Black Women Leaders: We All Win From Their Leadership
February is designate Black History Month. Many Black women are not credited or recognized for the contributions they have made throughout history. In this blog post, I highlight three Black women leaders who have worked toward equality. These women faced a number of challenges and barriers, having to break down both racism and sexism. Though they did not necessarily live at the same time, they were important figures not just for other Black women but for all people. Today, we all reap the benefits of the challenges they overcame.
Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784): First African-American Author
Phillis Wheatley was born in Gambia, Africa around 1753. She was captured and sold into slavery around the age of eight. When she arrived to the United States, she was enslaved by the Wheatley family in Boston, where they gave her the name Phillis Wheatley. The Wheatley family educated her, as well as encouraged and supported her literary ability and interest in poetry. In 1767, at the age of 14, Wheatley published her first poem. She later published her first volume of poems, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, in 1773 becoming the first book written by a Black woman in the U.S. Wheatley had to defend her authorship in court when colonists did not believe that an African slave was capable of such excellent poetry (Gates & Appiah, 1999). Though it was concluded that she had written the poems, Boston publishers declined to publish her work and it was instead published in London with great interest. The Wheatleys emancipated Phillis Wheatley shortly after the publication of her book. She later wrote letters and poetry that reflected her opposition to slavery and promoted liberty and freedom. Though she was never able to publish a second book of poetry, Whatley’s contributions to American literature became clear evidence that African Americans were creative, intelligent, and capable human beings (Michals, 2015). A narrative that fought against racist beliefs.
Charlotte E. Ray (1850-1911): First Black American Woman Lawyer
Charlotte E. Ray, born in 1850, was the first African American woman attorney in the United States. When Ray applied to Howard School of Law, she applied and was accepted as “C.E. Ray” (Economic Security Staff, 2009). This allowed her to cover her gender in the application process. She, then, became the first woman admitted to the District of Columbia Bar. In Ray’s first, and only, legal case, she represented an illiterate African American woman suing her drunk, violent husband for divorce. Ray not only won her case, she was the first woman to argue a case before the District of Columbia Supreme Court. Even with this win, she faced discrimination as an African American and as a woman. Her race and gender were obstacles for Ray in obtaining further cases and business to maintain an active practice and so she was forced her to shut down her practice (Blakemore, 2018). She left her practice and went on to teach in Brooklyn public schools. She later joined the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) and became entrenched in the women’s suffrage movement and equality for Black women. Unfortunately, she did not live to see women gain the right to vote. Her work and advocacy was clearly instrumental in breaking down barriers.
Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977): American Civil Rights Activist
Fannie Lou Hamer was born in 1917 in Montgomery, County, Mississippi to a poverty-stricken family of farmers. As a result of the discrimination she faced coupled with her strong desire to help others, Hamer became heavily involved in civil rights activism. She engaged in voting rights issues for African Americans and disenfranchised people. Hamer believed that the right to vote would provide African Americans representation in local and federal government. Hamer’s ideology was fueled by her own challenges and the obstacles she faced in registering to vote. Hamer’s run for Senate in 1964 was unsuccessful, however that did not deter her from her work and activism (Kai Lee, 1999). Hamer’s work expanded beyond political activism with her involvement in the Freedom Farm Cooperative. Hamer founded the agricultural cooperative to provide resources to allow impoverished African Americans to work toward self sufficiency and alleviate poverty, through crops, animals, education, and training. While she faced criticism, was often threatened, and beaten for leading as a female activist, Hamer’s passion for helping others and her ability to connect with others strengthen her drive to become a civil right leader fight not only for African American’s right to vote but also for women’s rights, which led her to co-found the National Women’s Political Caucus. Her work and leadership was recognized by several awards given during her lifetime and after her death.
References
Blakemore, E. (2018). Charlotte E. Ray’s Brief But Historic Career as the First U.S. Black Woman Attorney. History.com. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/charlotte-e-ray-first-black-woman-attorney
Chana Kai Lee. (1999). For Freedom's Sake: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer. Urbana, IL, University of Illinois Publishing.
Economic Security Staff. (2009). Today in Civil Rights History: Charlotte E. Ray, First Female African-American Lawyer. The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights. Retrieved from https://civilrights.org/2009/02/27/today-in-civil-rights-history-charlotte-e-ray-first-female-african-american-lawyer/
Gates, H. L., & Appiah, A. (Eds). (1999). Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience, Basic Civitas Books, p. 1171.
Michals, D. (2015). Phillis Wheatley. National Women's History Museum. Retrieved from www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/phillis-wheatley
