horrors of slavery in North Carolina. Her grandmother profoundly influenced Ella throughout her life due to her resilience and strength. This created Baker’s sense of social justice from a young age, as she learned about the inhumane conditions her grandmother survived.
Baker went on to study at Shaw University, where she became a spokesperson for Black students, speaking out against policies the university upheld that she viewed as unfair. In 1930, Baker joined the Young Negroes Cooperative League, an organization focused on promoting economic power for Black people through consumer and worker cooperatives. In 1940, she became involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a civil rights organization that pushes for racial justice and equality. She later co-founded the organization In Friendship after learning about the historical Montgomery bus boycotts to fight against the Jim Crow laws, which enforced racial segregation throughout the United States.
Throughout her career, Ella Baker was influential in the fight for equality and helped other student activists amplify their voices. While many well-known civil rights leaders of the time were Black men, Baker showed that women could also use their voices to spread significant change, proving how greatly women can influence the world.
Jane Bolin
Jane Bolin was born in 1908 in Poughkeepsie, New York to an interracial couple, which was heavily frowned upon in the early 20th century. She faced overt racism and social isolation throughout high school and her time at Wellesley College, yet despite these challenges, she graduated at the top of her class with a bachelor’s degree in 1928.
Bolin followed in her father’s footsteps to become a lawyer, making history as the first African American woman to earn a law degree from Yale Law School. She continued to break barriers throughout her career, becoming the first African American woman to work as assistant corporate counsel for New York City.
In 1939, she became the first African American female sworn in as a judge in the United States. As a judge, Bolin dedicated herself to helping children, especially those trapped in domestic issues, strongly advocating for them within the legal system. She also fought to change segregationist policies, such as ending race-based assignments for probation officers and ensuring that children of color received the necessary public funds for their welfare.
Beyond her judicial work, Bolin served on the board of the NAACP and many other organizations. Through her work, she taught Black Americans, especially women, that they could achieve anything through hard work, resilience, and a commitment to bringing good into the world, regardless of skin color.
Daisy Gatson Bates
Daisy Gatson Bates, born in Huttig, Arkansas in 1914, faced the harsh realities of racism from an early age when her mother died due to sexual assault and brutality by three White men when Daisy was just three years old. This tragedy forced her to confront racial injustice head-on.
As a significant voice for racial equality, she served as president of the Arkansas chapter of the NAACP. Daisy took action after the Supreme Court ruled school segregation unconstitutional in 1954, gathering Black Americans and advocating for their integration into all-White schools. Through her newspaper, The Arkansas Weekly, she publicized which schools complied with the federal law because many refused to do so.
In 1957, she took full reign of the Little Rock Nine: nine Black students who were some of the first to integrate into an all-White school. She drove them to school and ensured their safety in the face of violent opposition. Following the success of the Little Rock Nine, Daisy continued her efforts to integrate Black Americans into predominantly White areas. She also moved to underdeveloped towns with majority Black populations, working to improve living conditions.
In recognition of her attributes, Daisy was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1999, honoring her outstanding contributions to the United States and its citizens. After her death that same year, Arkansas honored her legacy by dedicating the third Monday in February as her day.
Through her work with the Little Rock Nine, she gained national recognition for her fight for equality, helping other Black Americans struggling for their civil rights.
Alice Coachmen
Alice Coachman was born in Albany, Georgia in 1923. During her childhood, her days revolved around attending school and helping her family with various agricultural tasks, such as picking cotton and supplying corn to local mills.
At this time, societal norms frowned upon women who participated in sports because it was considered unladylike. Alice was determined to pursue her passion for athletics and refused to let social expectations hold her back. By seventh grade, she was one of the best athletes in Albany, though she faced significant challenges. Coachman wasn’t allowed to train with White children or use their facilities and equipment. This obstacle only made her more resourceful. She practiced running barefoot on dusty roads to build stamina and used sticks and rope to practice her high jump.
During a high school track meet, Alice Coachman’s talent caught the attention of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, one of the first Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). She transferred there as a sophomore in high school and began training for the Olympics while completing her education.
Coachman went on to win several national titles, and in 1948, she competed in the Olympic trials despite dealing with a back injury. At the trials, she shattered the existing U.S. high jump record. In the same year, she won a gold medal in the high jump at the London Olympics, clearing a height of 5 feet 6 1/8 inches on her first attempt. She made history as the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal and the only American woman to win a gold medal at the 1948 Olympics.
Coachman’s legacy continued long after her victory. In 1975, the National Track and Field Hall of Fame and eight other halls of fame inducted her. Alice Coachman inspired many Black athletes, showcasing that they could overcome racial discrimination and unequal access to achieve their athletic goals.
These women and many more taught Black Americans and others going through unequal treatment that you can overcome hate by putting good into the world and working hard. They broke down stereotypical barriers and became voices for Black generations struggling to find their identity in a world that wanted to segregate them from society. Baker, Bolin, Bates, and Coachman proved that anything is possible regardless of skin color.
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