Before this amazing time of Black History Month comes to a close, we must discuss the many women that have made influential changes in the Black community. As many of you may know, March celebrates International Women’s Month, recognizing women’s contributions to history, culture and society. In opening up the floor to celebrate women and the closing of Black History Month, I highlight five trailblazers of feminism.
- assata shakur
-
A female lead amongst true activism in the Black Panther Party, Assata Shakur personally holds one of the most interesting stories to date. In 1973, she was convicted for the murder of a police officer. Following her arrest and almost an entire decade later in ‘79, Shakur escaped prison — where she then fled to Cuba and was granted political asylum. A fun fact is that she is also the godmother of the late and famous rapper Tupac.
- elaine brown
-
You may remember her name from an election for the Green Party president in 2008. Regardless of what you know of her, Brown was the first and only chairwoman to lead the Black Panther Party from 1974 to 1977. After her role as chairman, Brown left the party due to the harsh sexism and patriarchal roles she faced in the organization. Brown remains politically active to this date and is known for writing various books, such as A Taste of Power that was featured in my last article. Residing in Oakland, California, she founded two nonprofit organizations, Oakland & the World Enterprises and the National Alliance for Prison Reform. Both of these organizations currently build affordable housing and businesses for low-income communities with a focus on the formerly incarcerated. We must remember and support her work — astounding changes made for many communities, especially the Black and marginalized.
- kathleen cleaver
-
Most known for her afro and inspiring words on natural hair in the ’70s, Kathleen Cleaver is a woman to remember. After marrying a member of the Black Panther Party, Eldridge Cleaver, minister of information for the party, Kathleen went on to take her role. She so deeply cared about the advancement of her people, despite the politics and conflict she persisted in her activism. Cleaver later became the first woman of the party’s decision-making cabinet and the communications secretary during her most active years. After divorcing Eldridge, she obtained her degree in law from Yale. Today, you can find her as a senior lecturer at Emory University’s School of Law.
- charlotte hill o’neal
-
In applying romance to activism, Charlotte Hill O’Neal’s story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Personally known and loved as Mama C, she is a musician, poet and activist. She married her husband, activist Pete O’Neal, but in 1970, Pete was wanted. They then both fled to Africa to escape his incarceration and never looked back. In Africa, they settled in Tanzania, where they developed an international section of the Black Panther Party. Additionally, in 1991, Charlotte co-founded a nonprofit organization called United African Alliance Community Center dedicated to empowering both urban and rural youth across Tanzania. Despite never returning to America, you can still find O’Neal today. She is a loved artist, seen in media frequently guest lecturing and visiting colleges and universities.
- erika huggins
-
After spending 14 years in the Black Panther Party, activist Erika Huggins is an educator, human rights activist and poet. During her active years, Huggins spent her time as director of the Oakland Community School established in 1973. It provided youth with culturally “relevant” education and challenged educational norms, and they aimed to educate students from both Black and poor backgrounds. In breaking more boundaries, Erika became the first Black person and woman to be on the Alameda County Board of Education. Today, you can find her as a Professor of Sociology at Laney College in Oakland and Berkley City College — both in California. On the side, she leads dialogue regarding race and other inequalities among politics with World Trust.
This time around, I wanted to focus on Black feminism. Women in leadership have held lasting impact. We see this especially during the Black Liberation Party and the Civil Rights Movement. As a young Black woman today, I thank them for their activism as it allowed me to reap freedoms they once did not have. We are nothing without our history. I hope you all had a great Black History Month of learning and celebrating. I know I did, and I am excited to learn about more women of history in March!