With the events of her funeral this weekend we have to share this short documentary on her life. Take a look: Continue reading
Tag Archives: african history
Women you should know: The women soldiers of Dahomey
In honor of Black Panther we needed to repost this article from our archives! From the 18th to the early 20th century in Benin the armed forces were led by the Mino, a fierce all-female army tasked with guarding the palace, royalty and fighting for the territory of Benin, then known as Dahomey. When European … Continue reading
Female inventors: Valerie Thomas
Valerie Thomas was interested in science as a child, after observing her father tinkering with the television and seeing the mechanical parts inside the TV. At the age of eight, she read The Boys First Book on Electronics, which sparked her interest in a career in science. Her father would not help her with the projects … Continue reading
Female inventors: Sarah E. Goode
Sarah Jacob was born into slavery in about 1850; she gained her freedom at the end of the Civil War and moved to Chicago shortly after. In Chicago she met and married Archibald Goode, a carpenter. The idea for her invention came out of necessity of the times. Most people she knew lived in small homes … Continue reading
Female inventors: Bessie Blount Griffin
Bessie Virginia Blount (November 24, 1914 – December 30, 2009) was a physical therapist, inventor, and forensic scientist also known by her married name, Bessie Blount Griffin. By the time she completed sixth grade, she had exhausted the academic resources for black children in her community. The family relocated to New Jersey, and Bessie continued her self-study, earning … Continue reading
Women you should know: Margaret Ekpo
Margaret Ekpo was a Nigerian women rights activist, social mobilizer, a pioneering politician during the country’s First Republic and a leading member of a group of female Nigerian activists who rallied women beyond the borders of ethnic solidarity. Margaret Ekpo was born on July 27, 1914 into the family of Inyang Eyo Aniemewue from the … Continue reading
Queen Sobekneferu
One could be fooled into believing that women have no real place in history and so it is always important to bring to light important women. Today we take a look at Egypt. Sobekneferu is the first confirmed Egyptian queen, and one of the few females to rule the country. The structuring of Egyptian royalty … Continue reading
Women you should know: Queen Yaa Asantewaa
Nana Yaa Asantewaa (c. 1840 – 17 October 1921) was appointed queen mother of Ejisu of the Ashanti Empire—now part of modern-day Ghana—by her brother Nana Akwasi Afrane Okpese, the Ejisuhene “ruler of Ejisu”. Prior to European colonization, the Ashanti people developed an influential West African empire. Asantewaa was the Gatekeeper of the “Golden Stool” (Sika ‘dwa) during this powerful Ashanti Confederacy (Asanteman), an independent federation of Asanti … Continue reading
Women you should know: The women soldiers of Dahomey
From the 18th to the early 20th century in Benin the armed forces were led by the Mino, a fierce all-female army tasked with guarding the palace, royalty and fighting for the territory of Benin, then known as Dahomey. When European colonialists and missionaries encountered these women, they swiftly gained the nickname ‘the Dahomey Amazons’. … Continue reading
Women you should know: Queen Anna Nzinga
Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba, also known as Nzinga Mbandi, Anna Nzinga, and Rainha Ginga, was born in 1583 to the king of Ndongo, a kingdom of the Mbundu people in modern-day Angola. Nzinga first appears in historical records as the envoy of her brother, Ngola Mbandi, at a peace conference with the Portuguese governor … Continue reading
