I spent most of my years in a classroom, systematically created to further along the white kids, and I waited for the time of February. I waited for teachers to teach me about people who were not primarily old, white and male. I waited to learn about leaders other than Martin Luther King.
I continued waiting, my frustration growing, because who wants to hear the same story over and over again? Isn’t it bad enough that an entire culture has been condensed into one month?
There had to be more voices and, though I greatly admire King’s message, I wanted to hear more than a lesson repeated since second grade.
My frustration transformed as I realized that there was not only a lack of voices but those voices were exclusively male dominated leadership. It’s called black history and I doubt an entire race relied only on men.
From Ida B. Wells to Alice Walker, women should not be pushed aside when people learn about black history. They contributed their time, effort and at times their lives for equality.
A Journalist
Ida B. Wells dedicated her life’s work to anti-lynching. As a journalist, Wells researched and advocated that blacks leave the South. She also concluded that whites used lynching as a form of control. Wells was one of the first civil right activists and her work helped save lives.
An Organizer
Considered one of the most influential activists of her time, Ella Baker pushed for civil and human rights throughout her lifetime. Baker worked alongside other leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Thurgood Marshall. She reaped the benefits of grassroots organizations and helped start the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee after working with organizations such as the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She organized protests and helped write speeches. She even spoke out against the male patriarchy in the black church.
An Educator
Dorothy Height not only worked for civil rights, but also saw the importance of empowering women. Height fought for education access, especially literacy, and as an educator made this one of her primary focuses. She was president of the National Council Negro Women and worked with people such as Eleanor Roosevelt to fight for feminism and civil rights.
A Writer
Known for her famous book, The Color Purple, Alice Walker is one of the most influential writers and poets. But she’s also dedicated to civil and human rights. After meeting Martin Luther King Jr., she joined the fight for equality and marched on Washington. Her work has given a personal face to the black struggle, and she continues to educate students on racial tension in America.
