Women in Black History: Stories of Courage, Faith, and Resilience

Former school teacher and Michigan writer Tricia Williams Jackson takes us from the eighteenth-century to modern-day American history to explore the lives of 14 extraordinary African-American women in her book Women in Black History: Stories of Courage, Faith, and Resilience. Readers learn about how these women writers, singers, activists, educators, and athletes endured the hardest of circumstances, yet through their resilience, courage, and faith broke barriers and created positive change. 

Women in Black History is full of trailblazers from Phillis Wheatley, who at only eight years old was kidnapped from her family in Africa and sold into slavery and eventually became the first black American woman to publish a book, to Wilma Rudolph, who was bedridden with polio from four to eight years of age and became the first woman at one Olympics to win three gold medals in track and field. Other remarkable women highlighted include Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Mary Ann Shadd Cary, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Anna Julia Cooper, Mary McLeod Bethune, Marian Anderson, Mahalia Jackson, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Althea Gibson, and Coretta Scott King.

This book is designed for youth 9-12 years old but is also great for adults who want to revisit the women we know and admire and discover new heroes who might not have made it into our history books. Read a story a day as a family and explore the “Think…” and “Imagine…” questions at the end of each chapter to reinforce historical lessons and facilitate a personal connection to these women. The “Get Creative!” section at the chapters’ end gets youth moving with activities such as connecting with their senators, setting a new goal, or writing an inspiring speech.

8 Inspiring Quotes from Women in Black History

(Bolding in the quotes is my own)

Purpose

“The Spirit calls me and I must go.”

- Sojourner Truth, Preacher, Abolitionist, Women’s Rights and Temperance Activist

Dreams

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer.”

- Harriet Tubman, Abolitionist and Social Justice Activist most well known for freeing slaves through the Underground Railroad

Education

“The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.”

- Mary McLeod Bethune, Educator and Activist 

Love

“You lose a lot of time, hating people.”

- Marian Anderson, Singer, First African-American soloist at the New York Metropolitan Opera House, Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award recipient, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient (and more!)

Faith

“Faith and prayers are the vitamins of the soul. Man cannot live in health without them.”

- Mahalia Jackson, Known as “The Queen of Gospel”, First black gospel singer to sing at Carnegie Hall

Freedom

“Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”

- Fannie Lou Hamer, Civil & Voting Rights activist

Community

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members—a heart of grace and a soul generated by love.”

- Coretta Scott King, Human Rights Activist and Wife of the Reverand Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Failure

“Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.”

- Wilma Rudolph, First woman at one Olympics to win three gold medals in track and field