Week 3 Roundup: Black Women in History Who Have Inspired Generations
Dr. Gladys West | STEM
PHOTO: WIKIPEDIA
Gladys West is one of the “hidden figures” who helped invent GPS. She was born in 1930 in Virginia, and always knew that she wanted to get an education so she could leave her family’s farm and pursue a career. After graduating from Virginia State College, she became a teacher to save money for graduate school. She later earned a master’s degree in mathematics and began working at a naval base in Virginia. She was the second Black woman to hold a programming position there. In the early 1960s, West took part in an award-winning study that proved “the regularity of Pluto’s motion relative to Neptune”, according to the U.S. Air Force. After receiving a commendation for her hard word, she became project manager for the Seasat radar altimetry project, programming an IBM 7030 Stretch computer (faster than most other machines at that time) to provide calculations for an accurate geodetic Earth model. These calculations and models of the shape of the Earth built the foundation for what is now known as GPS. After surviving a stroke and fighting retirement, West gained a PhD in public administration and policy affairs at age 70.
PHOTO: VOGUE
Beverly Johnson | Fashion
In 1974, Beverly Johnson became the first Black model to appear on the cover of the U.S. edition of Vogue. Because of her race, she was paid less than her white peers. When she tried to request Black photographers, makeup artists, and hairstylists for photo shoots, she was reprimanded. Today, she helps steer the industry toward a more diverse and accepting system.
Mittie Maude Lena Gordon | Activist
Mittie was a black nationalist and developed the Peace Movement of Ethiopia in 1932. She is famous for the power with which she could demand a crowd's attention, and often spoke publicly on issues of race in the United States. In 1939, she delivered a powerful speech on the Capitol steps against the hypocrisy of white supremacy. The effects of this speech are still felt today.
PHOTO: DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
Hazel Scott | Entertainment
Hazel Scott was a distinguished performer throughout the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Her career in entertainment began when she quickly emerged as an incredibly talented pianist and singer. Her performances included jazz, blues, and various genres at nightclubs in Harlem were well known and popular; she eventually went on to play internationally. The scope of Scott's career in entertainment only widened as she was cast in multiple Hollywood films during the 1940s—like Broadway Rhythm and Rhapsody in Blue— in which she played herself. Most notably, she was the first Black woman to host her own television show, dubbed The Hazel Scott Show which premiered in 1950. Hazel Scott used her position in the entertainment industry to advocate for civil rights, as she refused to take on roles in movies that perpetuated harmful stereotypes of Black Americans or play in segregated venues while on tour. In a particularly influential move in 1949, Scott brought a civil case against restaurant owners after an employee refused to serve her because of race. She won the case, which launched an increase of protests against racial discrimination and for the enactment of civil rights legislation in Washington state.
PHOTO: G R JOSEPH
Jane Bolin | Leadership
PHOTO: ESSENCE
Jane Bolin was a powerful attorney who paved the way for women in law. She was the first Black woman to become a judge in the United States in 1939, after being appointed to the New York Family Court by then Mayor Fiorella H. La Guardia. A gifted student early on, Bolin graduated from high school early and attended Wellesley College for undergrad. After college, she attended law school at Yale, where she was one of only three women and the only Black person in her class. In 1931, she became the first Black woman to graduate from Yale Law School. Six years after she obtained her degree from Yale, she got a position in the New York City corporation counsel’s office. Two years later, she began her term in the New York Family Court and continued to serve until 1978. Throughout her life, she advocated for civil rights, including women’s rights. "We have to fight every inch of the way and in the face of sometimes insufferable humiliations,” she said in a 1958 speech on women’s rights.
Sheryl Swoopes | Sports
"Being gay has nothing to do with the three gold medals or the three MVPs or the four championships I've won. I'm still the same person. I'm Sheryl."
PHOTO: FEMALE COACHING NETWORK
Sheryl Swoopes was the first player to be signed to the WNBA. She has won three Olympic gold medals and three MVP awards. Swoopes has opened possibilities to women in the sport, and was the first woman to have Nike shoes named after her.
Zephyr wright | Chef
PHOTO: THE MARSHALL NEWS MESSENGER
From 1942 to 1969, Zephyr Wright was a chef for Lyndon Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson. She was also a civil rights activist who took charge in a more conservative manner. Mrs. Wright became very close to the Johnson family. When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, LBJ handed her a copy, saying, "You deserve this more than anyone else." Wright's recipes became so popular that they became frequent additions in the nation's newspaper. When the president traveled, Wright suffered many indignities due to segregation customs and laws. Before he eventually refused to go on these trips, LBJ would always stick up for her and find a new place where she could go.
Zora Neale Hurston | Writing & Literature
PHOTO: Brianna Ellis-Mitchell (Getty) via shondaland.com
The life and work of Zora Neale Hurston is a story rife with both genius and intense struggle. As the author of Their Eyes Were Watching God and Jonah’s Gourd Vine as well as many short stories and essays, she became known for her archetypal characters and sharp wit.
Ms. Hurston drew heavily from her own experiences growing up in a unique all-black town in the south, crafting protagonists and plots that connected with a world she had seen from a wide variety of lenses. Growing up as the daughter of the Mayor of Eatonville, Florida, where black men and women could live free of many of the racist influences found elsewhere, she was kicked out of her home by her stepmother at the age of 13.
She was forced to lead a fairly transient life after this and would never quite escape the specter of poverty. Nonetheless, she pursued her education and became a well-known writer during the Harlem Renaissance, and she eventually pursued a successful research career as an anthropologist specializing in Black Caribbean folklore and religion. Thanks to her stories, she has become an icon in feminist circles, especially on issues such as intersectionality and inclusiveness.
Although she died relatively poor, Ms. Hurston’s legacy is rich with vital perspectives and the courage she used to tell them. There has recently been a strong push to recognize her work and re-ignite awareness of it in literary circles.