February is Black History Month. This month honors the efforts and achievements of African-Americans throughout history. “Black Women in American Culture and History” is this year’s theme for the month. Many African-American women deserve to be honored during this month. Below is a list of 10 famous African-American women spanning more than 200 years of history.
Sojourner Truth
abolitionist, women’s rights activist
“Truth is powerful and it prevails.”
Harriet Tubman
abolitionist, women’s rights activist
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
Madam C.J. Walker
businesswoman, entrepreneur
“I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.”
Rosa Parks
civil rights activist
“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.”
Ella Fitzgerald
jazz singer
“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”
Maya Angelou
poet, novelist, producer, actress, civil rights activist
“Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.”
Toni Morrison
author, Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize winner
“As you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think.”
Oprah Winfrey
producer, television host, philanthropist
“I am a woman in process. I’m just like everybody else. I try to take every conflict, every experience, and learn from it. Life is never dull.”
Whitney Houston
singer, producer, actress, model
“God gave me a voice to sing with, and when you have that, what other gimmick is there?”
Michelle Obama
First African American First Lady
“You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.”