Throughout history, women have been largely oppressed. This unfortunately is especially true for women of color. Unless they manage to reach some level of legendary status, the contributions made to society by women of color are often overlooked. Due to recent events, more of a spotlight has been shone on these amazing women lately, so here are 5 women who everyone should know a bit more about.
*LKF- Lesser Known Facts
Bessie Coleman-First Woman of Color to Hold a Pilot’s License
Born the daughter of sharecroppers in small-town Texas, Bessie Coleman had her work cut out for her from the start. While she worked the cotton fields with her family, she still managed to get a bit of an education from the segregated school in her community.
She developed a love of flying early on, but there were zero opportunities in the US for women or people of color to learn how. Instead of quitting, Bessie moved to France to attend flight school. In 1921, She became the first woman of both African- American and Native American descent to earn an international pilot’s license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.
Bessie returned to the United States and began her career as a high flying aviatrix who became famous for the dangerous stunts she performed. As much as she loved her career, her ultimate goal was to open a flight school for young black aviators and provide more opportunities to those in her community. Unfortunately, her dream was never realized as Bessie Coleman was killed in a plane crash on April 30, 1926, at 34 years old.
In the years since her death, Bessie has been honored in various ways with schools, streets, and libraries named for her. It was not until 2001 that she was inducted into The National Women’s Hall of Fame. In 2014 she was also inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame.
*LKF-Bessie Coleman walked away from a movie deal that could have potentially financed her flight school, due to the way they wanted to portray her in the opening scene of the film.
Henrietta Lacks-Her Cells Helped Revolutionize Modern Medicine
Henrietta Lacks was actually born Loretta Pleasant on August 1, 1920, in Roanoke, Virginia. The reason behind her name change is not completely clear, but following the death of her mother in 1924, she was taken in by her grandfather, Tommy Lacks. It was there she went into the family business of tobacco farming.
Henrietta had 2 children before marrying David Day Lacks in 1941. After the couple moved to Maryland she gave birth to 3 more children, the last of which was born in November of 1950. This is significant because less than 5 months later, she would be diagnosed with cervical cancer.
In January of 1951, Henrietta went to Johns Hopkins Hospital, the only hospital in the area that treated black patients, complaining of a “knot” in her womb. After testing negative for syphilis, the hospital performed a biopsy that came back positive for cancer. The hospital provided her with radium tube inserts as her initial treatment and told her to return for follow up. Though she returned for follow up treatments, Henrietta, unfortunately, passed away on October 4, 1951.
In 1975, some information came to light that at some point during Henrietta’s treatments, 2 separate tissue samples were taken from her without her knowledge or consent. Those samples would be used in medical research and would become known as the HeLa cell line. This group of cells unexpectedly revolutionized modern medicine and led to the production of new tests, treatments, and vaccines. The fact that medical research was conducted on her cells for decades without permission or compensation to the family, eventually leads to changes in privacy and consent laws.
*LKF- In 2018, Johns Hopkins University announced its plans for a new research building to be named in honor of Henrietta Lacks.
Photo Courtesy of History.com
Mary Fields- Badass Legend of The Wild West
Mary Fields was always a force to be reckoned with. Born a slave sometime in 1832, she was obviously not a stranger to hard work. Though the earlier parts of her life were somewhat shrouded in mystery, she was freed after the Civil War and that is where more of her story becomes known.
Like many newly emancipated slaves, Mary headed north and eventually ended up in Montana. She used her acquired skill set to secure a job at St. Peter’s Mission. She did a lot of the physical labor around the property such as cooking, gardening, and ordering supplies for the mission. Though she did mostly good work around the mission, her habits outside of that became a source of concern for the parishioners. Mary was notorious for her no-nonsense attitude as well as her other hobbies which included shooting, drinking, and smoking. Eventually, Mary lost her position at the mission when she and another worker pulled their guns on each other.
Following her dismissal from St. Peter’s, Mary applied for a star route contract to carry mail across the unsettled lands of Montana. She was the first African-American woman to be awarded one of these contracts and she took this job very seriously. Stagecoach Mary earned her moniker for always being recognizable because of her large stature, her guns, and you guessed it, her stagecoach.
Mary protected and carried the mail to rural communities across Montana for 8 years before retiring. During her tenure as an unofficial postal worker, Mary’s reputation in the community grew to legendary status. Though she was not one to be trifled with, the strong, hardcore woman also became well-loved for her giving nature and compassion for children. When she died on December 5,1914, the community that she called home held a massive funeral in her honor.
*LKF- Mary was so loved by her community in Cascade, Montana, that they even named the town baseball team after her. If you want to know more details about Stagecoach Mary, check out my other article HERE.
Esther Jones- The “ Real” Betty Boop
Did you know that one of the most recognizable cartoons ever created was at least partially inspired by a black child star of the 1920s? Esther Lee Jones is believed to have been born sometime in 1919, though her exact date of birth is unknown. From a young age, she was trained to be a performer and by the time she was 9 years old, she was performing in night clubs across Chicago.
Baby Esther, aka Little Esther, was a very talented child. Her parents and managers trained this little girl in singing, dancing, and acrobatics and by the late 1920s people had fallen in love with her. One of her performances was witnessed by an actress named Helen Kane who took a real liking to Esther’s “baby” voice and style of singing known as scatting. She liked it so much in fact, that she basically stole it and began to use it in her performances without Esther’s knowledge or permission.
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Esther’s international career took off. She performed all over Europe and in South America. Upon returning to the United States, she did shows until about 1934 when she faded from the spotlight as she was getting older. While she drifted into oblivion, Helen Kane was busy making a bigger name for herself as an inspiration for the cartoon character, Betty Boop.
Betty Boop became a hit in 1932, and her creators supposedly used the likeness and singing of multiple women to create the character. Helen Kane then sued them for “exploiting her image” and essentially stealing her trademark phrase “boop-oop-a doop.” The joke turned out to be on her when Betty Boop’s creators called her out for taking her “scatting” style from a darling little girl she watched one night in 1928- Baby Esther. Upon recorded evidence being submitted in the trial that was proof of Baby Esther’s signature voice and scatting ability, Helen Kane lost her case. With this new information coming to light, the true inspiration for the iconic Betty Boop became known.
*LKF– No one is really sure what happened to Esther Jones after 1934. Her life after that point is shrouded in mystery.
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler-First Black Female Doctor of Medicine
During a time when no one wanted to see people of color succeed at anything, Rebecca Lee Crumpler did the impossible. Born Rebecca Davis in 1831, she developed a love of caring for people from a young age. While under her aunt’s care in Pennsylvania, Rebecca observed her aunt caring for the ill and infirm in their community. It is there that it is believed she decided to study medicine.
From 1855 to 1864 Rebecca worked as a nurse and during this time she was accepted into the New England Female Medical College. The fact that she not only was accepted into school but won a scholarship to have it paid for was nearly unheard of at this time. Colleges were not overly accepting of black applicants, and this was especially true for medical school. Ironically enough it was the increased need for medical professionals during the Civil War that opened up more opportunities for those like Rebecca to get an education.
Rebecca graduated in 1864 and her college declared her a “Doctor of Medicine.” She was the only African-American in her class and the first African -American woman to become a formally trained doctor. Following her graduation she began practicing in Boston, mostly caring for poor African- Americans in her community. After the end of the Civil War, she moved to Richmond, Virginia, and began practicing there.
While in Virginia, Rebeca worked for the Freedmen’s Bureau, providing medical care to the newly freed slaves who were being denied care by white doctors. Even while working for the Freedmen’s Bureau she experienced discrimination because of her sex and even had trouble getting prescriptions filled for her patience. Nevertheless, she continued her work and treated countless people who would not have received care otherwise. Rebecca died on March 9, 1895, and is buried next to her husband in Fairview Cemetery.
*LKF– Rebecca wrote and published A Book of Medical Disclosures in 1883. So not only was she a female doctor, she was a published author in a time when women were neither.
The History Honey 