Black Women Who Changed The Course Of History

Women Warriors!!!

Happy Wednesday Golden Divas!

This is the last week of ‘Women In History’ and I would like to continue to share with all of my fabulous ladies some more women who were game changers. Black women have contributed to the creation and development of the world. From abolitionists to civil rights activists and astronauts, I am honoring these six women whose impact has shaped world history. 

Henrietta Lacks

In 1951, a young mother of five named Henrietta Lacks visited The Johns Hopkins  Hospital complaining of vaginal bleeding. Upon examination, renowned gynecologist Dr. Howard Jones discovered a large, malignant tumor on her cervix. At the time, The Johns Hopkins Hospital was one of only a few hospitals to treat poor African-Americans.  

As medical records show, Mrs. Lacks began undergoing radium treatments for her cervical cancer. This was the best medical treatment available at the time for this terrible disease. A sample of her cancer cells retrieved during a biopsy was sent to Dr. George Gey’s nearby tissue lab. For years, Dr. Gey, a prominent cancer and virus researcher, had been collecting cells from all patients who came to The Johns Hopkins Hospital with cervical cancer, but each sample quickly died in Dr. Gey’s lab. What he would soon discover was that Mrs. Lacks’ cells were unlike any of the others he had ever seen: where other cells would die, Mrs. Lacks’ cells doubled every 20 to 24 hours.

Today, these incredible cells— nicknamed “HeLa” cells, from the first two letters of her first and last names — are used to study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones, and viruses on the growth of cancer cells without experimenting on humans. They have been used to test the effects of radiation and poisons, to study the human genome, to learn more about how viruses work and played a crucial role in the development of the polio vaccine.

Although Mrs. Lacks ultimately passed away on October 4, 1951, at the age of 31, her cells continue to impact the world. Henrietta Lacks changed history and didn’t even know it. Tissue samples from her tumors were taken without consent during treatment and those cell samples were used by researchers to develop the polio vaccine. To this day, her cells continue to save lives. 

Katherine Johnson

Before Hidden Figures, many of us had no clue about the contributions Katherine Johnson. A certified mathematician, it was her calculations that ensured astronauts like Alan Shepard, John Glenn, and the Apollo 11 flights were successful. Katherine Johnson loves math. Early in her career, she was called a “computer.”

She helped NASA put an astronaut into orbit around Earth. And then she helped put a man on the moon. In 1962, the United States decided to send people to the moon. That was big news. Getting to and from the moon would take a lot of work. As the U.S. space agency, NASA would have to solve many, many problems. So NASA created large teams to solve them.

Katherine studied how to use geometry for space travel. She figured out the paths for the spacecraft to orbit (go around) Earth and to land on the moon. NASA used Katherine’s math, and it worked! NASA sent astronauts into orbit around Earth. Later, her math helped send astronauts to the moon and back. NASA could not have done these things without Katherine Johnson and her love for math!

Bessie Coleman

In 1922, aviator Bessie Coleman became the first African American woman to stage a public flight in America. Her high-flying skills always wowed her audience.

Bessie Coleman (January 26, 1892, to April 30, 1926) was an American aviator and the first black woman to earn a pilot’s license. Because flying schools in the United States denied her entry, she taught herself French and moved to France, earning her license from France’s well-known Caudron Brother’s School of Aviation in just seven months. Coleman specialized in stunt flying and parachuting, earning a living barnstorming and performing aerial tricks. She remains a pioneer of women in the field of aviation. Sadly, she was killed at age 34 when her plane unexpectedly went down in 1926.

Fannie Lou Hamer

Fannie Lou Hamer was an African-American civil rights activist who led voting drives and co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.
Freedom fighter Fannie Lou Hamer endured being threatened, beaten and shot at to secure the right to vote. She spent her life advocating for Black folks to have the right to vote while serving as the vice-chair of the Freedom Democratic Party.
Born into a Mississippi sharecropping family in 1917, Fannie Lou Hamer spent much of her early life in the cotton fields. She became involved with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee in 1962, through which she led voting drives and relief efforts. In 1964, she co-founded and ran for Congress as a member of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, drawing national attention to their cause at that year’s Democratic Convention. Hamer continued her activism through declining health, until her death in 1977.

Mae Jemison

Mae C. Jemison is the first African-American female astronaut. In 1992, she flew into space aboard the Endeavour, becoming the first African-American woman in space.
Mae C. Jemison (born October 17, 1956) is an American astronaut and physician who, on June 4, 1987, became the first African-American woman to be admitted into NASA’s astronaut training program. On September 12, 1992, Jemison finally flew into space with six other astronauts aboard the Endeavour on mission STS47, becoming the first African-American woman in space. In recognition of her accomplishments, Jemison has received several awards and honorary doctorates. 

Engineer and physician Mae Jemison broke through cosmic barriers when she became the first Black woman to travel in space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in September 1992. Last year, LEGO created a mini-figurine of Jemison.   

Winnie Mandela

Known as the “Mother of the Nation,” Winnie Mandela is a South African activist and politician. In addition to being married to the late Nelson Mandela for 38 years, she received the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 1985. 

The very controversial wife of Nelson Mandela spent her life in varying governmental roles.
Born in Bizana, South Africa, in 1936, Winnie Mandela embarked on a career of social work that led to her involvement in activism. She married African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela in 1958, though he was imprisoned for much of their four decades of marriage. Winnie Mandela became president of the ANC Women’s League in 1993, and the following year she was elected to Parliament. However, her accomplishments were also tainted by convictions for kidnapping and fraud. She passed away on April 2, 2018, in Johannesburg‚ South Africa. 

 

Golden Divas stay inspired, encourage and resourceful! Let’s make a difference in others life as we continue to be irreplaceable in this world!

Source:

https://www.essence.com/holidays/black-history-month/black-women-changed-history-warrior-wednesdays/#16363

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