One Of The Best Things About Going To A Single Sex Girls School Was That They Gave Us A Series Of Classes

A Historical Deep Dive into the Founders of Black Womanism & Modern Feminism

Six African American Suffragettes Mainstream History Tried to Forget

These amazing Black American women each advanced the principles of modern feminism and Black womanism by insisting on an intersectional approach to activism. They understood that the struggles of race and gender were intertwined, and that the liberation of Black women was essential. Their writings, speeches, and actions have continued to inspire movements addressing systemic inequities, while affirming the voices of marginalized women who have shaped society. Through their amazing work, they have expanded the scope of womanism and intersectional feminism to include racial justice, making it more inclusive and transformative.

Anna Julia Cooper (1858–1964)

Quote: “The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a class—it is the cause of humankind, the very birthright of humanity.”

Contribution: Anna Julia Cooper was an educator, scholar, and advocate for Black women’s empowerment. Her book A Voice from the South by a Black Woman of the South (1892) is one of the earliest articulations of Black feminist thought. She emphasized the intellectual and cultural contributions of Black women and argued that their liberation was essential to societal progress. Cooper believed education was the key to uplifting African Americans and worked tirelessly to improve opportunities for women and girls, including founding organizations for Black women’s higher education. Her work challenged both racism and sexism, laying the intellectual foundation for modern Black womanism.

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911)

Quote: “We are all bound together in one great bundle of humanity, and society cannot trample on the weakest and feeblest of its members without receiving the curse in its own soul.”

Contribution: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was a poet, author, and orator whose work intertwined abolitionism, suffrage, and temperance advocacy. A prominent member of the American Equal Rights Association, she fought for universal suffrage, arguing that Black women’s voices were crucial in shaping a just society. Her 1866 speech at the National Woman’s Rights Convention emphasized the need for solidarity among marginalized groups, highlighting the racial disparities within the feminist movement. Harper’s writings, including her novel Iola Leroy, offered early depictions of Black womanhood and resilience, paving the way for Black feminist literature and thought.

Ida B. Wells (1862–1931)

Quote: “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”

Contribution: Ida B. Wells was a fearless journalist, educator, and anti-lynching activist who co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Her investigative reporting exposed the widespread violence and racism faced by African Americans, particularly lynchings. As a suffragette, Wells insisted on addressing the intersection of race and gender in the fight for women’s voting rights. At the 1913 Women’s Suffrage Parade in Washington, D.C., she famously defied instructions to march in a segregated section and joined the Illinois delegation at the front, demanding recognition for Black women in the feminist movement. Her activism laid the groundwork for modern feminisms inclusion of intersectionality, emphasizing the dual oppressions faced by Black women.

Sojourner Truth (1797–1883)

Quote: “Ain’t I a Woman?”

Contribution: Born into slavery, Sojourner Truth became a powerful voice for abolition, women's rights, and racial justice after gaining her freedom. Her famous 1851 speech, "Ain’t I a Woman?" delivered at a women's rights convention in Akron, Ohio, directly challenged the exclusion of Black women from the feminist narrative. She highlighted the unique struggles of Black women, who faced both racism and sexism, calling out the hypocrisy of a movement that often-centered white women’s experiences. Truth’s legacy lies in her insistence on equality for all, inspiring future generations to confront the intersecting oppressions of race and gender in their advocacy.

Nanny Helen Burroughs (1879–1961)

Quote: “We specialize in the wholly impossible.”

Contribution: Nanny Helen Burroughs was an educator, activist, and founder of the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington, D.C., which emphasized self-sufficiency and vocational training for African American women. She championed the "Three B's" of her educational philosophy: Bible, bath, and broom, advocating for spiritual, personal, and professional discipline. Burroughs was also a leader in the Women's Convention Auxiliary of the National Baptist Convention, where she pushed for the inclusion of women's voices in church leadership. Her dedication to empowering Black women as agents of social change influenced both the feminist and civil rights movements, promoting a vision of racial and gender equality.

Elizabeth Piper Ensley (1847–1919)

Quote: “The ballot in the hands of a woman means power added to influence.”

Contribution: Elizabeth Piper Ensley was a suffragist and civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in securing women’s suffrage in Colorado in 1893, making it one of the first states to grant women the vote. As a Black woman operating in the predominantly white suffrage movement, Ensley worked to bridge racial and class divides, emphasizing the importance of political power for marginalized groups. She was an active member of the Colorado Non-Partisan Equal Suffrage Association and focused on voter education to ensure that women, especially women of color, could fully participate in the democratic process. Ensley’s legacy highlights the importance of coalition-building in achieving systemic change.

To honor these pioneers, we must continue to amplify Black women's voices, prioritizing intersectionality, and combat systemic inequalities in race, gender, and class.

Modern black womanism and feminist activism can expand upon these little-known founders of woman's rights by continuously working on an addressing the disparities in education, healthcare, and economic opportunities for marginalized communities. Supporting Black Woman-led organizations, fostering inclusive black femme leadership, and embracing allyship will always be vital.

Additionally, when we continuously elevate their contributions in social media or multi-media art through various platforms, and academic curriculum we ensure their legacies continuously inspire future generations. By integrating their principles into feminism and advocating for collective liberation, women and feminine allies can continue their fight for justice, equity, and feminine empowerment, hand forging a society, by blood, sweat, bones and tears where all women can thrive, free from oppression.

the word cunty set feminism back 200 years

body neutrality will always be more important than body positivity. you don't need to expand your definition of beauty to include yourself. you have a nose for breathing, legs for walking, and eyes for seeing. you don't owe "beauty" to anyone. learn to be comfortable in your body without having to be seen as 'attractive". confidence does not mean attractiveness

Some devastating facts about abortion rights in Europe:

Polish abortion laws lay out that the rights of a foetus are more important than those of pregnant persons.

In Malta, women are sent to prison if they get an abortion.

In Austria, abortion is written into criminal code - this means it is considered a crime if it is not carried out as by the law. Doctors in Austria use papayas to learn how to perform an abortion.

Women in Hungary are forced by the law to listen to “the foetal heartbeat” before they can have an abortion.

The current law governing abortions in Germany was accepted during the Nazi regime. It is still referred to as “the Nazi law” by some movements.

In Italy, 80% of doctors refuse to perform an abortion. Plus, the government is financing movements that enter abortion clinics and harrass women who want to get an abortion.

Abortion rights in Europe are fragile. Sign our initiative to make abortion safe and accessible to everyone in the EU.

today I learned that a Chinese woman named Chien-Shiung Wu proved quantum entanglement before anyone else. have I ever read about her in the pop physics books I read? no. this makes me so mad but also that's fucking awesome

South China Morning Post

Quantum entanglement theory first proved by Chinese woman in 1949

Chien-Shiung Wu’s trailblazing but largely forgotten achievement features in a recent profile of the influential physicist.

You can’t change your gender because gender is the social expectations placed on you by virtue of your sex e.g. femininity is the gender assigned to females.

You can’t change your sex because sex is an immutable part of your biology that extends down to the cellular level e.g. female is the term for a member of the sex that produces large gametes.

What you *can* do is wear whatever you want and act however you want and like whoever you want regardless of what anybody says and regardless of your gender and sex. That is truly radical.

posts that prove horseshoe theory. put respect on OSHA's name right now.

non smoker lung cancer is underfunded, 2/3rds of people who get it are women, and the amount of women getting it is rapidly increasing. some of it may be environmental, like pollutant exposures, and some may be biological/genetic, but there's virtually no research despite lung cancer being the leading death causing cancer in women, more than breast or cervical.

The Conversation

Why is there an increase in lung cancer among women who have never smoked?

Rising air pollution, changes in hormone levels, immune system imbalances and longer life expectancy are increasing the risk of lung cancer