Black Women’s History Week, Day 2: Your favorite moment in Black women’s history
The week of February 25 to March 3 is Black Women’s History Week; it bridges Black History Month and Women’s History Month. For each day of the week, the team will discuss a different prompt. Today’s theme: your favorite moment in Black women’s history.
Jasmine: So I’m going with Hattie McDaniel winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for my Black women’s history moment. Watching her come up there and accept that very prestigious award knowing that moments earlier she wasn’t even allowed to walk through the front door was a lot. But the way that she came up there and gave that acceptance speech? Knowing that there are people in that room that did not feel like she belonged there? That resonates with me.
Tierra: I’m torn between the Combahee River Collective Statement and Marsha P. Johnson kicking off the Stonewall Uprising. Clearly I’m a fan of the radicals. Both are highly visible examples of a more inclusive Black freedom struggle.
*ZZ* Makes Art: Torn between two that are basic but reflect me: Bessie Coleman & Marsha Johnson. First female pilot & the revolutionary moments of Stonewall. Airplanes & LGBTQ rights. 😂
PowerfulAF: Fannie Lou Hamer’s speech at the 1964 Democratic National Convention.
Charise: After Trump’s inauguration, I attended the Women’s March in DC, as I lived there at the time and thought, in principle, I agreed with the sentiment. I went with another friend, also a badass Black woman. Ultimately, we were unamused by the throngs of white women in pink pussy hats, many of whom chose this moment in history to begin gnashing their teeth over women’s rights when they’d spent so long ignoring Black and Brown women who had warned folks of the dangerous implications of a Trump presidency. This is why I’m choosing my favorite moment in Black women’s history to be the iconic photo of organizer and activist Angela Peoples (who, no big deal, I just realized follows me on Twitter), sucking on a lollipop while holding a sign that said, “Don’t forget: white women voted for Trump.” She said what I know I was thinking…
What is your favorite moment in Black women’s history? Tell us below!
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