International Women's Day (March 8th) is fast approaching, and with it comes the opportunity for people around the world to honor and celebrate the extensive contributions women have made and continue to make to society. Women are superheroes, and aside from literally creating life, they have worked tirelessly and often thanklessly to help make our world the innovative and modern place it has become. So, in honor of International Women's Day, I've decided to highlight five of the most interesting, brave, and genius Black Women whose contributions have laid the way for the freedoms and advancements we enjoy today.
Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker is notable for two incredible reasons. She was the first female black star in a major motion picture, where she used her fame to help her smuggle secret messages to French soldiers during WW2.
Sojourner Truth
Another incredible black woman who helped change history, Sojourner Truth, is known for her extensive work in the abolitionist movement and women's rights. Her famous speech "Ain't I A Woman" used plain English to explain why women and men are equal.
Cleopatra
Cleopatra was the final Ptolemic ruler of Egypt, making a name for herself when men typically ruled. She famously defended Egypt from the onslaught of the expanding Roman Empire.
Oprah
Oprah Winfrey is a talk show host, media mogul, actress and a philanthropist. She's best known for being the host of her own, wildly popular program, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which aired for 25 seasons, from 1986 to 2011. In 2011, Winfrey launched her own TV network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). She is a graduate of the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Tennessee State University.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris is the 49th Vice President of The United States and she is also the first woman and black woman Vice President. She is a graduate of Howard University also an HBCU. She is a former prosecutor and also the former attorney general in California.
Women from all over the world have made such tremendous contributions to making the world what it is today. That same brave, innovative spirit lives within each woman and is why women are and will always be superheroes!