#African-American Women

[importantwomensbirthdays]

Nannette Jolivette Brown

Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown was born in 1963 in Lafayette, Louisiana. Brown was the first African-American to serve as a New Orleans city attorney. In 2011, she became a judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Since 2018, Brown has served as the chief judge on that court. In 2019, Brown won the Hon. Sarah T. Hughes Civil Rights Award from the Federal Bar Association. She has also won the National Bar Association’s Women Lawyers Division Excellence in the Judiciary Award.

Image source: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

[f0restpunk]

[sheltiechicago]

Mae Jamison

Artist Paints the First Full-Color Hyperrealistic Portrait of Female African-American Women

Artist: Jade Yasmeen

[usnatarchives]

Dr. Mae Jemison was the first African American woman to travel in space. Born on October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Jemison’s journey into the stars is a testament to the power of dreams and determination. 🚀

[thevillain-s]

HOODOO: “If freedom don’t ring, these “roots” gonna sing!!!!”

[saydesole]

Soulaan 🖤🎥

[sbrown82]

Donyale Luna, the world's first Black supermodel, showcasing her signature look!

[importantwomensbirthdays]

Hydeia Broadbent

AIDS activist Hydeia Broadbent was born in 1984 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Broadbent was born with HIV and diagnosed at age 3. She had developed AIDS by the time she was 5. A member of the first generation of children born with this condition, Broadbent began speaking publicly by the time she was 6. She made numerous television appearances and worked to raise awareness and reduce the stigma around HIV. When Broadbent was 12, she spoke at the Republican National Convention. Her activism continued throughout her life. She took part in the CDC's Let's Stop HIV Together campaign, established the Hydeia L. Broadbent Foundation, and worked with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

Hydeia Broadbent passed away in 2024 at the age of 39.

[f0restpunk]

[oncanvas]

Mars Dust, Alma Thomas, 1972

Acrylic on canvas 69 ¼ × 57 ⅛ in. (175.9 × 145.1 cm) Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City, NY, USA

[originalhaffigaza]

[ts-wicked-wonders]

Black history: Did you know?

Phillis Wheatley was only 12 when she became the first female African American author published.

Despite Phyllis Wheatley’s fame, we know surprisingly little about her early life. She was taken from her home in Africa when she was seven or eight, and sold to the Wheatley family in Boston. The family taught her to read and write, and encouraged her to write poetry as soon as they witnessed her talent for it. In 1773, Phyllis published her first poem, making her the first African American to be published. She was only 12 at the time.

Read more: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/phillis-wheatley

[paymetea]

Azizi Johari for Player’s Magazine (1978)

[usnatarchives]

Beyond the Stars: Mae Jemison’s Odyssey ✨

Happy Black History Month!

This Black History Month, we spotlight the extraordinary life of Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel in space. Born on October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Jemison’s journey into the stars is a testament to the power of dreams and determination.

From an early age, Jemison showed a keen interest in science and space, but noticed the absence of women astronauts. She pursued her passion relentlessly, earning a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and an M.D. from Cornell Medical College. Before joining NASA, Jemison was a general practitioner and served in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone and Liberia, where she managed health care for other volunteers. In 1987, Jemison’s dream became reality when she was selected for NASA’s astronaut program. On September 12, 1992, aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor on mission STS-47, Jemison became the first African American woman to travel in space, serving as a mission specialist. During her eight-day mission, she conducted experiments on weightlessness and motion sickness, contributing valuable data to the field.

Jemison’s honors include induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the National Medical Association Hall of Fame, and the Texas Science Hall of Fame, among others. Her story is not just one of breaking barriers in space exploration, but also of inspiring generations to pursue their dreams, regardless of birth and obstacles.

For more information on Mae Jemison’s groundbreaking journey and contributions to science and humanity, the National Archives holds numerous resources that illuminate the lives and achievements of African American pioneers:

[jareckiworld]

Alma Woodsey Thomas (1891-1978) "Astronauts’ Glimpse of the Earth" [acrylic on canvas, 1974]

[sbrown82]

Marsha Hunt, circa 1970.