Black Women in America
Dear Friends,
Did you enjoy taking the quiz that I posted on September 25th? How many did you get right before you had to look some of them up?
Please feel free to use this exercise in any way that might be helpful at your church or in your ministry. It is important to acknowledge the contributions that black women have made to our country.
I would like to repeat what I have said before about why it is so important to remember the remarkable black women who have courageously followed their callings. They have added so much to our entire culture.
African American women have lived through many changes in the United States from slavery to civil rights. We have seen things gradually change for black Americans – it is illegal now to deny opportunities based on race – but we have a long way to go to change more than just the civil laws.
I believe that one of the main problems is a problem of perception – I mean that deep down on a subliminal level there is the idea that men can always do it better than women and whites can do it better than blacks. You only have to look at the living conditions, hiring practices, and educational opportunities in some parts of the country to see this attitude played out.
Courageous black women have taken the high road – they have followed their callings to live for God and others. Their stories lift the image of black women. That is why I have told them. No one, reading these stories, can continue to say that black females don’t measure up. The problem is with the one who would still maintain racial and gender inferiority.
My prayer is that all people may one day be together in work, play, worship, and community as one humanity under God.
Quiz Answers for 30 Black Female Firsts
I. Sarah Jane Woodson Early, First Professor (1825-1907)
T. Mary J. Patterson, First BA in the United States (1840-1894)
R. Mary Eliza Mahoney, First black professional nurse (1845-1926)
A. Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, First PhD in Economics (1898-1989)
L. Euphemia Lofton Hayes, First PhD in Mathematics (1890-1980)
F. Bessie Coleman, First to hold a pilot’s license America (1892-1926)
E. Gwendolyn Brooks, First Pulitzer Prize in Poetry (1917-2000)
V. Wilma Rudolph, First to win 3 gold medals in track (1940-1994)
M. Mae Jemison, First astronaut (b. 1956)
DD. Oprah Winfrey, First TV news anchor in Nashville (b. 1954)
S. Toni Morrison, First Nobel Prize in Literature (1931-2019)
U. Condoleezza Rice, First National Security Advisor, Secretary of State (b. 1934)
W. Amanda Berry Smith, First Black Woman Preacher (1837-1915)
Y. Sojourner Truth, Mother of Black Poetry (c. 1797-1883)
CC. Ida B. Wells, Tireless Crusade against lynching (1862-1931)
N. Katherine Johnson, Pioneer in Aeronautics, NASA “Human Computer” (1918- 2020)
AA. Maggie Lena Walker, First Bank President (1864-1934)
BB. Sarah Breedlove (Madame C.J.) Walker, First Millionaire (1867-1919)
D. Mary McLeod Bethune, Only black woman at the founding of the United Nations in San Francisco in 1945(1875-1955)
K. Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul (1942-2018)
B. Marian Anderson, First to perform at New York Met Opera (1897-1993)
O. Barbara Jordan, First elected to U. S. House of Representatives (1936-1996)
Q. Edmonia Lewis, First sculptor to achieve international recognition (1844-1907)
P. Ann Lowe, First recognized as fashion designer (haute couture) 1898-1981)
G. Misty Copeland, First ballerina in American Ballet Theatre (b. 1982)
J. Ella Fitzgerald, First to win Grammys (1917-1996)
Z. Harriet Tubman, Moses of her people (1820-1913)
H. Ruby Dee, First to play major roles at Shakespeare Festival (1922-2014)
X. Bessie Stringfield, First Solo motorcycle ride across U.S. (1911-1993)
C. Maya Angelou, First black female movie director in Hollywood (1928-2014)
