Celebrating Black History Month and the Many Pioneering Sheroes
From pioneering sheroes such as Dr. Dorothy Height and Pauli Murray, to transformative writers and thinkers like Toni Morrison, bell hooks, and Alice Walker, to our very own community members, YWCA of Asheville recognizes the critical contributions of black women to the work of advancing racial justice. During Black History Month, we are sharing our story and raising awareness of YWCA’s history of advancing racial justice from the inside out. The work that began in the early 20th century reverberates to this day through the work we proudly continue toward our mission to eliminate racism and empower women.
Follow us on social media and engage with us as we celebrate the unsung legacy of Black Feminism. #BlackSheroeSquad
Sheroes of YWCA of Asheville
For Black History Month, the YWCA of Asheville will highlight the Black women who strengthen the communal fabric of the YWCA of Asheville. Staff, volunteers, and board members all contribute to the story of the YWCA and provide a powerful example of our mission in action, and we are featuring some of them in interviews this month. Click on the pictures below to read the full interview.
Engaging the Stories
Here are some interesting and fun websites that help tell a more complete story of Black History, and the cultural, political, and social contributions of the Black community.
Black Herstory Month
Click on the following topics to see the corresponding list of Black Sheroes.
Inspiring Films and Television
Black History Month Playlist
Tune in as we set the vibe and celebrate Black Herstory Month! Don’t forget to share on your social media #YWCAPlaylist
Impactful Reads & Authors
And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Do Better: Spiritual Activism for Fighting and Healing from White Supremacy by Rachel Ricketts
Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Marie Brown
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Kindred by Octavia Butler
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Redefining Realness by Janet Mock
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
All About Love: New Visions by Bell Hooks
Head Off and Split by Nikky Finney
Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry by Camille T. Dungy
Inspiring Films and Television
Black Panther starring Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright
Harriet directed by Kasi Lemmons, produced by Debra Martin Chase, and starring Cynthia Erivo
Hidden Figures starring Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monai, and Octavia Spencer
If Beale Street Could Talk starring KiKi Layne and Regina King
Living Single created by Yvette Lee Bowser, starring Queen Latifah, Kim Coles, Erika Alexander, and Kim Fields
Lovecraft Country created by Misha Green, starring Jurnee Smollett, Aunjanue Ellis, Wunmi Mosaku, and Jada Harris
Paris is Burning featuring Venus Xtravaganza, Dorian Corey, and Pepper LaBeija
Pose written by Janet Mock, starring Mj Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Angelica Ross, and Hailie Sahar
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman starring Cicely Tyson
The Color Purple based on a novel by Alice Walker, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Margaret Avery
Selma directed by Ava DuVernay, produced by Oprah Winfrey, and starring Carmen Ejogo
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks starring Renée Elise Goldsberry and produced by Oprah Winfrey
The Wiz starring Diana Ross, Mabel King, and Lena Horne
Underground created by Misha Green, starring Jurnee Smollett and Amirah Vann
What’s Love Got to Do With It based on a book by Tina Turner, starring Angela Bassett
Black Women in Sports
Laila Ali, American Boxer
Simone Biles, American gymnast
Nia Dennis, American gymnast
Gabby Douglas, American Gymnast
Allyson Felix, American track and field athlete
Coco Gauff, American tennis player
Florence Griffith Joyner ‘Flo-Jo’, American track and field athlete
Jennifer King, Assistant coach, Washington Football Team
Simone Manuel, American swimmer
Naomi Osaka, International Tennis player
Claressa Shields, American boxer
Mariah Stackhouse, American golfer
Sheryl Swoopes, American basketball player
Debi Thomas, American figure skater
Serena Williams, American tennis player
Maya Moore, American basketball player
Bonnie St. John, American skier
Simone Manuel, American swimmer
Sophia Danenberg, American mountain climber
Black Women in Activism
Tarana Burke, Founder of the #MeToo Movement, activist
Claudette Colvin, Pioneer of the 1950’s civil rights movement
Alicia Garza, Civil rights activist, writer, and co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement
Marsha P. Johnson, Gay liberation and trans rights activist
Mariame Kaba, Organizer, educator, and curator focusing on transformative justice, prison industrial complex, and ending violence
Tamika D. Mallory, Activist and organizer for women’s rights, gun control, and Black Lives Matter movement
Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Social justice activist, organizer, educator, and writer
Gloria Richardson, Civil rights activist
Opal Tometi, Award-winner human rights activist, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, and founder of Diaspora Rising
Sojourner Truth, Activist for civil and women’s rights
Ida B. Wells, Anti-lynching activist, journalist, and researcher
Raquel Willis, Award-winning writer, activist, and director of communications for Ms. Foundation
Pauli Murray, First African-American woman to become an Episcopal priest, Civil rights lawyer, and activist, educator
Maria Stewart, Abolitionist, feminist, author, educator, orator
Fania Davis, Founder and director of Restorative Justice of Oakland Youth, author, educator, civil rights activist, and lawyer
Black Women in Hollywood
Uzo Aduba
Karan Ashley
Angela Bassett
Danielle Brooks
Laverne Cox
Viola Davis
Tracee Ellis Ross
Danai Gurira
Taraji P. Henson
Regina King
Monique
Lupita Nyong’o
Issa Rae
Jurnee Smollett
Octavia Spencer
Tessa Thompson
Lorraine Toussaint
Cicely Tyson
Kerry Washington
Samira Wiley
Alfre Woodard
Gabrielle Union
Michaela Coel
Black Women in Leadership
Sadie Alexander, First Black woman economist in the U.S.
Aimee Allison, Founder and President of She the People
Rosalind Brewer, CEO of Walgreens
Kimberlé Crenshaw, Co-founder and Executive Director of African American Policy Forum
Bea Dixon, CEO and Founder of The Honey Pot
Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO of AARP
Cynthia Marshall, CEO of Dallas Mavericks
Yvette Simpson, American politician, lawyer, and CEO of Democracy for America
Rue Mapp, Founder and CEO of Outdoor Afro
Black Women in Government
Stacey Abrams, American politician, lawyer, voting rights activist, and author
Karen Bass, S. Representative
Carol Moseley Braun, First Black woman Senator (1993-1999)
Cori Bush, U.S. Representative
Margaret Chase Smith, Former U.S. Senator
Shirley Chisholm, American politician, educator, and author
Liz Copeland, Candidate for Baltimore City Council
Jenean Hampton, Former Lieutenant Governor
Kamala Harris, 49th Vice President of the United States of America
Jahana Hayes, U.S. Representative
Adrienne A. Jones, Speaker of Maryland House of Delegates
Barbara Lee, U.S. Representative
Mia Love, Former U.S. Representative
Ayanna Presley, U.S. Representative
Condoleezza Rice, Former Secretary of State, American diplomat, and political scientist
Maxine Waters, U.S. Representative
Black Women in STEM
Aisha Bowe, Aerospace engineer, founder, and CEO of STEMBoard
Kimberly Bryant, Founder of Black Girls Code and former engineer
Aprille Ericsson-Jackson, Mechanical and aerospace engineer, the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Howard University, and the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in Engineering at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Kathryn Finney, Founder and CEO of Digital Undivided
Ayanna Howard, Roboticist, entrepreneur, educator, and the Chair of the School of Interactive Computing in the Georgia Tech College of Computing
Mae C. Jemison, Engineer and first African American female astronaut to go in space in 1992
Ashanti Johnson, Geochemist, chemical oceanographer, and one the first female African-American chemical oceanographers
Katherine Johnson, completed the NASA calculations necessary for several space missions including the 1969 moon landing and served as a human computer for Langley Research Center
Jeanette Epps, Aerospace engineer, NASA astronaut, first black woman to join International Space Station crew
Deena Pierott, Diversity & equity strategist, Founder and Executive Director of iUrban Teen Program, and a founding member of Black Women in STEM 2.0
Black Women in Health Care
Patricia Bath, Ophthalmologist, inventor, humanitarian, academic, early pioneer of laser cataract surgery, the first African-American to complete ophthalmology residency, and co-founder of the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness
Regina Benjamin, Physician, former Surgeon General of the US, and former vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
Donna Christian-Christensen, Physician, politician, former US Representative, and the first female physician to win a congressional election
Kizzmekia Corbett, Viral immunologist, research fellow at National Institute of Health, and the lead frontline scientist who helped develop the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
Rebecca Crumpler, Author, physician, and the first black woman awarded a medical degree from a U.S. college
Joycelyn Elders, Pediatrician, public health administrator, and the first black woman to serve as Surgeon General of the US
Roselyn Epps, Pediatrician, public health physician, and the first African American president of the American Medical Women’s Association
Marilyn Gaston, Physician, researcher, and the first black woman to direct the Bureau of Primary Health Care in the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration
Camara Jones, Physician, epidemiologist, and an anti-racism activist specializing in the effects of racism and social inequalities on health
Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Professor and Dean in the Charles R. Drew College of Medicine, first woman Commissioner of Public Health for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and advocated for youth violence to be defined as a public health crisis
Jane Cooke Wright, Pioneering cancer researcher and surgeon who helped develop chemotherapy
Black Women in Media
Cari Champion, Journalist and sports broadcaster
Ava Duvernay, Director, producer, and screenwriter
Errin Haines, Journalist and editor-at-large of The 19th
Nikole Hannah-Jones, Journalist and award winning racial justice reporter
Jemele Hill, Journalist and sports broadcaster
Cathy Hughes, President & CEO of Radio One and TV One
Gwen Ifill, The first African-american woman to host a nationally televised program, Journalist, newscaster, and author
Gayle King, Journalist and news anchor
Marsai Martin, Actress and the youngest executive producer in history
Janet Mock, Director, producer, television host, writer, and activist
KeKe Palmer, Television host, personality, singer, and actress
Abby Phillip, Political correspondent and American journalist
Shonda Rhimes, Television producer, screenwriter, and author
Robin Roberts, Television broadcaster, anchor on Good Morning America, and former sportscaster
Amanda Seales, Comedian, actress, writer, producer; founder of Smart Funny & Black Entertainment
Lena Waithe, Producer, screenwriter, and actress
Oprah Winfrey, Chairman & CEO of OWN, American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist