For Black History Month, I wanted to focus on lesser-known Black women who have not received the recognition they deserve. These five women each helped make the world a better place and have earned the title of “hero.”

Jane Bolin (1908-2007) was the first Black woman to become a judge in the United States and the first Black woman to graduate from Yale Law School. She fought against racial discrimination within the system and in domestic cases. In addition, she put an end to probation officers being assigned based on race and religion. 

Wangari Maathai  (1940-2011) was the first Black woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize for her environmental work and the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree. She started the Green Belt Movement while serving as chairman on the National Council of Women in Kenya. The Green Belt Movement’s goal was to protect the environment and include themes of women’s rights, poverty, education, environmental justice, and intersectionality. Maathai created an extensive tree planting campaign and has planted 51 million trees so far in Kenya. 

Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992) was a Black transgender woman and LGBTQ+ activist. She created the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries with Sylvia Rivera. This movement helped support gay and transgender people who were homeless by providing them with food and shelter. 

Claudette Colvin, born 1939, refused to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus at 15 years old, nine months before Rosa Parks. She was then arrested by two police officers; it is believed she helped overturn the Alabama and Montgomery bus segregation laws. 

Dorothy Height (1912-2010) was a civil rights activist and a leader in the Young Women’s Christian Association and the National Council of Negro Women’s president. She fought for Black and women’s rights and was an activist against lynching, committed to reforming the criminal justice system. 

How many of these women have you heard of before?