This Black History Month, we honor 16 pivotal Black women, whose labor and leadership in the areas of civil rights, science, education, and the arts broke down barriers, liberated communities, and expanded access to knowledge, justice, and freedom for all.
Black women have never waited for justice—we have demanded it, built it, and defended it at every turn. Throughout history, we have been the architects of change, the moral compass of movements, and the backbone of progress. From the Underground Railroad to today’s voting booths—from the courtroom to the picket line—we have led with unwavering intuition, boundless power, and unshakable resilience. We have mothered revolutions, birthed justice, and carried this nation on our backs—even when history tried to erase us.
We stand on the shoulders of Harriet, Sojourner, Ida, and Fannie—women who refused to yield, who carved liberation from oppression, who laid the foundation for our fight today. We celebrate the brilliance and defiance of Patricia Stephens Due, who risked everything to desegregate the South; Mae Jemison, who shattered the sky and redefined possibility; Annette Gordon-Reed, who unearthed hidden histories and reclaimed our truth; and Nikki Giovanni, whose words became the heartbeat of a movement. Their blood, their brilliance, and their unshakable will fuels the movements that will free this nation. We are the truth-tellers, the bridge-builders, and the protectors of democracy. We do not wait for justice—we create it.
When Black women rise, justice follows. When Black women lead, the nation moves.
This Black History Month, we do more than honor our past—we reclaim our power, we defend our future, and we make it clear: when Black women rise, justice follows. When Black women lead, the nation moves. We are the force that history cannot contain, the voice that injustice cannot silence, and the future that this nation cannot ignore.
Sections
Honorees
Weekly list updated Fridays this February.
Week 1:
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Civil Rights: Patricia Stephens Due (1939-2012), activist
Patricia Stephens Due was a civil rights activist who famously led nonviolent demonstrations against segregation in Tallahassee. Born in Quincy in Gadsden County, she was a student at Florida A&M University in 1960 when she was arrested for sitting in the “whites only” section of a local Woolworth’s lunch counter.
She refused to pay bail for the sit-in arrest, and remained jailed in the Leon County jail for 49 days, credited with staging the first jail-in.
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Science: Mae Jemison (born 1956), engineer, physician, pioneering astronaut
Mae Jemison is an engineer, physician, and astronaut. Born in Decatur, Alabama, in 1992, she became the first Black American woman to go to space.
After graduating from Cornell Medical School in 1981, she interned at the Los Angeles Medical Center and served in the Peace Corps, before she applied and was admitted to the NASA astronaut training program in 1987. As part of the crew of the space shuttle Endeavor, she orbited Earth 127 times.
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Education: Annette Gordon-Reed (born 1958), lawyer, historian, educator
Annette Gordon-Reed is an attorney, historian, and educator. Born in segregated East Texas and graduate of Harvard Law School, she rose to prominence for her 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family,” which examined the relationship of President Thomas Jefferson, Sally Hemings, and her children. Her work garnered a National Book Award for Nonfiction and MacArthur Fellowship.
She authored over a half-dozen books, is the recipient of numerous honors, and is a member of the American Philosophical Society.
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Arts: Nikki Giovanni (1943-2024), author, activist, educator
Nikki Giovanni was a poet, author, activist, and educator. She was a leading purveyor of the Black Arts Movement that emerged from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Her prose elevated Black pride, celebrated Black love, and humanized the Black experience. Her notable collaboration with fellow literary James Baldwin helped to elevate her stature as a thought leader of Black culture.
She authored dozens of collections of poetry, children’s books, and audio recordings.
Support organizations that sustain and uplift Black women:
- National Council of Negro Women
- The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
- Win With Black Women
- African American Policy Council
- National Pan-Hellenic Council
- National Black Midwives Alliance
- Black Voters Matter
- Association for the Study of African American Life and History
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
Get involved:
- Take action and volunteer with the ACLU of Florida
- Stay informed with
