The spotlight shines on Black women
18th March 2024 · 0 Comments
March is Women’s History Month. As we celebrate the wonders of American women, we would be negligent if we did not honor those who form the bedrock of America: Black Women!
The United States Postal Service is celebrating the contributions and accomplishments of 46 legendary Black women with stamps bearing their images. Among them are Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Mary McLeod Bethune, Bessie Coleman, Madame C.J. Walker, Ida B. Wells, Lena Horne, Patricia Roberts Harris, Marian Anderson, Althea Gibson, Barbara Jordan, Fannie Lou Hamer, Maya Angelou, Shirley Chisholm, Constance Baker Motley, Gwen Ifill, Toni Morrison, Gwen Ifill and others.
New Orleanians and Louisianans can take pride in stamps honoring their hometown, legendary, world-renowned superstars, including gospel singer Mahalia Jackson.
Maya Angelou was the first Black woman to be honored on the reverse side of the American quarter. The writer, poet, performer, social activist and teacher rose to international prominence with the release of her groundbreaking autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”
Angelou’s published works of verse, non-fiction and fiction include over 30 bestselling titles. Her career encompassed dance, theater, journalism and social activism, Mint Deputy Director Ventris C. Gibson explained.
The recipient of more than 30 honorary degrees, Angelou read “On the Pulse of Morning” at President Bill Clinton’s 1992 inauguration. This was the first time an African-American woman had written and presented a poem at a presidential inauguration.
In 2010, President Barack Obama awarded Angelou the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and she was the 2013 recipient of the Literarian Award, an honorary National Book Award for contributions to the literary community.
The quarter depicting Aviator Bessie Coleman, a pilot, advocate and pioneer who flew to great heights as the First African-American and first Native American woman pilot, and the first African American to earn an international pilot’s license, was released in 2023.
The Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray, poet, writer, activist, lawyer, and Episcopal priest, and Cecilia De La Cruz, Cuban-American singer, cultural icon, and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century, are both among the U.S. Mint’s 2024 quarter dollar releases.
The Black Women honored by presidents and the federal government are but a few iconic women who have helped shape America.
Indeed, Black women, writ large, are the bedrock and backbone of America. Both enslaved and freed women of color have risen to confront those who would suppress and oppress them and deny them their rights and a seat at the table for the past 405 years.
And each succeeding generation of Black women rises and takes their place in every facet of American life. For every Black woman who historically has contributed and climbed to the pinnacle of her career, another takes her place, elevates her craft, and invents new economic, social and legal systems.
We all know that Ida B. Wells left an indelible mark on America. It is reasonable to suggest Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah Jones, author and editor of the “1619 project,” follows in her footsteps.
Like Wells, Hannah-Jones is hated and ostracized by people who don’t want the truth to be known. Wells’ office was firebombed. Hannah-Jones was initially denied tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. By the time UNC relented under pressure from students and the public and offered her tenure, she chose to join the faculty of Howard University.
Here in Louisiana, the legacy of Black women’s leadership continues. From generation to generation, Black women have made remarkable strides. Black women own and operate newspapers, restaurants, corporations and nonprofits, run the government, are judges, and are artists. They are building upon the legacies left by those who came before them.
Next Week: A salute to local Black women achievers.
This article originally published in the March 18, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
