Black women of achievement have been overlooked or deliberately ignored in the “mainstream narrative” of history. Indeed, the names and stories of countless black women who contributed to their societies in ways that should be recognized and remembered are entirely lost to us today. This multimedia presentation will honor the lives and work of a few of the many black women history have recorded, however sparsely, who deserve central places in that historical narrative.
The presentation includes activists, politicians, freedom fighters, inventors and entrepreneurs, entertainers, and more. It features a number of women whose names and accomplishments are relatively well-known—such as Phillis Wheatley, Shirley Chisholm, Fannie Lou Hamer, Madame CJ Walker, Rosa Parks, Mary McLeod Bethune, Bessie Coleman—and also women whose names are less well-known or perhaps even unfamiliar, like the ancient ruler of Kush, Amanirenas, who drove out the Roman Army; Jamaican National Hero Queen Nanny, inventor Alice Parker, activist Claudette Colvin, the brave black women who were spies for the Union Army during the Civil War, and more. The focus is on African Americans, but also includes achievements of historically recognized black women of other countries.
Jorjet Harper will conduct the slide-show presentation, Dr. Carla Carter will read from works by and about some of these women, and Nedra Johnson will sing selections related to them and to historical events.