History is enriched by brave women of color that have changed the world. We cannot let society forget their acts of valor and continuous fights for human rights regardless of their skin color.
Let us recognise and celebrate the women of color that have changed the narrative for humanity.
Past
Miss Ida B. Wells born to house servants in Holly Springs, Mississippi, 1862. Wells was a self-made woman, financed her own education and became a journalist. During her career, Wells focused on covering the Memphis Lynchings.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
In her editorials, she covered the injustices that the Black community suffered. Lynching was against the law. However, it was common for males accused of rape to be punished with lynching. Her controversial writing about this topic called out the lynchings and the idea that Black males could not attract white women.
A particular article of Well’s talked about the mob lynching in 1892. The case of Tom Moss, Calvin McDowell and Will Stewart, three Black men who opened a grocery store in Memphis. During the night, the three guarded the store as some white men broke in for a robbery. During the confrontation, several white men were shot. Moss, McDowell and Stewart were taken away by a lynching mob before getting the chance to a trail. This piece put Well’s in the spotlight.
Present
Kamala Devi Harris is history in the making. As a woman of color, she now holds the position of Vice-President. While Harris is not the first person of color to hold the position of Vice President, she is the first woman of color in history to hold this political position.
The daughter of two immigrant parents, Donald Harris from Jamaica and Shyamala Gopalan from India, makes her a role model for young women who believe that women can do anything they set their minds to.
Photo: Kamala Harris on Facebook
Harris’s approach to the legal system made her stand out as the District Attorney. Although tough, she looked into how she could improve the criminal system. She was empathetic, understanding and compassionate when she worked with youth who committed crimes and victims of sexual assault. Her hard work paid off after establishing a youth rehabilitation program.
Future
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is an advocate and fierce politician that continues to fight for the working-class. AOC, as she is better known, had her own share of struggles. After her father died AOC and her family faced financial instability, leading her to take extra shifts as a bartender or waitress in New York.
During this time, she saw the need for change as she discovered that opportunities were based on the city you lived in. She noticed the issue causes generational a vicious cycle of poverty of constantly choosing what bills to pay. That leaves little opportunity for low-income families to better themselves financially.
Photo: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Facebook
AOC’s beginnings as an immigration activist began while she worked with Senator Ted Kenndy. During her time there, she witnessed firsthand the immigration system’s faults as she saw how Immigration Customs Enforcement tore families apart. Her experiences led her to organize the immigrant youth to fight for their rights. She also advocated for immigration policies like DACA.
At only 31-years-old Ocasio-Cortez may still have much more to pursue. During the 2020 elections, her popularity grew as she would have been Vice President if Senator Bernie Sanders had been elected to lead the Democratic party. The younger generations amped their support for her using the hashtag AOC2024 through different social media platforms.
