The impact of women on the development of civilization is undeniable and oddly enough well documented, all that is necessary is for one to look for it with purpose and intent. However, any account of women’s contribution to all areas of human development is fraught with all the burdens of race, inequality, and misrepresentation. There is much to be learned from the role of women in Islam or the impact of women in the workforce both globally and within the continental U.S. In fact, examining the contribution of women as whole in an area or context can be and should be overwhelming by the sheer volume of the information available. There is an African parable that states “ How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” This piece highlights the political, economic and spiritual legacies of Black women. There is no single achievement or development in the Black community over the last four hundred years that was not only impacted by Black women but more than often it was they who led the charge. While the involvement of Black women has often been either understated, misrepresented or omitted they continue to brawl with sexism and exploitation within the black community while serving as warrior and protector to and from external dangers to their families. The ability of Black women as a group to both heal and fight simultaneously is nothing short of incredibly wonderous. The ability of Black women to build practical political coalitions that serve to meet the objectives of multiple communities and remain clear on the goals of their families and communities warrants admiration and respect. In addition, the economic burdens Black women have had to bear at every socio-economic level are often difficult to imagine let alone calculate and assess. The spiritual legacy of Black women is often unconventional given the long history of exploitation within many religious traditions. Despite that very real and complex challenge Black women have sought change both within many religious traditions as well as forging progress in many non-western and non-traditional spiritual frameworks. Black women’s use of political realism to speak truth to power, build coalitions, and advance the struggle of their families and the general Black community is unmatched. Women like Sojourner Truth and Maria Stewart both born slaves learned to connect issues of freedom and abolition to broader political movements and thus gain political allies outside the Black community. Later women like Ida B. WellsBarnett and Mary McCloud-Bethune used similar approaches to build coalitions for education and anti-lynching campaigns. In 1968 Shirley Chisolm being the first Black woman elected to Congress was unapologetic in her animus for both race and sex discrimination built a coalition that sent her to the United States House of Representatives. While the Honorable Shirley Chisolm will be remembered as the first Black woman to campaign for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States, it is important to give a context to the legacy that informed her and the one she left behind. In 1973 Barbara Jordan joined her in the United States House of Representatives as the first Black woman from a southern state to be elected to Congress. The legacy of coalition building, and family protection continues to this very day with the recent election of Lucy McBath in Georgia’s 6th district. Her son was killed for playing his music too loud and she developed an alliance centered on gun violence. While certainly Black women putting their names
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