How March Became Women's History Month
Thursday February 28, 2013
How did March come to be Women's History Month? International Women's Day was celebrated in Europe as early as 1911, but it wasn't until the 1970s that interest in ... Read More
First African American Woman to Receive Nobel Prize for Literature
Thursday February 28, 2013
Toni Morrison was the first African American woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. In her novels, Toni Morrison focuses on the experience of black Americans, particularly emphasizing ... Read More
Lincoln Memorial Concert
Wednesday February 27, 2013
Marian Anderson, born February 27, 1897, was an African American opera singer who faced racial discrimination throughout her career, yet achieved much recognition. She has been called the world's ... Read More
Defender of Children
Wednesday February 27, 2013
The first African American woman admitted to the Mississippi state bar, Marian Wright Edelman is the founder and President of the Children's Defense Fund and an advocate of social reform. ... Read More
Joy Goddess of the Harlem Renaissance
Monday February 25, 2013
Langston Hughes dubbed A'Lelia Walker the "joy goddess" of the Harlem Renaissance for her parties and patronage. Read more about this arts patron and business executive: A'Lelia Walker
Lucy Parsons
Sunday February 24, 2013
Lucy Parsons, anarchist, unsuccessfully organized in her husband's defense when he was accused of violence in the so-called Haymarket Riot of May, 1886 -- he was one of the "Haymarket ... Read More
Reading Maya Angelou: Autobiography, Poems and Essays
Saturday February 23, 2013
Dignity and beauty are the two words that come first to my mind when I think of the writings of Maya Angelou, African American autobiographer and poet. Many came to ... Read More
Althea Gibson, Sharecropper's Daughter
Friday February 22, 2013
Althea Gibson, a sharecropper's daughter raised on welfare, learned tennis through public clubs.
Althea Gibson photo by Carl Van Vechten courtesy Library of Congress
She broke the color barrier in tennis, becoming ... Read More
Pearl Bailey
Thursday February 21, 2013
Many years ago, I was able to see Pearl Bailey on stage in the title role of Hello, Dolly! As an entertainer, she had a unique style. Less ... Read More
Dreaming in Color: Women of the Harlem Renaissance
Tuesday February 19, 2013
You may have heard of Zora Neale Hurston or Bessie Smith -- but do you know of Georgia Douglas Johnson? Augusta Savage? Nella Larsen? These -- and dozens more -- ... Read More
First Ladies Day?
Monday February 18, 2013
On President's Day, we can also honor the First Ladies who served alongside their husbands -- some more reluctantly, some with impact on public policy -- in one of the ... Read More
Track and Field: Best Female Athlete in the World?
Sunday February 17, 2013
She dominated in women's track and field, and was considered widely to the best all-around female athlete in the world. Learn more about this Olympic champion including some of ... Read More
What Do We Know About Sally Hemings?
Saturday February 16, 2013
In the Richmond Recorder in 1802, James Thomson Callendar first began to publicly allege that Thomas Jefferson kept one of his slaves as his "concubine" and fathered children with her. ... Read More
Susan B. Anthony Day: February 15
Friday February 15, 2013
Susan B. Anthony was born February 15, 1820, so her birthday is celebrated on February 15 as Susan B. Anthony Day. Learn more about this organizer, speaker and writer ... Read More
Josephine Baker's Biography
Thursday February 14, 2013
Josephine Baker's exotic act reinforced the images of creativity from the Harlem Renaissance. Baker spent most of her career in France, becoming one of the most famous entertainers in ... Read More
Maggie Lena Walker, Bank President
Tuesday February 12, 2013
Maggie Lena Walker, the first woman bank president in the United States, was the daughter of an ex-slave. Walker founded the bank as an outgrowth of a Richmond, ... Read More
Lorraine Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun
Monday February 11, 2013
Lorraine Hansberry completed Raisin in the Sun in 1957, taking her title from Langston Hughes' poem, "Harlem." Sidney Poitier expressed interest in taking the part of the son, and soon ... Read More
High Priestess of Soul
Sunday February 10, 2013
Nina Simone (1935-2003), called the "High Priestess of Soul" in the 1960s, was always difficult to classify into a particular musical style: soul, blues, jazz, protest -- all of the ... Read More
Alice Walker, Novelist and Activist
Saturday February 9, 2013
Alice Walker, African American woman writer, is known not only for her now-classic novel The Color Purple; but for her rediscovery of an earlier African American woman novelist (and folklorist), ... Read More
Founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family
Friday February 8, 2013
In the 19th century, Henriette Delille defied law and family to serve the poor of New Orleans, especially slaves and those of mixed race heritage. She founded an order ... Read More
Mother of Civil Rights
Thursday February 7, 2013
Learn more about the woman known as the Mother of the American Civil Rights Movement.
Rosa Parks Biography
Rosa Parks Quotes
African American Women 1950-1999
Legends, 2005
Wednesday February 6, 2013
In 2005, Oprah Winfrey hosted a gala event, The Legends Ball, honoring the achievements of African American women. I've featured here the images of a selection of eleven of ... Read More
Issues Facing African Americans: 1902
Tuesday February 5, 2013
More than 100 years ago, Dr. Daniel Wallace Culp published a book of articles on various issues facing African Americans of the day, with 100 writers represented. Some of the ... Read More
Slave Turned Preacher and Lecturer
Tuesday February 5, 2013
Sojourner Truth, a slave turned preacher and lecturer, worked for both the antislavery cause and for women's rights.
Sojourner Truth
Courtesy Library of Congress
Her famous "Ain't I a Woman" speech -- ... Read More
Richard III News and Women's History
Monday February 4, 2013
In the news: the body of Richard III has been rediscovered under a parking lot in Leicester. This is likely to lead to many reassessments of the life of ... Read More
Organizing for Black Women
Monday February 4, 2013
The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) was founded in 1935 by Mary McLeod Bethune, bringing together an "organization of organizations," and continues today. Bethune was president from 1935 ... Read More
First African American Woman Pilot
Sunday February 3, 2013
The first African American woman to fly a plane, Bessie Coleman was an aviation pioneer who made her living as a stunt pilot. She intended to start a pilot ... Read More
Hot Miss Lil: Lil Hardin Armstrong
Saturday February 2, 2013
Lil Hardin, known as "Hot Miss Lil" in her early years in jazz, played with the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band before a young cornet player, Louis Armstrong, joined it. ... Read More
From Slavery to Freedom
Friday February 1, 2013
While Harriet Tubman remains one of history's best-known African Americans, until recently there have been few biographies of her written for adults.
Harriet Tubman
Courtesy Library of Congress
Because her life is inspiring, ... Read More