Final Faith News Today Newsletter V.1 I.2 March 2025 3-7-25 - v2
Welcome to the March 2025 issue of Faith News Today. We want to help you celebrate Women’s History Month by sharing insightful newsworthy stories about some of the most influential women in Black history and culture. Walk with us through history to find someone with whom you identify. We discovered several trailblazing women whom God gifted to serve a rich purpose in history. Can you put your feet into the shoes of these women? We should dare to be inspired and encouraged to walk a mile in their shoes.
March 2025 Celebrating Women’s History
C C %—We hope you will join us on March 15th to share in our “Her Legacy—Her Future event. As we network together to create a lasting community!
About Women’s History Month
The actual celebration of Women’s History Month grew out of a weeklong celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history and society organized by the school district of Sonoma, California, in 1978. Presentations were given at dozens of schools, hundreds of students participated in a “Real Woman” essay contest and a parade was held in downtown Santa Rosa.
A few years later, the idea caught on within communities, school districts and organizations across the country. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. The U.S. Congress followed suit the next year, passing a resolution establishing a national celebration. Six years later, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the entire month of March.
Thank you to everyone who will turn the pages, read a few stories, share a story or two, purchase a product, or attend our events!
COMING SOON! FAITH WORKS - PRODUCTION Join us soon as we create a platform to share information about our communities and the people there via videos and podcasts.
Stories to Lookout For!
Faith News Today Spotlight on Ella Baker P 16-17
Stories to Lookout For!
Faith News Today Spotlight on Fannie Lou Hamer P 18-19
Stories to Lookout For!
Faith News Today Spotlight on Charity Adam Earley P 26-27
Stories to Lookout For!
Faith News Today Spotlight on Lena Richard P 28-29
Her Legacy, Her Future Women’s History Month 2025
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About This Issue
FAITH NEWS TODAY
IS SPOTLIGHTING SEVERAL
INFLUENTIAL BLACK WOMEN
IN AMERICAN HISTORY!
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH is an annual declared month that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society.
It is celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with International Women's Day on March 8, and during October in Canada, corresponding with the celebration of Persons Day on October 18. wikipedia.org
Date: March 1, 2025 - March 31, 2025
Significance: Celebration of the great contributions made by women
Women of Faith in the Bible
Get to know some of the women who made Biblical history!
MEET ESTHER
THE WOMAN WHO
SAVED HER PEOPLE
Esther is the Jewish maiden who became queen of Persia and rescued her people from a murderous plot to annihilate them. Her story is recorded in the Old Testament book bearing her name. The Jewish Feast of Purim celebrates this particular deliverance of the Jews.
The story of Esther begins with a king’s banquet. King Ahasuerus (also called Xerxes) was the son of the famed Persian king Darius I, who is mentioned in Ezra 4:24; 5:5–7; 6:1–15; Daniel 6:1, 25; Haggai 1:15; and 2:10. The year of the incident between Esther and King Xerxes was
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Esther
A Woman of Faith
about 483 BC.
(continued)
The empire of King Ahasuerus was enormous; in fact, it was the largest the world had ever seen. Persia covered the area now known as Turkey, as well as Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel; it also encompassed sections of modern-day Egypt, Sudan, Libya, and Saudi Arabia.
Esther’s bravery and faith in God are a testament to the trust this young woman had in the living God. Her life is a lesson in God’s sovereignty over His creation.
God maneuvers every aspect of life to position people, governments, and situations for His plan and purpose. We may not know what God is doing at a particular moment, but a time might come when we realize why we have gone through certain experiences or met certain people or lived in certain areas or shopped in certain stores or taken certain trips.
The time may come when everything comes together, and we look back and see that we, too, were in the right place at the right time, just as Esther was.
In our Bible, Esther is nestled between Nehemiah and Job. Her story unfolds throughout ten Chapters. The Scripture does not reveal the author of this Book but we do know Esther was raised by her uncle Mordecai and they lived in Persia.
Scan this QR Code to read the full story Got Questions Ministries!
(18-19)
activist whose passionate depiction of her own suffering in a racist society helped focus attention on the plight of African Americans throughout the South See pages 18-19
Faith News Today is proud to share these inspiring stories!
Ella Jo Baker was born on December 13, 1903, in Norfolk, Virginia. Growing up in North Carolina, she developed a sense for social justice early on, due in part to her grand‐mother’s stories about life under slavery. See pages 16-17
Fannie Lou Hamer (1917‐1977) was a civil rights
Knowing God through Love
7 Dear friends
love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us. 13 This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.
Christian Standard Bible
1John 4:11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us.
Ferocious Faith
Faith News Today will spotlight several influential Black women in American History during Women’s History Month! This is where we can learn about historical and current individuals who contributed and continue to add value to our society. Learn and grow with us!
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
As you flip through the pages you’ll find interesting facts about trailblazing women who set the stage for many of us to follow! Featuring Leaders & Activists! Trailblazers!
Product Line, inc.
Righteousness by FaithAlone
10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them [a] is for their salvation. 2 I can testify about them that they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 Since they are ignorant of the righteousness of God and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end [b] of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes, 5 since Moses writes about the righteousness that is from the law: The one who does these things will live by them. [c] 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, “Who will go up to heaven?” [d] that is, to bring Christ down 7 or, “Who will go down into the abyss?” [e] that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. 8 On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. [f] This is the message of faith that we proclaim: 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, [g] 12 since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. [h]
Israel’s Rejection of the Message
14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful [i] are the feet of those who bring good news. [j] 16 But not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message? [k] 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ. [l]
Christian Standard Bible
We serve an amazing God! As we navigate life, we eventually realize we cannot do it alone. The times we live in today seem to have taken a turn for the worse, but let’s be reminded that even though we might not see something coming, GOD SEES IT ALL.
I am dedicated to living a legacy of faith in God. I understand I am living a legacy of faith now, and I want to leave a legacy of faith to encourage others to do the same.
FAITH NEWS TODAY
Faith News Today – started as a hobby and a way to share stories about faith. I always want to acknowledge my love for my Savior, Jesus Christ, no matter what endeavor I am taking on.
Finally, I want to educate and inspire readers about Black History and the many trailblazers who helped promote everything in America.
FEROCIOUS FAITH PRODUCT LINE
I recently read “A Valuable Faith Legacy Must be Intentional,” which is so true. That is how Ferocious Faith came into existence. I wanted to share, build, and encourage others using the word of God as I encouraged myself.
FAITH WORKS PRODUCTION
Faith Works Production is coming soon! We will develop a platform to continue sharing our faith in God and pressing issues related to Community Ministries, Veterans, and Black Owned Businesses.
Let’s have candid conversations about who we are and what we do! Let’s be loving, caring, and informative. We understand this platform will not be for everyone, but we want to have information that can be used by everyone.
Peace & Blessing to all!
Thank you for your prayers as we continue on the journey set forth by God.
Bridgett is honored to be recognized as a 2025 Black Women Resilience Award honoree!
This award celebrates the strength, impact, and resilience of Black women who are shifting narratives, breaking barriers, and choosing healing as a revolutionary act.
I am grateful to be among the incredible women making an impact!
Join me in celebrating resilience, self-love, and empowerment.
Helping
About The Financial Lady
Women Live The Life They Want On Their Terms
With over a decade of distinguished service in the finance industry, Bridgett Springer has established herself as a formidable force in financial advising, planning, and administration. Her journey in finance has been marked by a relentless pursuit of excellence and a deep-seated passion for empowering others. Bridgett’s expertise shines brightest in her work with small business owners, startups, and entrepreneurs. She has honed a unique approach to guiding these ambitious individuals toward financial success, always emphasizing the timeless adage that
“cash is King.” Her strategies blend innovative thinking with tried-and-true financial principles, helping clients navigate the complex world of business finance with confidence.
Academic excellence forms the bedrock of Bridgett’s professional prowess. She holds a BA in Sociology from Texas Southern University, which has given her invaluable insights into human behavior and social dynamics—skills that prove crucial in understanding and meeting her clients’ diverse needs. Building on this foundation, Bridgett pursued an MBA in Business Administration from Everest University, further sharpening her business acumen. Most recently, she completed the rigorous Certified Financial Planner Certification program at the prestigious Rice University, solidifying her status as a top-tier financial expert.
Her expertise lies in crafting personalized financial solutions through a flexible approach of fee-based, commission-based, and service-based arrangements. This versatility allows her to meet clients where they are and provide truly customized guidance.
As the founder of The Financial Lady (TFL), Houston’s only black woman-owned financial planning firm, Bridgett Springer has earned her moniker “The Financial Lady” by transforming the financial lives of thousands of women over the past decade.
Through The Financial Lady LLC, Bridgett continues to build a legacy of financial empowerment, helping clients create, implement, and master personalized financial plans that transform anxiety into security.
Presenting
Ida b. Wells-Barnett
Bessie Coleman
Harriet Tubman
The content for this article was researched and written by Jade Ryerson, an intern with the Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett—came to fame as an antilynching advocate, investigative journalist, and trained sociologist. During the 1890s, she wrote “A Red Record: Tabulated Statistics and Alleged Causes of Lynchings in the United States,” and “Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in all its Phases.” In these publications, Wells exposed and condemned violence against African Americans. After receiving threats due to her antilynching activism, Wells moved to Chicago where she continued to speak out about racial and gender inequality. Her home on South Dr. Martin Luther King Drive is a National Historic Landmark.
was born in Waxahachie, Texas in 1892. Her mother was of African ancestry and her father was of African and Native American ancestry.
Due to discrimination in the United States, however, she went to France to attend an aviation school to become a pilot. In 1921, she became the first American woman to obtain an international pilot’s license.
Trailblazing Through History!
opportunities that were not then available in the U.S. Coleman was killed in 1926 during an aerial show rehearsal. Her barrier-breaking life, determination, and impressive career accomplishments continue to provide inspiration for others to this day.
By Shay Dawson, NWHM Predoctoral Fellow in Gender Studies l 2022-2024
Born Araminta Ross (and affectionately called "Minty") in March of 1822 to parents Harriet (Rit) Green Ross and Benjamin Ross, Tubman was one of nine children. The Ross family were enslaved in Dorchester County, Maryland. Chattel slavery determined that Black people were property that were bought and sold. The children of enslaved women were also considered enslaved, regardless of whether their fathers were enslaved or not.
Coleman came back to the United States and became a stunt pilot. She also raised money to start a school to train African American aviators, hoping to afford them
Journey to Freedom
The pain of separation from her family and the cruelty of slavery never left Tubman.
The Moses of Her People: Conducting the Underground Railroad
With the help of abolitionists along the way, Tubman journeyed from the Brodess’ farm in Maryland to Pennsylvania.
General Tubman: The Union Spy
In 1857, after working to free her parents, Tubman initially brought them to Canada with her but ultimately settled in Auburn, New York.
Later Life and Legacy
During her time with the Union Army, Tubman met her second husband, Nelson Davis. The couple married in 1869 in Auburn, NY where he, Tubman, and her freed family members (one of which was their adopted daughter, Gertie), would live out their days (NPS n.d.).
Celebrating Black History Month: Honoring Trailblazers in Nursing
Today, we recognize Deborah Ford, MSN, BSN, RN, a trailblazer in nursing leadership. In 1993, she became the first African American appointed to the Louisiana State Board of Nursing (LSBN) and later served as its president.
She continued making history as the first African American Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at Lafayette General Medical Center in 2005 and Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans in 2016.
Deborah’s achievements inspire and empower future generations of nurses to break barriers and lead with excellence.
Join us in celebrating her incredible contributions to healthcare!
Faith News Today is proud to spotlight Mrs. Deborah Hardy Ford today! This recognition is special to me because Deborah is my cousin! Congratulations on all of your accomplishments Ardenna
Deborah is honored to serve as President-Elect of the LA Nurses Foundation (LNF). Our board Members are working toward goals for Louisiana nurses.
The AHA Go Red Luncheon never disappoints! The stories told at the luncheon remind us of the reason we are Circle of Red members. Thanks AHA for the science and research to stem women’s heart disease. Great to see the visible support.
February is American Heart Month! As a Circle of Red member, I am wearing red and I want you to join us at American Heart Association in your best red gear on National Wear Red Day, February 7th!
Let’s fight women heart disease together.
Deborah is an AARP Health Equity Ambassador
When Deborah is not participating in community activities she’s spending time with family.
#circleofred, #nolaaha
Deborah is a wife, a mother, grandmother, and a LA sports enthusiast!
Hidden in Plain Sight
Cathay Williams Army's Only Female Buffalo Soldier
Cathay Williams was born to an enslaved mother and a free father in Independence, Missouri in 1844. During her adolescence, she worked as a house slave on the Johnson plantation on the outskirts of Jefferson City, Missouri. In 1861, Union forces occupied Jefferson City during the early stages of the Civil War. At this time, captured slaves were officially designated as contraband and some served in military support roles such as cooks, laundresses, or nurses. Before her voluntary enlistment, at just 17 years old, Williams served as an Army cook and a washerwoman. In this role she accompanied the infantry all over the country. Williams served under the service of General Philip Sheridan and witnessed the Red River Campaign and the Battle of Pea Ridge.
Despite the prohibition against women serving in the military, Williams enlisted in the U.S. Regular Army under the false name of "William Cathay" on November 15, 1866. She enlisted for a three-year engagement, passing herself off as a man. Williams was assigned to the 38th U.S. Infantry Regiment after she passed the cursory medical examination. Though this exam should have outed her as a woman, the Army did not require full medical exams at this time.
Shortly after her enlistment, she contracted smallpox and was hospitalized. Williams rejoined her unit in New Mexico. There, possibly due to the effects of smallpox, the heat, or the years of marching, her body began to show signs of strain. Due to her frequent hospitalization, the post surgeon finally discovered she was a woman and informed the post commander. She was honorably discharged by her commanding officer, Captain Charles E. Clarke on
October 14, 1868. Though her disability discharge meant the end of her tenure with the Army, her advenure continued. She signed up with an emerging all-black regiment that would eventually become part of the legendary Buffalo Soldiers. Following her discharge, Williams went on to work as a cook at Fort Union, New Mexico (now Fort Union National Monument) and later moved to Pueblo, Colorado. Though she married, it ended badly after her husband stole her money and a team of horses. Williams had him arrested and then moved to Trinidad, Colorado, where she worked as a seamstress. It was during this time that her story first became public. A reporter from St. Louis heard rumors of a female AfricanAmerican who had served in the army and came to interview her. Her life and military service narrative was published in the St. Louis Daily Times on January 2, 1876.
Around 1889 or 1890, Williams entered a local hospital and applied for a disability pension based on her military service. Though there was a precedent for granting pension to female soldiers, (Deborah Sampson, Anna Maria Lane and Molly Williams disguised themselves as men in the Revolutionary War), Williams request was denied. In September 1893, a doctor examined Williams.
What Makes Cathay Williams An American Hero: Though over 400 women served in the Civil War posing as male soldiers, Williams was the first African American woman to enlist and the only documented woman to serve in the United States Army, while disguised as a man, during the Indian Wars.
Meet Stagecoach Mary, the Daring Black Pioneer Who Protected Wild West Stagecoaches
Bandits beware: In 1890s Montana, would-be mail thieves didn’t stand a chance against Stagecoach Mary. The harddrinking, quickshooting mail carrier sported two guns, men’s clothing and a bad attitude. As the first African American woman to carry mail, she stood out on the trail—and became a Wild West legend. Rumor had it that she’d fended off an angry pack of wolves with her rifle, had “the temperament of a grizzly bear,” and was not above a gunfight. But how much of Stagecoach Mary’s story is myth?
Born Mary Fields in around 1832, Fields was born into slavery, and like many other enslaved people, her exact date of birth is not known. Even the place of her birth is questionable, though historians have pinpointed Hickman County, Tennessee as the most likely location. At the time, enslaved people were treated like pieces of a property; their numbers were recorded in record books, their names were not.
Her story becomes clearer after the end of the Civil War, when she was freed. Many formerly enslaved people headed north to friendlier territory. So did Fields, who seems to have gone up the Mississippi River working on riverboats and acting as a servant and laundress for families along the way. She ended up in Ohio, living a life that was well outside the norm—in a convent.
It’s not clear how Fields discovered the Ursuline Convent of the Sacred Heart in Toledo, Ohio. Some accounts say she accompanied a daughter of the Warner family to the convent. Others say she headed there with a family friend who was a nun.
The religious community, which still exists today, was serene and disciplined. There,
Fields worked as a groundskeeper. Her gruff style and penchant for cursing raised eyebrows in the quiet convent. When asked how her journey to Toledo was, she reportedly told one of the nuns that she was ready for “a good cigar and a drink.” Historical records show that the nuns complained about her volatile temper and her “difficult” nature.
Though Fields struggled to adjust to the sheltered life of the convent, she did make a friend: Mother Amadeus Dunne, the convent’s Mother Superior. Known for her fearlessness and charisma, Dunne was called to missionary work by her bishop and headed to Montana where she founded an Ursuline convent there in 1884.
The West suited Fields, who nursed Dunne back to health and began working for her new convent near Cascade, Montana. But though she faithfully served the nuns in the harsh, sparsely populated community, news of her subversive behavior reached the bishop, who raised serious concerns about Fields’ habits of drinking, smoking, shooting guns and wearing men’s clothing.
This tough reputation ended up paying off. In 1895, she got a contract from the postal service to become a star route carrier—an independent contractor who carried mail using a stagecoach donated by Mother Amadeus.
“Stagecoach Mary” or “Black Mary,” as she was nicknamed, carried a rifle and a revolver. She met trains with mail, then drove her stagecoach over rocky, rough roads and through snow and inclement weather.
For eight years, Fields protected and delivered the mail. Eventually age caught up to her and she retired. Because of scant records and the temptation to create Wild West legends out of ordinary people, many facts about Field’s life are still fuzzy. What is clear is that her real-life persona was extraordinary enough to draw plenty of attention on its own.
Joining the Struggle
Center is named for. In this episode of our podcast, we speak with Dr. Barabara Ransby, author of “Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement” about Ella Baker’s history and vision. Also, legendary activists who organized with Miss Baker share their stories.
Ella Baker’s Early Life
Ella Jo Baker was born on December 13, 1903, in Norfolk, Virginia. Growing up in North Carolina, she developed a sense for social justice early on, due in part to her grandmother’s stories about life under slavery.
The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights is named after a brilliant, Black hero of the civil rights Freedom Movement who inspired and guided emerging leaders. We build on her legacy by building the power of black, brown, and poor people to create solutions for one of the biggest drivers of injustice today: mass incarceration.
Ms. Baker played a key role in some of the most influential organizations of the time, including the NAACP, Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Like her, we spark change by unlocking the power of every person to strengthen their communities and shape their future.
Listen in as we look at the life and legacy of the activist, mentor, and revolutionary the Ella Baker
As a slave, her grandmother had been whipped for refusing to marry a man chosen for her by the slave owner. Her grandmother’s pride and resilience in the face of racism and injustice continued to inspire Ms. Baker throughout her life.
Baker studied at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. As a student she challenged school policies that she thought were unfair. After graduating in 1927 as class valedictorian, she moved to New York City and began joining social activist organizations.
Joining the Struggle Against Jim Crow
Ella Baker began her involvement with the NAACP in 1940. She worked as a field secretary and then served as director of branches from 1943 until 1946.
Inspired by the historic bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, Baker co-founded the organization In Friendship to raise money to fight against Jim Crow Laws in the deep South.
In 1957, Baker moved to Atlanta to help organize Martin Luther King’s new organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). She also ran a voter registration campaign called the Crusade for Citizenship.
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
ELLA BAKER
On February 1, 1960, a group of black college students from North Carolina A&T University refused to leave a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina where they had been denied service.
Baker left the SCLC after the Greensboro sit-ins. She wanted to assist the new student activists because she viewed young, emerging activists as a resource and an asset to the movement. Miss Baker organized a meeting at Shaw University for the student leaders of the sit-ins in April 1960. From that meeting, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee — SNCC — was born.
In 1964 SNCC helped create Freedom Summer, an effort to focus national attention on Mississippi’s racism and to register black voters.
This dream of Baker’s can continue to be made real. You can join her legacy and be a part of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights today. In fact, you are the key to making Baker’s dream reality.
Miss Baker, and many of her contemporaries, believed that voting was one key to freedom. Today, that is still the case: if we do not exercise our collective voice, we are unable to influence the policies and laws that impact our lives. To be counted, we must be heard.
The Audacity to Dream Big
With Ella Baker’s guidance and encouragement, SNCC became one of the foremost advocates for human rights in the country. Ella Baker once said, “This may only be a dream of mine, but I think it can be made real.”
Ella Baker’s influence was reflected in the nickname she acquired: “Fundi,” a Swahili word meaning a person who teaches a craft to the next generation. Baker continued to be a respected and influential leader in the fight for human and civil rights until her death on December 13, 1986, her 83rd birthday.
Wanting to celebrate Ella Jo Baker as an unsung hero of racial and economic justice, the civil rights movement, and seeking to honor her legacy of leadership and movement building, our founders chose to name our Center for Ella Baker. Her audacity to dream big is a cornerstone of our philosophy.
We believe the best way to honor Ms. Baker’s legacy is to inspire people to imagine new possibilities, lead with solutions, and engage communities to drive positive change. Join us and keep her story going.
I am a bit consumed whenever I read about Mrs. Hamer’s life story, and I have been for a while! There was no doubt that I would share her story in this issue of Faith News Today as we stop to recognize several women who have contributed to America’s History! We will also spotlight many other influential Black women during Women's History Month in March 2025. FNT
Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977) was a civil rights activist whose passionate depiction of her own suffering in a racist society helped focus attention on the plight of African Americans throughout the South.
In 1964, working with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Hamer helped organize the 1964 Freedom Summer African American voter registration drive in her native Mississippi. At the Democratic National Convention later that year, she was part of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, an integrated group of activists who openly challenged the legality of Mississippi’s all-white, segregated delegation.
Born Fannie Lou Townsend on October 6, 1917, in Montgomery County, Mississippi. The daughter of sharecroppers, Hamer began working the fields at an early age. Her family struggled financially, and often went hungry.
Married to Perry “Pap” Hamer in 1944, Fannie Lou
FANNIE
continued to work hard just to get by. In the summer of 1962, however, she made a life-changing decision to attend a protest meeting. She met civil rights activists there who were there to encourage African Americans to Z . Hamer became active in helping with the voter registration efforts
Hamer dedicated her life to the fight for civil rights, working for the Student N Z Coordinating Committee (SNCC). This organization was comprised mostly of African American students who engaged in acts of civil disobedience to fight racial segregation and injustice in the South. These acts often were met with Z by angry whites. During the course of her activist career, Hamer was threatened, arrested, beaten, and shot at. But none of these things ever deterred her from her work. In 1964, Hamer helped found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which was established in opposition to her state’s all-white delegation to that year’s Democratic convention.
She brought the civil rights struggle in Mississippi to the attention of the entire nation during a televised session at the convention. The next year, Hamer ran for Congress in Mississippi, but she was unsuccessful in her bid. Along with her political activism, Hamer worked to help the poor and families in need in her Mississippi community.
She also set up organizations to increase business opportunities for minorities and to provide childcare and other family services. Hamer died of cancer on March 14, 1977, in Mound Bayou, Mississippi.
marker honoring Fannie Lou
to be unveiled in March
Published 5 years ago on January 26, 2020
By Ronni Mott
Mississippi will soon unveil a historical marker honoring the life of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer.
The marker, which will stand in front of the Sunflower County Courthouse in Indianola, Miss., was recently approved by the County Board of Supervisors, the Greenwood Commonwealth reports. The unveiling will take place on Friday, March 27.
Faith News Today is proud to share these and many more stories with our readers. For enrichment and educational purposes only! Please use the links & QR codes to find the origin of each story.
Historical
Hamer
Faith
News Today is Proud to Share
This story from LinkedIn. Enjoy!
Meet: Shinair Francis
She is an accomplished Master Teacher currently working in one of America's largest and most diverse school districts! She is also the proprietor of Educator Empowerment Center, LLC, and the Prep Period Prodigy workbook Series author.
DEI and Merit: Embracing the "And"
As a proud graduate of University at Albany (2007) and Teachers College, Columbia University (2009), I've been reflecting on the intersection of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) with merit in my own career journey.
Too often, we hear the word "but" when discussing DEI initiatives. "DEI is important, BUT we need to hire the most qualified candidate." Or we hear a Black person saying “I’m not. DEI hire, I’m here on merit. ”This implies a conflict between DEI and merit, as if one comes at the expense of the other.
This is a false dichotomy. We can be both committed to DEI AND hire the most qualified individuals. In fact, DEI initiatives often expand the pool of
qualified candidates, allowing us to identify exceptional individuals who might otherwise be overlooked.
My own experience is a testament to this. I was a recipient of a grant for minority students at Columbia University. This grant opened doors for me that might have otherwise remained closed. Does this diminish my accomplishments? Absolutely not. I worked hard, excelled in my studies, and earned my degree. The grant was not a handout; it was an investment in my potential.
It's time to stop apologizing for DEI initiatives. It's time to stop framing them as a compromise on merit. DEI is about creating a more just and equitable society, and that benefits everyone.
Let's embrace the "and." Let's celebrate the achievements of individuals from all backgrounds, while acknowledging the systemic barriers that many still face. Let's continue to push for policies and practices that promote DEI, knowing that this will lead to a more talented and diverse workforce
In the United States, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are organizational frameworks that seek to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination based on identity or disability. These three notions (diversity, equity, and inclusion) together represent "three closely linked values" that organizations seek to institutionalize through DEI frameworks
Former Secretary McDonough: On the Tulsa Massacre, we remember
June 1, 2021
There was actually a time when the anniversary of historical events made VA News. In our climate today, one might wonder if that is a thing of the past. FNT
On May 31st 1921, the Black neighborhood of G?@@ABCCD in TEFGH, OJFHKCLH – dubbed “the Black Wall Street” because of the concentration of wealth and successful Black-owned businesses – was razed to the ground over the course of 48 horrific hours. Ten thousand Black Tulsa residents were left homeless. Death toll estimates range from 39 to 300 dead. The devastation was so thorough that the massacre is now considered one of the worst instances of racial violence in American history.
Aftermath of the destruction on “the Black Wall Street,” on this day in Tulsa in 1921. https://news.va.gov/89643/secretary-mcdonough-tulsa-massacre-remember/
Sadly, our nation treated the Tulsa Massacre the same as so much of our country’s sordid history of racism – as a painful memory better left in the wastebin of forgotten past, as just one more insignificant footnote. For 80 years, Tulsa officials did not produce an accounting of the tragedy. If not for enterprising Black historians committed to telling the true story of the Black experience in America, the destruction of Black Wall Street may well have
been lost to history.
But today, we remember
We remember the lives that were lost and the community that was shattered over those fateful 48 hours. We remember the complicity of government officials who either ignored what was happening or fueled the violence. We remember that Greenwood
A number of Black Veterans tried to stop the Tulsa Massacre from happening, but they were powerless against the racist rage that consumed the city.
was likely to have been bombed from the air by civilian and police airplanes, making it the first American city to have ever experienced such an assault.
We must also remember that the incident began over the Memorial Day weekend, on the national day of remembrance that traces its roots, in part, to 1865 when 10,000 freed slaves held a ceremony to commemorate the 257 Union Soldiers who died while held as prisoners of war in Charleston, South Carolina.
A number of Black Veterans tried to stop the Tulsa Massacre from happening, but they were powerless against the racist rage that consumed the city. They were the same Black Veterans who had lived through the “Red Summer” of 1919, in which thousands of Black people were murdered across the country in response to the attempts by Black Veterans to be treated equally after serving in World War I. Just like the other Black Veterans that came before and after them, they had to fight for the same freedoms at home as they did in battlefields overseas, often at great cost.
So today, we remember Tulsa and the bitter struggle of Black Veterans to be treated with honor and dignity. We remember because the success of our department’s mission to serve all Veterans and the endurance of our nation depends on knowing, acknowledging, and learning from our history.
Business
Once-thriving Black Wall Street in Durham legacy endures today
Black Wall Street was a thriving African-American business district in Durham, North Carolina, during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Black Wall Street was a thriving African-American business district in Durham during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The area along Parrish Street centered around the Hayti neighborhood just east of downtown Durham, was home to over 200 Black-owned businesses, including banks, restaurants, theaters and shops.
The district was founded by African Americans excluded from doing business in white-owned establishments. Black people were not allowed to own businesses or property in white neighborhoods, so they created their community in the Hayti neighborhood.
In recent years, there has been a renewed push to revitalize Black Wall Street. The Hayti Heritage Center is working to preserve the district's history, and several new businesses have opened in the area.
"We have maintained the traditions over the years by providing a space for community healing, joy, and safety for patrons, artists, and visitors," said Angela Lee, Hayti Heritage executive artistic director.
The center is housed in the historic St. Joseph African Methodist Episcopal Church, founded in 1891 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The center, a non-profit organization, preserves the history and culture of the Hayti community through various programs and events, such as visual arts exhibits, performing arts performances, film screenings and more.
"There is a uniqueness and beauty to this building that we must continue to honor and take care of," Lee said. "We have been here for years and plan to be around for generations."
The church building has always been an important monument in Durham. Booker T. Washington stated: "Never in all my travels have I seen a church as great as St. Joseph's."
Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, two of the most prominent African-American leaders of the early 20th century, visited Durham. They praised it as a national model for the Black middle class.
Parrish Street was also home to the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, the nation's oldest
and largest Black-owned insurance company.
The prosperity of Black Wall Street ended in the 1940s when the city of Durham implemented urban renewal projects that displaced many of the residents and businesses in the Hayti neighborhood. The loss of these businesses was a major blow to the area, and it never fully recovered.
In 2021, Durham launched the Black Wall Street Legacy Project to preserve and promote the district's history. The project includes a walking tour, a documentary film and a series of educational resources.
Black Wall Street in Durham, North Carolina, was a once-thriving and prosperous African-American community that symbolized the resilience and determination of the Black community. Although the city's urban renewal projects destroyed it, its legacy is celebrated and remembered today.
#1 Maggie Lena Walker
Despite her disabilities and paralysis, Maggie Lena Walker (18641934) didn't let anything stop her from becoming a true leader. The daughter of a former slave, she was not only a teacher and a business woman, but she was also the editor of the St. Luke Herald, the first black woman to form a bank, and the first woman of any race to be a bank president in the U.S. She was also an active community member, and once, she even ran for governor of Virginia. A true inspiration for black Americans and women everywhere, Walker's accomplishments are astounding, especially considering she did it all decades before women's suffrage and the Civil Rights movement.
#2 Hattie McDaniel
You probably know her as Mammy in Gone with the Wind, but Hattie McDaniel is more than her highly criticized role in the 1939 film. The first black woman to win an Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actress, she was also the first African American woman on the radio. Though never wholly accepted or appreciated by the industry while she was alive, McDaniel was a pioneer for black women in entertainment who helped paved the
way for all those who followed.
#3 Septima Poinsette Clark
An educator and an activist who laid important groundwork for voting rights among black citizens, Septima Poinsette Clark (1898-1987) used literacy as her chosen weapon in the fight for civil rights. Alongside the NAACP, Clark created a successful petition that resulted in the first black principal in Charleston, and in 1979, President Jimmy Carter named her the recipient of the Living Legacy Award for her work with African Americans and literacy. If you want to know more about her, you should read her American Book Award-winning autobiography, Ready from Within: Septima Clark and the Civil Rights Movement.
#4 Bessie Coleman
In the face of poverty and discrimination, Bessie Coleman (18921926) beat all odds and became the first African American female pilot in the United States. After being refused admission to every flying school she approached in the U.S., Coleman traveled to Paris to train, where she was the only non-white student in her aviation class. Despite issues of racism and
by Sadie Trombetta
Feb. 23, 2016
sexism, Coleman graduated with an international pilot's license and went on to become a wildly popular aviatrix drawing thousands of people to her air shows. After her tragic death in a plane-related accident in 1926, black and female pilots nationwide began honoring Coleman with an annual fly-over tribute above her grave site.
#5 Daisy Bates
In her home state of Arkansas, Daisy Bates (1914-1999) made such an impact that there's even an official state holiday in her honor, Daisy Gatson Bates Day, and once you know more about her, you'll understand why. An activist, journalist, publisher of the Arkansas State Press, and lecturer, Bates played a key part in the Little Rock Integration Crisis in 1957 as an outspoken supporter and guide for the black students who were trying to enroll in the Arkansas public schools with white students. She mentored the children who became known as the Little Rock Nine and refused to give up on the idea of desegregation and education for all, despite the many threats made against her. Bates later went on to serve on the Democratic National Committee and was even a member of President Lyndon B. Johnson administration, and the legendary woman continued her work on behalf of African
President of the National Council of Negro Women for four decades, Dorothy Height (1912-2010) dedicated her life to helping African American women in every way she could. An outspoken women's activist and the "godmother of Civil Rights," Height made it her life's work to gain equality for black women after she was denied entrance to college because of her race and gender. A dedicated and hard working woman, Height initiated programs to ensure voting rights, facilitate integration of public institutions, and combat poverty and AIDS. From her earliest days at anti-lynching protests in the 1930s to President Obama's inauguration, there are few women who have not only seen but been such an important part of African American history the way Height was.
Women from Greenwood District
Black Women Who Built Empires
Alma Wilson— A well-known figure and a respected businesswoman who owned one of the leading beauty salons in the area. Her salon catered to the women of Greenwood, giving them a place of relaxation, rejuvenation, and empowerment. Her role as a business owner allowed her to have a considerable influence on the local community and became a meeting place for women’s social and professional activities.
Lottie Oneal—was an entrepreneur who owned and operated a well-known hotel. The hotel became a popular gathering spot for visitors from other parts of the nation. Her establishment became an iconic symbol of success for women in the business world of Black Wall Street.
Mary E. Jones Parrish— was a talented educator, journalist, and businesswoman who ran a beauty salon. She was also one of the key figures in documenting the Greenwood community’s tragedy during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Parrish’s beauty business was a cornerstone for local women who sought to enhance their physical appearance and gain financial independence.
Hats Off to & Spotlight on the following Trailblazing Women!
The True Story of “Hidden Figures,” the Forgotten Women Who Helped Win the Space Race
September 8, 2016
As America stood on the brink of a Second World War, the push for aeronautical advancement grew ever greater, spurring an insatiable demand for mathematicians. Women were the solution. Ushered into the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in 1935 to shoulder the burden of number crunching, they acted as human computers, freeing the engineers of hand calculations in the decades before the digital age. Sharp and successful, the female population at Langley skyrocketed.
Many of these “computers” are finally getting their due, but conspicuously missing from this story of female achievement are the efforts contributed by courageous, African-American women. Called the West Computers, after the area to which they were relegated, they helped blaze a trail for mathematicians and engineers of all races and genders to follow.
Maya Wei-Haas Reporter
Melba Roy led the group of human computers who tracked the Echo satellites in the 1960s. NASA
CHARITY ADAMS EARLEY
We Salute You!
Charity Adams Earley
1918—2002
By Dr. Kelly A. Spring 2017
Educator, soldier, and psychologist, Charity Adams Earley paved the way for African American women in the military, in education, and in her community. Her most prominent role was leading the first African American women unit of the army on a tour of duty overseas during World War II.
Charity Adams Earley was born on December 5, 1918 in Kittrell, North Carolina. She grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. Her father, a minister, and her mother, a former teacher, were well educated and sought to instill in their children a love of books and learning. Earley was intellectually gifted, and began elementary school as a second grader. During her last year in elementary school, she, along with other students in her class were tested for early advancement to high school. Earley and twelve others passed
the test for high school. However, her parents did not allow her to move up early, because she had already advanced several grades ahead of her peers. She graduated valedictorian from Booker T. Washington High School. Graduating top of her class enabled her to gain a scholarship, so that she could attend Wilberforce University in Ohio, one of the best African American higher educational institutions at the time.
While at the university, Earley majored in mathematics, Latin, and physics, while she minored in history. She was also very active in school groups, participating in the university’s branches of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Women’s Self-Government Association, and the Greek sorority, Delta Sigma Theta. She graduated from Wilberforce University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1938.
In 1942, the United States was expanding its military forces as it went to war with Germany and Japan. As part of this effort, the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC), later known as the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), was created in the spring of 1942.
Hearing about the formation of the WAAC, Earley decided to apply for a place in the organization. She was accepted in July of that year and travelled to Iowa to begin training at Fort Des Moines as a member of the first officer candidate school. She completed training and was commissioned on August 29, 1942. Earley remained at the training center in Fort Des Moines until 1944. During that time she worked as a staff training officer, a station control officer, and a company commander. In September 1943, she was promoted to major, making her the highest ranking female officer at the training center.
At the end of 1944, Earley was chosen to be the commanding officer of the first unit of WAC African Americans to go overseas. Her unit was the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Their mission was to organize and direct mail to U.S. servicemen which had gone undelivered. The battalion was faced with air hangers full of undelivered mail, which needed to
Commander of the 6888
By Dr. Kelly A. Spring | 2017
be sorted and redirected. Earley’s unit began working in Birmingham, England. The women worked around the clock in three shifts, for eight hours per shift, seven days a week. They were tasked with clearing all the backlogged mail in six months, but they were able to accomplish their goal in three months. Next they moved to postal facilities in Rouen and Paris, France, again organizing mail which had gone undelivered. Earley estimated that the unit handled approximately 65,000 pieces of post per day.
For her work in the WAC, Earley was promoted to lieutenant colonel on December 26, 1945. This rank was the highest possible promotion for any women in the WAC and placed her directly under the colonel and director of the organization, Oveta Culp Hobby. In March 1946, she requested to be relieved from active duty. Upon her discharge from the military, The National Council of Negro Women Inc. presented Earley with a scroll of honor for distinguished service to the military.
After leaving the services, Earley was inundated by many groups to give talks about her wartime experiences. Earley also went back to Ohio State University and completed her MA in 1946. Following the completion of her degree, she went to work with the Veterans Administration in Cleveland, Ohio as a registration officer. In this position, she reviewed WWII veterans’ requests for educational funding and other benefits offered under the G.I. Bill. She determined how much each veteran would be awarded. She continued in this position from 1946 to 1947. She then turned to a variety of roles in academic administration. She worked as the dean of student personnel services at Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State College in Nashville, Tennessee and the dean of students at Georgia State College in Savannah, Georgia.
After getting married in 1949, Earley moved to Zurich, Switzerland, where her husband, Stanley A. Earley Jr., was training to be a doctor. In Zurich, she attended Minerva Institute for ten months to learn German. When she had mastered the language, she attended courses for two years at the University of Zurich. In her second year, Earley also studied at the Jungian Institute of Analytical Psychology, but she did not pursue a degree.
Upon her return to the United States in the 1950s, she was extremely active in community and civic work in Ohio, where she lived. She sat on a number of boards including: the board of directors and the board of governors of the Dayton chapter of the American Red Cross, the board of the Sinclair Community College, and the board of the Dayton Power and Light Company. She was the founder of the Black Leadership Development Program (BLDP) in Dayton in 1982, which seeks to educate and train African Americans to be leaders in their communities. Parity, or Parity Inc. as it is now known, which Earley helped create in 2000, facilitates the BLDP’s training program.
Before her death on January 13, 2002, the Smithsonian National Postal Museum honored Earley for her work with the 6888th Central Postal
Directory Battalion. In a ceremony held in Washington, D.C. in 1996, the institution recognized Earley’s achievements in World War II.
Uncover the hidden secrets of the 6888 Central Postal Directory Battalion in WWII that Netflix left out! Learn about Major Charity Adams and the incredible legacy of this all-black female unit known as the Six Triple Eight.
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Chef Lena Richard: Culinary Icon and Activist
Cookbook authorLenaRichard(abovewith herdaughter andsouschefMarie Rhodes) was the starofa1949popular30-minutecookingshow, airingon New Orleans' WDSU-TV. Courtesy ofNewcomb Archive, Vorhoff
L R " a was an African American chef who built a culinary empire in New Orleans during the Jim Crow era. She reshaped public understanding of New Orleans’ cuisine by showcasing and celebrating the black roots of Creole cooking in a time when pervasive racial stereotypes surrounded the food industry. Her story, however, has never been given its proper due.
Throughout her career, Richard owned and operated catering businesses, eateries, a fine-dining restaurant, a cooking school, and an international frozen food business in the racially segregated South. Her reputation as one of New Orleans’ finest chefs launched her into early food TV in a time of few African American stars.
Spreading the Knowledge
Richard understood culinary training as a tool that young African American cooks could leverage to build better lives for themselves. In 1937 she opened
By
a cooking school specifically for black students. She envisioned the school as a place “to teach men and women the art of food preparation and serving in order that they would become capable of preparing and serving food for any occasion and also that they might be in a position to demand higher wages.” In this way, Richard taught her students a recipe for resilience based on professional development and self-advocacy. These tools helped her students navigate the race- and gender-based barriers embedded in the food service industry.
The same year, she began writing a cookbook with her daughter, Marie. In between culinary classes and catering events, they collected and transcribed Richard’s vast knowledge into around 300 recipes. These included Creole classics like gumbo and court bouillon as well as dishes popular throughout the United States such as Brunswick stew and Baked Alaska. Richard created the recipes herself or adapted community favorites to fit her cooking style. When Richard published Lena Richard’s Cook Book in 1939, she became the first African American author of a published cookbook featuring New Orleans Creole cuisine.
Rewriting the Narrative
Before Richard’s cookbook, white cookbook authors narrated the history of the city’s Creole cuisine from their own perspectives, often downplaying or ignoring the role of black cooks, chefs, and culinary professionals. In 200 Years of New Orleans Cooking (1931), for instance, author Natalie V. Scott reduces African American cooks’ culinary skills to a “sixth culinary sense,” writing that it was with some “mastery of mental telepathy” that black cooks became “miraculously aware of this way of dealing with a vegetable, that way of concocting a soup.” Cookbooks that labeled African Americans’ cooking skills as “innate” and “magical” contributed to stereotypes of black women as “alien” and “other” as well as submissive and non-threatening to white Americans. This is most recognizable in the caricature of Aunt Jemima, the stereotypical Mammy figure used to promote branded pancake mix through most of the twentieth century. Journalist
Ashley Rose Young, Ph.D. June 10, 2020
Reaching the Masses!
Toni Tipton-Martin writes that this stereotype “assumes that black chefs, cooks, and cookbook authors—by virtue of their race and gender—are s imply born with good kitchen instincts.” Such a stereotype of African American chefs “diminishes [the] knowledge, skills and abilities involved in their work, and portrays them as passive and ignorant laborers incapable of creative culinary artistry.”
Richard’s cookbook broke down these harmful stereotypes by emphasizing the labor, time, and training that went into her work. She not only tested and perfected the recipes after years of culinary experience, but also taught them to students in her cooking classes to ensure their quality and replicability. By creating her own cookbook and copyrighting it, Richard claimed those recipes—many of which had been taken without permission and published by white cookbook authors—for herself and her community.
Reaching the Masses
Upon release, Lena Richard’s Cook Book quickly captured the attention of local readers, many of whom shared Richard's work with friends and family outside of New Orleans. Within a week, Richard received almost 200 letters of inquiry and orders from people in Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, among other U.S. cities.
Hearing how hungry Americans were for a wellwritten Creole cookbook, Richard and her daughter headed to the Northeast to promote it so that “up North folks know how good down South folks eat,” as noted food writer Clementine Paddleford in 1939. Unsure of ingredients she’d be able to find in Northern markets, Richard went to New York “with her suitcase bulging with ten pounds of dried shrimp, pure cane syrup, Louisiana shelled pecans and oldfashioned brown sugar.”
Richard’s work was anything but “magical” and “innate.” Rather, it was the product of years of professional training and work by a chef who, with the support of her family and community, found ways to rewrite harmful historical narratives.
In doing so, she created a cookbook that acknowledged and celebrated the ingenuity, strength, and perseverance of African Americans.
Lena Richard. Image courtesy of Newcomb Archives and Vorhoff Library Special Collections, Newcomb College Institute, Tulane University
Gumbo recipes from New Orleans Cook Book (1940)
While in New York, Richard connected with Houghton Mifflin Company representatives who expressed interest in publishing her cookbook nationally. Soon after, the company printed Richard’s work under a new title, New Orleans Cook Book (1940).
For more information keep reading!
Also search: Meet Lena Richard… At the Smithsonian
5 Black Suffragists Who Fought for the 19th Amendment
When Congress ratified the 19th Amendment on August 18,1920, giving American women the right to vote, it reflected the culmination of generations’ worth of work by resolute suffragists of all races and backgrounds.
For their part, “Black suffragists came to the suffrage movement from a different perspective,” said Earnestine Jenkins, who teaches Black history and culture at the University of Memphis. Their movement, she says, grew out of the broader struggle for basic human and civil rights during the oppressive Jim Crow era.
Even after the 19th Amendment passed, promising that the right to vote would “not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex,” women of color continued to be barred from casting ballots in many states with tactics like poll taxes and literacy tests. Suffrage battles continued for decades—often against a backdrop of intimidation and violence. Yet mid-century activists, like Fannie Lou Hamer, fought on, knowing the vote was a crucial tool for changing oppressive laws and dismantling entrenched racism. Here are five Black suffragists whose resourcefulness and persistence became instrumental in passing the 19th Amendment.
Frances
Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911)
At a time in America when the majority of Black people were enslaved and women were rarely encouraged to have political opinions— much less share them in public—
Frances Ellen
Watkins Harper became a genuine celebrity as an orator. Second only to abolitionist
Frederick Douglass in terms of
prominent African American writers of her era, the poet, essayist and novelist frequently went on speaking tours to discuss slavery, civil rights and suffrage—and donated many of the proceeds from her books to the Underground Railroad.
Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823–1893)
Mary Ann Shadd Cary, whose parents used her childhood home as a refuge for fugitive slaves, became the first black woman in North America to publish a newspaper, The Provincial Freeman, in which she fearlessly advocated for abolition. After helping recruit Black soldiers for the Civil War and founding a school for the children of freed slaves, she taught school by day while attending law school at night, becoming one of the first Black female law graduates in the United States in 1883. When the suffrage movement gained steam in the 1870s, after the 15th Amendment granted the vote to Black men, she became an outspoken activist for women’s rights, including the right to cast a ballot.
Mary Church Terrell (1863–1954)
Pushed out of the mainstream suffrage movement by white leaders, Black suffragists through the 1800s founded their own clubs in cities across the U.S. Along with
And Much More
church-based organizing, “the club movement was the foundation for so much activism by Black women in their communities,” says Jenkins. With the creation of the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) in 1896, suffragists Mary Church Terrell and co-founder Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin became instrumental in consolidating Black suffrage groups across the country. Their agenda went beyond women’s enfranchisement, addressing issues of job training, equal pay, educational opportunity and child care for African Americans.
In more than 200 speeches she gave across the country, educator, feminist and suffragist Nannie Helen Burroughs stressed the importance of women’s selfreliance and economic freedom. A member of National Association of Colored Women, the National Association of Wage Earners and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, she saw voting as a crucial tool of empowerment, an extension of her lifetime commitment to educating African American women. One of her lasting achievements was to launch and run the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington, D.C.
Burroughs also spoke of the need to address the lynchings of Black Americans throughout the country. “The most important question that Black activists were concerned with from 1916 to 1920—the years before the 19th Amendment—were lynching and white mob violence against Black people,” says Jenkins. Because of that, activists like Burroughs, Terrell and Wells saw the right to vote as a tool to create laws and protections for African Americans throughout the country.
In addition to being one of the most prominent antilynching activists and respected journalists of the early 20th century—she owned two newspapers—Ida B. Wells was also a strident supporter of women’s voting rights. In 1913, Wells, one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, co-founded the Alpha Suffrage Club, Chicago’s first African American suffrage organization. The club was notable for its focus on educating Black women about civics and its advocacy for the election of Black political officials.
But Wells and her peers often faced racism from the larger suffrage movement. When she and other Black suffragists tried to join a national suffrage march in Washington, D.C., in 1913, movement leader Alice Paul instructed them to walk at the back end of the crowd. Wells refused. “Either I go with you or not at all,” she told organizers. “I am not taking this stand because I personally wish for recognition. I am doing it for the future benefit of my whole race.”
By: Lakshmi Gandhi Updated: September 19, 2023 | Original: August 4, 2020
While the passage of the 19th Amendment enabled most white women to vote, that wasn’t the case for many women of color. “For Black women, their votes weren’t lifted by that tide in the South,” Christina Rivers, associate professor of political science at Depaul University, says. “Their votes were suppressed solely on the basis of race.”
Nannie Helen Burroughs (1879–1961)
Ida B. Wells (1862–1931)
F N d T a % acknowledges
Notable BlackAmericans During Black History Month—February 2025
Garrett Morgan blazed a trail for Black inventors with his patents, including those for an improved traffic light and a breathing device that preceded the World War I gas mask.
By Biography.com
Editors and Tyler Piccotti
Updated: Feb 02, 2024 11:24 AM EST
Who Was Garrett Morgan?
A prolific inventor who called himself the “Black Edison,” Garrett Morgan created early versions of the traffic light and gas mask.
He began his career as a sewingmachine mechanic before patenting an improved sewing machine design and a hair-straightening product, among other inventions.
His breathing device, known as a safety hood, later provided the blueprint for World War I gas masks. In 1923, Morgan invented a safer traffic light.
The notable Black inventor, who lived much of his life in Ohio, died in July 1963 at age 86.
Scan this QR Code to learn more about the life of Garret Morgan
The Sisters of Black Wall Street Tulsa in 1906.
The "Sisters of Black Wall Street" refers to the African American women who played crucial roles in the economic and social development of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which became known as "Black Wall Street." While the term "Sisters of Black Wall Street" isn't a formal historical designation from 1906, it symbolizes the significant contributions of Black women during the early 20th century to one of the most prosperous African American communities in U.S. history.
These women were entrepreneurs, educators, and community leaders who contributed to the growth of businesses and services in Greenwood. They owned beauty salons, boarding houses,
restaurants, and other enterprises, helping the district thrive despite racial segregation and economic challenges. Their efforts were part of the broader success of Black Wall Street, which became a beacon of Black entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency before being devastated by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Women such as Sarah Page and other less-documented figures would have been active in Greenwood during that era, working to elevate the community through various forms of labor, education, and business.
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It's a way to leave a legacy and support a worthy publication intended to tell the story of Veterans and military service members so we never forget their names!
Veterans, our Legacy Deserves to Be Remembered!
Our service, our sacrifice, our story—let it be told for generations to come.
F N d T a % is dedicating space to honor Veterans and military service members, ensuring that our names, our contributions, and our impact will never be forgotten.
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Sergeant First Class Kenneth Rumph USA, RET 1975-1996 (Deceased)
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Cynthia Fields, CPA, MBA (Finance), and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel. Cynthia is the granddaughter who was taught by the Family Matriarch Nancy Johnson Fields at the age of 10 years that “if you do not know how to manage money, it would not matter how much money you make because it will never be enough.” These teachings took place around the kitchen table every day and she applied those lessons through trial and error for the past 35 years.
As a result of budgeting, saving, and investing, Cynthia became an Investor and Homeowner at age 24, an Entrepreneur at age 28 with a six-figure portfolio at age 29, and a Philanthropist at age 48. Cynthia has taught financial education classes since 2008 starting with the University of Virginia Cooperative Extension Program and has continued teaching through organizations, workshops, retreats, and classrooms. She conducts retirement and financial reality fairs. Her motto is to not leave any family behind.
Fighting For Families' Financial Future
Financial Education Classes and Workshops
Financial education classes and workshops are tailored to teach financial concepts about money and how money works. Participants will learn about goal setting, budgeting, saving, managing expenses, debt, credit usage, investing, college planning, life insurance, homeownership, and a myriad of other financial topics.
Are you interested in seeing what we can do for you? Call 832-496-0886 or email us to schedule a free workshop.
The Business of YOU, Inc.
Are you operating at a profit or at a loss? If you have gross income of $5000 and expenses of $3500 (including deductions), you have a net profit of $1500. However, if you earn $5000 and spend $6500, you have a net loss of (-$1500). This is called operating in the RED which is where so many of Americans are. This is the beginning of financial bankruptcy but also emotionally and physically as well. Therefore, you must create a shift by reducing your expenses and increasing your income.
BECOMING AMONEY MASTER
The year 2020 has taught everyone that mastering their money should be a priority. I can remember a time in my life when I had no clue of how I spent my money. I just knew that my next paycheck did not come fast enough. Have you ever experienced living paycheck to paycheck?
I am sure that we can agree that it is absolutely no fun! If it is your goal to take control of your money instead of your money controlling you, I would like to share five simple action steps that you can take to master your money. Today, I am a money master and I teach others how to become one too!!
Action step #1 – track every penny you spend
Action step #2 - develop a budget
Action step #3 – open an emergency fund
Action step #4 – get out of debt
Action step #5 – automate your finances
ISRAEL’S ONLY
FEMALE JUDGE
Who was Deborah in the Bible?
Deborah was one of the judges of Israel during a time of oppression. She is called a prophetess and the wife of Lappidoth. The Lord spoke through her as she held court under a tree called “the Palm of Deborah” in Ephraim. The Lord also used her to set her people free and defeat the king of Canaan. Deborah’s story is found in Judges, chapters 4 and 5.
Deborah was Israel’s only female judge. Some scholars have suggested that her position as judge was itself a judgment on the weak-willed men of Israel. Because Israel’s men were unfit to judge, God chose a woman for the job, partly to shame the men who should have taken the leadership. Other commentators believe that Deborah’s role as judge was a sign of God’s comforting presence in the midst of His oppressed and downtrodden people.
When Deborah became judge, the Israelites had been subjugated for 20 years by Jabin, king of Canaan. The commander of Jabin’s army was named Sisera, and he had 900 iron chariots – formidable weapons against Israel’s foot soldiers (Judges 4:3). The Israelites were treated very cruelly by Sisera and his army, and Israel’s spirits were very low. Deborah describes the hardship of living under Jabin and Sisera this way: “The highways were abandoned, and travelers kept to the byways. The villagers ceased in Israel; they ceased to be” (Judges 5:6-7). In other words, people feared to leave their homes; traveling was very dangerous.
God’s word comes through Deborah to a man of Naphtali named Barak. The message is that he will lead the revolt against Sisera. Barak’s response is, “I’ll only go if Deborah goes with me” (Judges 4:8). Everyone was afraid of Sisera, including Barak. Deborah agrees to accompany Barak, but she also prophesies that the honor for the victory would belong to a woman, not to Barak (Judges 4:9).
When the time came for battle, God again spoke through Deborah, who prompted Barak to marshal his forces. The Israelites came against the army of Sisera, and God granted the victory. The mighty Sisera himself was brought down by the hand of a
Her Legacy, Her Future
woman, just as Deborah had said. As the commander rested after the battle, a woman named Jael drove a tent peg through his head.
Who was Deborah in the Bible? We can see that God’s power is what matters, regardless of the instrument He chooses to use. Man or woman, strong or weak, confident or hesitant – all are strong when they are moved by God’s Spirit and filled with His strength. We can also see in Deborah a picture of God’s tender care for His people. As a mother cares for her children, so Deborah led and nurtured Israel (Judges 5:7).
Old & New Testament Women
Faith News Today will explore the lives of other women in the Old Testament Scriptures!
Here’s a preview—Meet:
Rahab—In the book of Joshua, we are introduced to one of the most thought-provoking and astonishing heroines of the Old Testament.
Ruth was “of the women of Moab” but was genetically linked to Israel through Lot, the nephew of Abraham
The W a d of Zarephath—First Kings 17 introduces the prophet Elijah and gives the account of his dealings with a widow from Zarephath.
Lydia in the Bible was originally from Thyatira but was living in Philippi when she met Paul on his second missionary journey. She was a seller of purple cloth
Aquila and Priscilla were offering hospitality to other Christians, spreading the gospel they had learned from Paul, and rendering faithful service to the Master.
FACTSABOUT SCHIZOAFFECTIVE
DISORDER
What Is Schizoaffective Disorder?
Schizoaffective disorder is a major psychiatric disorder that is quite similar to schizophrenia. The disorder can affect all aspects of daily living, including work, social relationships, and self-care skills (such as grooming and hygiene).
People with schizoaffective disorder can have a wide variety of different symptoms, including having unusual perceptual experiences (hallucinations) or beliefs others do not share (delusions), mood (such as marked depression), low motivation, inability to experience pleasure, and poor attention. The serious nature of the symptoms of schizoaffective disorder sometimes requires consumers to go to the hospital to get care. The experience of schizoaffective disorder can be described as similar to "dreaming when you are wide awake"; that is, it can be hard for the person with the disorder to distinguish between reality and fantasy.
How Common Is Schizoaffective Disorder?
About one in every two hundred people (1/2 percent) develops schizoaffective disorder at some time during his or her life. Schizoaffective disorder, along with schizophrenia, is one of the most common serious psychiatric disorders. More hospital beds are occupied by persons with these disorders than any other
psychiatric disorder. However, as with other types of mental illness, individuals with schizoaffective disorder can engage in treatment and other mental health recovery efforts that have the potential to dramatically improve the well being of the individual.
The Characteristic Symptoms of Schizoaffective Disorder
The diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder requires that the person experience some decline in social functioning for at least a sixmonth period, such as problems with school or work, social relationships, or self-care. In addition, some other symptoms must be commonly present. The symptoms of schizoaffective disorder can be divided into five broad classes: positive symptoms, negative symptoms, symptoms of mania, symptoms of depression, and other symptoms. A person with schizoaffective disorder will usually have some (but not all) of the symptoms described below.
Positive Symptoms—Positive symptoms refer to thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors that are ordinarily absent in persons who are not diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, but are present in persons with schizoaffective disorder. These symptoms often vary over time in their severity, and may be absent for long periods in some persons.
Hallucinations, Delusions. Thinking Disturbances.
M H I R T !
Negative Symptoms—Negative symptoms are the opposite of positive symptoms. They are the absence of thoughts, perceptions, or behaviors that are ordinarily present in people who are not diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.
Blunted Affect
Anhedonia
Inattention
Poverty of Speech or Content of Speech
Symptoms of Mania
In general, the symptoms of mania involve an excess in behavioral activity, mood states (in particular, irritability or positive feelings), and self-esteem and confidence. Euphoric or Expansive Mood.
Euphoric or Expansive Mood
Irritability
Inflated Self-Esteem or Grandiosity
Decreased Need for Sleep
What Is the Course of Schizoaffective Disorder? The disorder usually begins in late adolescence or early adulthood, often between the ages of sixteen and thirty.
What Causes Schizoaffective Disorder? The cause of schizoaffective disorder is not known, although many scientists believe it is a variant of the disorder of schizophrenia.
Scan to review the factsheet on schizoaffective disorder
Hope & Wonder is JCPenney’s private label brand for everyone in the family designed to commemorate moments that matter. Hope & Wonder celebrates cultural observances throughout the year: Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride, Juneteenth, and Hispanic Heritage Month.
In recognition of each cultural moment, JCPenney makes a donation to a nonprofit selected by our associates. Since Hope & Wonder launched in 2022, JCPenney has invested $1,500,000 as part of its commitment to celebrating diversity.
Hope & Wonder brand campaigns include JCPenney associates, community leaders, and members of the JCPenney Creative
Coalition, the cross-functional team of passionate BIPOC designers who create each Hope & Wonder collection.
Veteran Housing Grants
The Foundation's Veteran Housing Grants Program awards grants to nonprofit organizations for the new construction or rehabilitation of permanent supportive housing for veterans. Awards typically range from $100,000 to $500,000.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What organizations qualify for this program?
Which populations do eligible projects serve?
What are the eligibility requirements for the program?
Does a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), count as “evidence of a third-party binding agreement that ensures the units are reserved for veterans”?
How do I submit a project proposal?
When will I know if my project is approved?
What is a third-party review, and who will be conducting it?
Whom should I contact if I have questions or concerns?
How do I access a saved application? What if I am an individual veteran needing assistance?
What organizations qualify for this program?
501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that have maintained good standing with the Internal Revenue Service for at least five years
Organizations with a current operating budget of at least $300,000 and audited financial statements from the past three years
Organizations with previous experience developing veteran housing and that currently manage or own veteran-specific housing
Organizations with a 15+ year ownership stake in the development
Organizations involved in the Continuum of Care or a local collaboration to end homelessness in their community
Which populations do eligible projects serve?
We award grants throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Rural areas will be considered, but priority will be given to “large cities” defined as populations over 300,000 people.
The Foundation's Veteran Housing Grants
Specifically, there is a focus on projects in the following cities:
Los Angeles, CA
Seattle, WA
New York, NY
Houston, TX
Detroit, MI
San Diego, CA
Denver, CO
Chicago, IL
Atlanta, GA
Tampa, FL
What are the eligibility requirements for the program?
THDF supports new construction or rehabilitation of multifamily, permanent supportive housing for veterans
Only physical construction of housing for veterans (hard costs) is covered. THDF does not provide funding for furnishings, rental subsidies, tenant services, etc.
THDF’s grant funding must be comprised of less than 50% of the total development cost of the project/program
The target population of honorably discharged veterans must be at or below 80% AMI
75% of the development/program’s funding sources must be identified at the time of proposal submission
Project must commence within 12 months of proposal submission
At least 20% of the housing units must be reserved for veterans
Proposals must provide evidence of a thirdparty binding agreement that ensures the units are occupied by veterans for a minimum of 15 years. I.e. project-based HUDVASH, other funder requirement, deed restriction, zoning requirement, etc.
