Women Who Shaped History (And Deserve Way More Recognition)

Happy Women’s History Month! I actually just recently learned that we have a Women’s History Month. This year I decided I wanted to take the time to educate myself on some historical women whose stories aren’t usually talked about in school. When schools teach Black history, the focus is almost always on slavery and a few civil rights activists. While those stories are important, it often feels like that’s the only version of Black history we’re taught. What about the other women who made an impact in science, politics, aviation, medicine, and other careers? Their contributions deserve just as much recognition.

So I decided to do some research and learn about Black women who helped shape history in different ways. I want to share some of the women I’ve been learning about in hopes that more people can discover their stories too. Here are ten Black women whose stories deserve more attention.

1. Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928-May 28, 2014)

Maya Angelou is best known as one of the most powerful voices in American literature and the civil rights movement. She was a poet, author, actress, and activist whose work focused on identity, resilience, and the experiences of Black Americans. Her most famous book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, was groundbreaking because it openly discussed racism, trauma, and personal struggles in a way that had rarely been done before. The book became one of the first autobiographies by a Black woman to reach a wide national audience.

Angelou worked closely with civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, helping organize events and advocate for equality. Despite facing poverty, racism, and personal trauma early in life, she built a career centered around truth and storytelling. One of her most famous poems, Still I Rise, continues to inspire people around the world with its message of strength and dignity.

2. Claudette Colvin (September 5, 1939-January 13, 2026)

Claudette Colvin is often overlooked in history books, but she played a key role in the fight against segregation in the United States. At just 15 years old, she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This happened nine months before Rosa Parks made her historic stand.

Colvin was arrested and faced intense criticism and pressure afterward. Because she was young and later became pregnant, many civil rights leaders at the time felt she would not be the best public face for the movement. As a result, her story was largely pushed aside. However, her bravery still mattered. She later became one of the plaintiffs in the court case Browder v. Gayle, which ultimately ruled that bus segregation in Montgomery was unconstitutional. Her story reminds us that history often overlooks young people and women who played major roles behind the scenes.

3. Bessie Coleman (January 26, 1892-April 30, 1926)

Bessie Coleman was the first Black woman and the first Native American woman to earn a pilot’s license. In the early 1900s, flight schools in the United States refused to admit her because of both racism and sexism. Instead of giving up, she traveled all the way to France to study aviation. In 1921 she earned her international pilot’s license and returned to the United States determined to inspire others.

Coleman became famous for performing daring air shows, known as “barnstorming,” where she demonstrated complex flying tricks. She also refused to perform at events that had segregated audiences, showing her strong commitment to equality. Her courage helped inspire many young Black Americans to pursue careers in aviation and other fields that were previously closed to them.

4. Shirley Chisholm (November 30, 1924-January 1, 2005)

Shirley Chisholm was a trailblazer in American politics. In 1968, she became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, representing New York. She quickly became known for speaking openly about issues that many politicians avoided, including racial inequality, poverty, and women’s rights.

In 1972 she made history again when she became the first Black woman to run for President of the United States. Her campaign slogan, “Unbought and Unbossed,” reflected her refusal to be controlled by political pressure or party expectations. Although she faced racism, sexism, and political opposition throughout her career, she continued to advocate for education, childcare programs, and opportunities for marginalized communities. Her legacy opened doors for future generations of women and people of color in politics.

5. Ida B. Wells (July 16, 1862-March 25, 1931)

Ida B. Wells was a fearless journalist and activist who dedicated her life to exposing racial violence in the United States. In the late 1800s, she began investigating and writing about lynching, a brutal form of racial terror used against Black Americans. Her work challenged the false narratives that were used to justify these acts of violence. Because of her reporting, her newspaper office was destroyed by a mob, forcing her to leave the South. Despite the threats against her life, she continued her activism and journalism.

Wells also helped found organizations that later became part of the modern civil rights movement, including early civil rights groups that contributed to the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Her courage helped bring international attention to racial injustice in America.

6. Henrietta Lacks (August 1, 1920- October 4, 1951)

Henrietta Lacks made one of the most important contributions to modern medicine, even though she never knew it during her lifetime. In the 1950s, doctors took cells from her cervical cancer tumor without her knowledge or consent. Those cells became known as HeLa cells, which turned out to be unique because they could survive and reproduce indefinitely in a laboratory. These cells have been used in countless scientific breakthroughs, including research that helped develop vaccines, study cancer, and improve treatments for many diseases.

Her story later sparked important conversations about medical ethics, patient consent, and the exploitation of Black patients in medical research. Today, Henrietta Lacks is recognized as someone whose unintentional contribution helped advance modern science in extraordinary ways.

7. Katherine Johnson (August 26, 1918-February 24, 2020)

Katherine Johnson was a brilliant mathematician whose work helped make some of NASA’s most important space missions possible. She worked as part of a group of Black female mathematicians who calculated flight trajectories for spacecraft. At a time when computers were still limited, her calculations helped astronauts safely travel into orbit and return to Earth. Her work was essential to missions like the orbit of astronaut John Glenn and the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Despite her incredible talent, she faced both racial segregation and gender discrimination throughout her career. Her story became widely known after the release of the film Hidden Figures. Johnson’s work helped prove that Black women were just as capable in science and mathematics as anyone else.

8. Mary McLeod Bethune (July 10, 1875-May 18, 1955)

Mary McLeod Bethune believed that education was the key to empowerment and equality. In 1904 she founded a small school for Black girls in Florida with only a few dollars and a strong determination to make a difference. That school later grew into Bethune-Cookman University, an important historically Black university.

Bethune became a national leader in education and civil rights. She also served as an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and helped advocate for opportunities for Black Americans during the Great Depression. Her dedication to education helped change the lives of thousands of students.

9. Septima Poinsette Clark (May 3, 1898- December 15, 1987)

Septima Clark is often called the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement” because of her work in education and voter empowerment. She developed Citizenship Schools, which taught Black Americans how to read, write, and understand their legal rights. This was especially important at a time when literacy tests were used to prevent Black citizens from voting.

Her programs helped thousands of people gain the knowledge and confidence needed to participate in the political system. Clark believed that education was one of the most powerful tools for achieving equality and social change.

10. Marsha P. Johnson (August 24, 1945-July 6, 1992)

Marsha P. Johnson was a Black transgender activist who played a major role in the early LGBTQ+ rights movement. She is widely associated with the Stonewall uprising in New York City, a pivotal moment that helped spark the modern fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Johnson dedicated much of her life to helping homeless LGBTQ+ youth and advocating for people who were often ignored by society. She co-founded organizations that provided shelter and support for transgender and queer individuals facing discrimination. Her activism helped push forward conversations about gender identity, equality, and community support.

Learning about these women reminded me how much history exists outside of what we are taught in school. So many Black women made huge contributions to science, politics, education, activism, and culture, yet their stories are rarely part of the conversations we have in classrooms. When Black history is reduced to only slavery and a few civil rights moments, it ignores the creativity, intelligence, and leadership that Black women have shown in so many different fields. Doing this research made me realize how important it is to keep learning on our own and sharing these stories with others. The more we talk about these women and their achievements, the less likely their impact will be forgotten.