Throughout history, there has been many incredible Black women who were trailblazers and have paved the way for us, today. From Sojourner Truth to Kamala Harris, the first Black woman Vice President of the United States, there have been black women who have made history. Regardless of all of our struggles and all of the barriers placed in our way, we have always found a way to overcome them. What makes them real women is that they were all women without well know names before they took a stand to make a change, which subsuequently made them famous. Thanks to all of the black women who have made sacrifices for us. We will never forget your worth and work. Here are just a few of the amazing black women we celebrate this month:
SOJOUNER TRUTH
Sojourner Truth was an American abolitionist of New York Dutch heritage and a women’s rights activist. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, but escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826.
AMANDA SMITH
Orator and evangelist Amanda Smith forged a new role for women in the Methodist church in the late 19th century. Some of Smith’s many accomplishments include establishing an orphanage for Black children outside of Chicago, Illinois. She was most well known for her powerful speeches and she ministered to many in England, India, and West Africa.
NINA SIMONE
Nina Simone possessed a unique raspy voice and had a massive impact on the jazz community, as well as the civil rights movement. In her early years, Simone changed her name from Eunice Kathleen Waymon, her birth name, to her new alias, Nina Simone, to disguise herself from her family while trying to forge her career in jazz as a pianist and singer. Between 1958 and 1974, Simone recorded more than 40 albums, leaving an indelible mark on music.
BARBARA JORDAN
Politician, lawyer, and professor Barbara Jordan was an outspoken advocate for social equity. As a young Texan lawyer, Jordan volunteered for the Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy and his running mate, Texan Lydon B. Johnson. Volunteering inspired Jordan to enter politics. After two unsuccessful campaigns, Jordan won a seat in the Texas Senate in 1966. She became one of two African Americans elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972. In 1976, she became the first African American woman to deliver a keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. Jordan retired from politics and became a professor, teaching even after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and began using a wheelchair. She lived with her companion Nancy Earl for over 20 years.
PATRICIA HARRIS
Patricia Harris | Known as: Ambassador, professor – Life: 1924-1985 | Patricia Harris was a trailblazer. She was the first Black woman to serve as an American ambassador when she represented the United States in Luxembourg from 1965 to 1967, and the first appointed to a Cabinet when she was named Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1977. (Public Domain/Library of Congress)
HARRIETT TUBMAN
Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist and social activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 slaves, including family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad
