February is commonly known as the month for love as we have Valentine’s vastly approaching us. This might be on the minds of the UNL collegiate readers, or the snow that UNL has been facing. February is importantly Black History Month and a spotlight on women who’ve changed history.
In our studies in elementary and towards high school we are taught about Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and more recently Condoleezza Rice. For the month of love and even more importantly Galentine’s Day, here is a spotlight on influential black women who changed history:
· Marsha P. Johnson, or one of the leaders of the Stonewall Riots. An influential tans-activist, Johnson started STAR to help provide room and board to New York trans-community. Johnson’s life was cute short in 1992 in what is a now open possible homicide.
· Shirley Chisholm, first black women in Congress. Running under the platform of “Unbought and Unbossed,” Chisholm beat two other black candidates in an upset victory to go onto a successful political career helping to expand the food stamp act and a minimum wage for domestic workers. Chisholm is a found member of the National Women’s Political Caucus and even once ran for president in the ’70’s.
So here’s to these two-spotlighted ladies and to the many other women of the past who helped shape America.