April marks Black Women’s History Month: a time for black women to be elevated and praised for all of their achievements, as well as a time allies can be educated about their history.
Though most organizations that would typically hold celebrations for the month are inactive due to the coronavirus pandemic, black women and allies aren’t being deterred from celebrating throughout April.
There are some women who are more well known, like Rosa Parks or Harriet Tubman, but there are also women like Janet Mock, who works as transgender rights activist, Ruth E. Carter, who became the first black woman to win an Oscar for costume design and so many more.
Shalyn Foster, a junior studying health services administration, is the rising president of Ebony Minds, an organization on campus dedicated toward empowering black women. She feels it’s important to use Black Women’s History Month as a way to address how people learn about black women and how they’re typically portrayed in the media and everyday life.
“The way the media portrays black women, you would think we’re only a certain way but we’re a very diverse population,” Foster said. “We’ve done a lot of great things for this world and I think that doesn’t really get to be in the spotlight. Black Women’s History Month is where the accomplishments of black women and their influence is presented.”
Following Black History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March, April is dedicated to solely appreciating black women. Foster said there is a really specific difference between black men and black women in general that’s rooted deep into history.
“Whenever there was an agenda for black people and black women were fighting for it, black men would try to push the women out because they felt it would be easier for their cause if black women weren’t included because we’re kind of at the bottom of the totem pole,” Foster said.
She also explained how when women were dealing with trying to secure the right to vote, they decided to remove black women from the marches because they thought black women would taint their cause.
To Foster, both of these instances illustrate the systemic issue of black women being pushed aside and not being appreciated for the help they’re trying to provide. Black women’s history month is an opportunity to have no one pushing black women aside with a month that focuses on only the agenda, issues and achievements that come with being a black woman.
Jessica Willis, a senior studying communication studies, agrees with Foster and loves that there’s an entire month focused on bringing black women to the forefront.
“In everyday life, black women aren’t celebrated, taken seriously or put on the forefront,” Willis said. “So us just having our own month separate from Black History Month and Women’s History Month is really important.”
Daijah Singleton, a sophomore studying pre-med, feels it’s so important to let black women know that they’re appreciated and that there are people celebrating their achievements.
“I feel sometimes society and whoever believes we are at the bottom, which isn’t the case at all,” Singleton said in a text. “My father always told me I have two strikes against me because I’m a woman and I’m black. So recognizing and celebrating how beautiful and intelligent our black women are is definitely important.”
Foster, Willis and Singleton all have influential black women that they look up to. Foster admires Serena Williams, Willis looks up to Oprah and Sarah Jakes Roberts and Singleton commends and credits her character to the women in her family: her sister, aunts, friends and mom.
Foster is using the idea of influential black women to try and create social media challenges for Ebony Minds members and other people to participate in, but social media challenges are just one way to celebrate Black Women’s History Month. Foster also plans to read a book about influential black women and do more research into their lives. Willis is using writing on her blog and painting as a way to elevate black women in a positive light. Singleton is specifically thanking black women in her life and encouraging them throughout April.
These women also encourage allies to celebrate Black Women’s History Month by showing support, reposting and making their own posts related to the celebration and thinking about the achievements and innovations black women have contributed to society. They feel another important way to get involved is by self-educating through webinars, reading articles and opening their minds to obtaining information about the importance of black women.
More than anything, the act of empowering black women can be so influential toward their mental health and their greater good. That’s why Foster loves her work with Ebony Minds; she feels they go above and beyond to recognize black women every day, not just during Black Women’s History Month.
“We will come together as a group to see basically all the beautiful things that you are and can do with yourself,” Foster said. “I feel like a lot of women, especially black women with our accomplishments, we tend to minimize them and stuff, but we’re going to pump each other up.”
