Femdacity Celebrates Black History Month- 'The (S)heroes'
February is Black History Month. Femdacity will be taking time each week to recognize a group of special girls and women who embody the idea of Embracing Their Feminine Audacity. With the help of WomensHistory.org, we are highlighting a few (S)Heroes who stand among 'The First' in Civil Rights, Sports, Aviation and Politics.
We hope you enjoy!
Civil Rights
At six years old, this sweet little girl and her infectious smile became the first African American student to integrate an elementary school in the South. Ruby and her mother were escorted by four federal marshals to the school every day that year in 1960. Ruby ate lunch alone and sometimes played with her teacher at recess, but she never missed a day of school that year. Read more about her incredible story
Sports
Long before the awesomeness of Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles, there was Dominique Dawes. I can still remember the Atlanta Summer Olympics of 1996 and I can remember watching Dominque Dawes 'do her thing'. She is recognized as being the first African-American woman to win an individual Olympic medal in artistic gymnastics, and the first black person of any nationality or gender to win an Olympic-gold-medal in gymnastics.
Aviation
Bessie Coleman was the first African American, and the first Native American woman pilot. She attended flight school in France because the US would not accept a woman or an African American. She received her international pilot’s license on June 15, 1921 from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Her goal with flying was to encourage women and African Americans to reach their dreams. Read about her story here.
Politics
Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman in Congress the first woman and African American to seek the nomination for president of the United States from one of the two major political parties. Chisholm said, “I want to be remembered as a woman … who dared to be a catalyst of change.” Read about her contributions and legacy here.
