Malcolm X once said “The most disrespected person in America is the black women. The most unprotected women in America is the black women. The most neglected woman in America is the black woman.”

Black History Month is the month to celebrate the backbone of America: black women who have changed the game forever. These are the black women whose names you should know.

Rosa Parks is a woman who defied all odds when she refused to leave her seat for a white passenger. Parks was a trained activist and worked with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People  (NAACP).

Secondly, Coretta Scott King, the wife of MLK, was the backbone of the Civil Rights movement. Coretta Scott King was an activist who fought for women’s rights as well as LGBT rights.

Recently Oprah Winfrey became the first black woman to win the Cecil B. Demille award. She is one of the most influential people on Earth. She’s an actress, producer, and philanthropist and is dedicated to children’s rights activism.

Noma Register said,  “Oprah for instance she grew up poor and she grew up in a time where schools were segregated. Now she’s an icon. I think it’s kind of crazy considering when she grew up all kinds of people now look up to her.”

Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a musical icon and recently she has dropped her Cosmetic line Fenty beauty which is dedicated to catering to all skin tones. Rihanna’s cosmetic line  has changed the cosmetic world and helped make brands become more inclusive.

Angela Davis was part of the Black Panthers and the civil rights movement.  She is also a counter-culture activist which by dictionary definition is: a way of life and set of attitudes opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm. Former governor Ronald Reagan even campaigned to have her barred from teaching, yet he failed.

Serena Williams has won the second-most singles titles in women’s Grand Slam tournaments of all time.

Michelle Obama was the most educated First lady in the history of the United States. She has degrees from Princeton and Harvard Law. Michelle Obama sparked change during Barack Obama’s presidency. Founder of the ‘Let’s Move!’ movement to help make children healthier. She’s an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. She is a lawyer and writer, she’s also a role model for women.

Beyonce is an unapologetic feminist. Queen Bey has managed to include Black culture in her songs.

Maya Angelou was a writer, poet, and civil rights activist. Angelou’s poetry moved mountains, built dams and caused chills all throughout the reader’s body.  Her writing spilled secrets within the lines. Her tongue sharp with paper cuts as you turn every page. She was a spokesperson for black people and women.

Sojourner Truth: You may be familiar with her name and speech ‘ Ain’t I A Woman’  from your U.S. History classes. Sojourner Truth was a well known feminist. She was also an escaped slave fighting to abolish slavery.

Students and staff were asked which black women have inspired them.

Kalkidan Agonafer said, “I would say Serena Williams  because she is just simply amazing . She defied all odds and that’s amazing to see”

“I personally look up to Yara Shahidi because she is someone who is like around my age and just like hearing how profoundly she talks about important topics that people our age don’t really care about or are interested to be informed about. She got accepted into Harvard along with Malia Obama so she’s definitely a big inspiration especially being a senior applying to colleges,” Jallenae Abraham explained.

Mary Merid stated,  “Some black women that inspire me are: Michelle Obama, Beyonce and Rosa Parks. They all proved to the world how hardworking and persistent they are.”