Influential Black Women
Photo Essay
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In 1940 Mary Church Terrell wrote, "A white woman has only one handicap to overcome—a great one, true, her sex; a colored woman faces two—her sex and her race." This doubling of oppressions—sexism and racism—remains in effect seventy years after Terrell's statement and is often compounded by other factors such as class differences, sexuality, and/or disability. Despite social structures that have put black women at a disadvantage, they have historically risen to the challenge. This history of strength begins with African American leaders such as Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth who worked ardently against slavery and became icons in the history of emancipation. They were followed by activists and education leaders such as Mary McLeod Bethune and Mary Church Terrell. Other women such as Billie Holiday, Odetta, and Gwendolyn Brooks used their art as a way to promulgate social change. This month's feature looks at several black women—activists, educators, and artists—who have used their influence to work towards a more just society.
Featured Articles
The following articles have been selected to help guide readers who want to learn more about the lives of influential African American women. (Access to the following articles is available only to subscribers.)
Biographies
- Alice Coachman
- Alice Walker
- Audre Lorde
- Barbara Jordan
- Bessie Smith
- Billie Holliday
- Condoleezza Rice
- Coretta Scott King
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Fannie Lou Hamer
- Gwendolyn Brooks
- Harriet Tubman
- Ida B. Wells-Barnett
- Mahalia Jackson
- Marian Anderson
- Mary McLeod Bethune
- Mary Eliza Church Terrell
- Maya Angelou
- Odetta
- Oprah Winfrey
- Phillis Wheatley
- Rosa Parks
- Sarah Vaughan
- Shirley Chisholm
- Sojourner Truth
- Toni Morrison
