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- Beyoncé. How we know her: Singer, actress, filmmaker, entrepreneur. Why she's praiseworthy: They don't call Beyoncé the Queen Bee for nothing. For starters, the Houstonian has made audiences say her name since the '90s.
- Issa Rae. How we know her: Writer, director, actress, producer, entrepreneur. Why she's praiseworthy: Rae personifies the multi-hyphenate title. There's seemingly nothing she can't do.
- Michelle Obama. How we know her: Former First Lady, author, philanthropist and entrepreneur. Why she's praiseworthy: Obama became the first Black First Lady when her husband Barack Obama was sworn into office in 2008.
- Sha'Carri Richardson. How we know her: Track and field athlete. Why she's praiseworthy: Richardson has given other track and field athletes a run for their money.
- Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) was a pivotal leader in the American Civil Rights Movement. He continues to be celebrated for his profound influence in advocating for nonviolent resistance and racial equality.
- Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) An abolitionist and political activist, Harriet Tubman is best known for helping enslaved people escape through the Underground Railroad.
- Barack Obama (b. 1961) ADVERTISEMENT. Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, made history as the first Black American to hold the office.
- Maya Angelou (1928-2014) Maya Angelou was an influential poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist, celebrated for her series of seven autobiographies.
- Sojourner Truth, Abolitionist
- Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Journalist
- Claudette Colvin, Civil Rights Activist
- Mary Mcleod Bethune, Educational Activist
- Madam C.J. Walker, Entrepreneur
- Ruby Bridges, Activist
- Bell Hooks, Author
- Shirley Chisholm, Politician
- Audre Lorde, Author
- Mae Jemison, Astronaut
Once enslaved, Sojourner Truth was an abolitionist and women’s rights activist well-known for her powerful oratory and unwavering commitment to justice. She is best known for her speech often titled “Ain’t I a Woman?,” delivered at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in 1851, where she powerfully challenged prevailing notions of racial and gender in...
Born into slavery, Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a strong women’s suffrage advocate dedicated to exposing the atrocities of lynching in this country. She went on to become one of the most well-known, respected journalists in U.S. history. Wells-Barnett was a founding member of the NAACP, Alpha Suffrage Club, and the National Association of Colored Women...
We’ve all heard about Rosa Parks’ brave refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. Unfortunately, many don’t know that Claudette Colvin did it first. At just 15 years old, she was among the first Black activists to openly defy and challenge the law. Learn more: Claudette Colvin
Recognizing the struggle Black children experienced in getting an education, particularly in the segregated South, Bethune became an educator and foundedthe Daytona Educational and Industrial Institute for Girls. Learn more: Mary McLeod Bethune
Widely considered one of the first self-made female American millionaires, Walker created hair-care products that were sold door-to-door to Black women. The company grew and she went on to hire 40,000 brand ambassadors to sell her popular hair treatments. Learn more: Madam C.J. Walker
There are many Black women who are activists, but Ruby Bridges is one of the most famous. At just 6 years old, she needed to be braver than any child should when she became the first Black student to racially integrate an all-white school in 1960. The crowd of racists was so angry that she needed to be escorted by four federal marshals. Learn more:...
Her work as a feminist writer, professor, and critic ensures bell hooks deserves a spot on any list of famous Black women. She helped shine a light on how patriarchy, white supremacy, and capitalism silenced Black women while empowering them to fight back. Learn more: bell hooks
In 1968, Chisholm was the first Black woman to be electedto the House of Representatives. Four years later, she became the first Black candidate to run for a major party nomination when she ran for president as a Democrat. Learn more: Shirley Chisholm
Lorde’s incredible work as a Black lesbian poet helped increase America’s awareness of how the intersectionality of gender, race, and class leads to discrimination, particularly with her 1973 collection From a Land Where Other People Live. Learn more: Audre Lorde
After becoming the first Black woman admittedto the astronaut training program in 1987, Jemison boarded the space shuttle Endeavour just five years later and went on to become the first Black woman to fly into space. Learn more: Mae Jemison
- Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005) Congress is more diverse now than it's ever been. However, when Chisholm was attempting to shatter the glass ceiling, the same couldn't be said.
- Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) Dr. King is usually credited for the March on Washington in August 1963. But it was Rustin who organized and strategized in the shadows.
- Claudette Colvin (1939- ) Before Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, there was a brave 15-year-old who chose not to sit at the back of the bus.
- Annie Lee Cooper (1910-2010) The Selma, Alabama, native played a crucial part in the 1965 Selma Voting Rights Movement. But it wasn't until Oprah played her in the 2014 Oscar-nominated film Selma that people really took notice of Cooper's activism.
- Wangari Maathai. Wangarĩ Muta Maathai was a Kenyan social, environmental and political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
- Margaret Kenyatta. Margaret Wambui Kenyatta was a Kenyan politician. She was the daughter of the first President of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, and his wife Grace Wahu.
- Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Winnie Madikizela also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela.
- Miriam Makeba. Zenzile Miriam Makeba, nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights, activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she was an advocate against apartheid and white-minority government in South Africa.
Aug 27, 2023 · 5 Heroic Black Women Who Helped Shaped The 1800s. 1. Elizabeth Jennings Graham, 1830-1901. Elizabeth Jennings Graham photo source: Kansas Historical Foundation, photo circa 1854-1860. (1830-1901) Elizabeth Jennings was a New York City schoolteacher whose 1854 defiance of a streetcar conductor’s order to leave his car helped desegregate public ...
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Feb 10, 2020 · Frantzces Lys. Feb 10, 2020. 12 min read. Overlooked Stories Of 17 Black Women Trailblazers From The Past. Updated: Feb 14, 2022. For this Black History Month, Black Girl Ventures went on a mission to research some of the most impactful Black women entrepreneurs and inventors from our past.
