Five African American Women Trailblazers
All throughout history, African American women have been trailblazers in various fields. Black history is American history. However, our nation likes to dispel the past and white-wash history, leaving African American women out of the picture.
A study in 2015 by the National Council for the Social Studies found that teachers often lack the confidence to teach African American history and aren’t sure “...how and what content should be delivered.” It’s imperative that our nation recognize all of those who have made this country what it is today. Among the many African American women trailblazers, I have chosen to highlight five incredible women that stand out to me.
Claudette Colvin
Claudette Colvin was 15 years old when she refused to give up her seat to a white person, nine months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. She was the first to refuse to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus in violation of the law. Colvin knew firsthand what kind of violence was happening to African American’s due to Jim Crow. She challenged the law in court as one of four women plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle, the case that successfully overturned bus segregation laws in Montgomery and Alabama. Colvin is admired for her strength and courage in igniting the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
BBC News
Andrea Jenkins
Andrea Jenkins is a writer, poet, and transgender activist. She is the first openly African American trans woman to be elected to office in the United States, serving since January 2018 on the Minneapolis City Council. While Jenkins was Elizabeth Glidden’s aide in 2005, she earned a fellowship dedicated to transgender issues and helped to establish the Transgender Issues Work Group in 2014. In addition, Jenkins organized a City Council summit on transgender equity intended to highlight the issues that trans people in Minnesota face. On January 29, 2018, Jenkins was one of several dozen women featured on the Time cover. The article features the many women who ran for office in 2017 and 2018 and five of the women are lesbian and transgender candidates who all received the LGBTQ Victory Fund.
Minnesota Good Age
Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman in Congress and the first woman and African American to seek the nomination for president of the United States from one of the two major political parties. She was a co-founder of the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971 and in 1977 became the first black woman and second woman ever to serve on the House Rules Committee. During the 1972 Democratic Party presidential nomination, she was blocked from participating in televised primary debates. Despite this, she was allotted one speech and students, women, and minorities followed the “Chisholm Trail”. After retiring from Congress in 1983, Chisholm said, “I want to be remembered as a woman...who dared to be a catalyst of change.”
Women’s History
Mary Jane Patterson
Mary Jane Patterson was the first African American woman to receive a B.A. degree from an established American college. In 1869, Patterson accepted a teaching position in Washington, DC, at the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth, later known as Dunbar High School. She served as the school’s first African American principal from 1871 to 1874. Patterson’s deep commitment to education and intellectual standards allowed her to devote time and money to other African American institutions in Washington, DC.
African American Registry
Mae Jemison
Mae Jemison was the first African American woman to travel to space. She has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the International Space Hall of Fame. Jemison earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in African-American Studies from Stanford University. After, Jemison attended Cornell Medical School. Following the 1992 voyage into space, Jemison left NASA and started The Jemison Group, a consulting company that encourages science, technology, and social change. In 1994, Jemison created an international space camp for students 12-16 years old called “The Earth We Share”. Jemison is currently leading the 100 Year Starship project through the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
NASA
African American women have always been an important part of United States history and are largely important figures. All of these women share resilience, dedication, and hope. Despite racism, prejudice, and a society that works to silence those who are different, African American women continue to trailblaze in various fields. They are a beacon of hope for young women all over this country and lead the way for African American women today to continue shattering glass ceilings.