Phyllis Wheatley
Phyllis Wheatley was born into slavery, yet managed to publish her first story at the extraordinary age of fourteen. She later became the first African American women to ever have a book of her poetry published. She could tally among her fans George Washington and legendary French author Voltaire. Because of these achievements and her accomplishments, abolitionists committed to ending slavery once and for all transformed her into a metaphor for something which was actually contested at the time: the humanity of slaves. After all, a horse, plot of ground, or barn—all considered the same level of property as a slave—(not to mention most slave owners) were hardly capable of composing poetry at such an elevated level.
Nichelle Nichols/Lt. Uhura
Nichelle Nichols made history when she was cast as a regular on the original Star Trek series. Following outrage after sharing American television’s first black/white interracial kiss (Caucasian Lucille Ball and Hispanic Desi Arnaz had been kissing on a weekly basis over a decade before), Uhura’s role was relegated to background character and Nichols considered quitting the show. No less a figure than Martin Luther King, Jr. urged her to stay with the show, declaring that both actress and the role she played were:
“a symbol of hope and a source of imagination to people of color across America.”
Angela Davis
At one time in the latter half of the twentieth century, no single African American woman was capable of inspiring more fear and outrage among certain segments of white America than Angela Davis. She was a member of the Black Panthers and later headed up the American Communist Party. She was placed on the FBI’s most wanted listed despite no evidence of actually being involved in the commission of the crime with she had been charge. Despite the being publicly labeled a “dangerous terrorist” at news of her arrested by President Richard Nixon, David and would eventually be found not guilty by an all-white jury. Throughout much of the 1970s, however, the name Angela Davis would transform for conservative white Americans into a chilling metaphor the combined threats of black power and feminism.
Ella Fitzgerald
Metaphorical language is unusually robust in the biographical sketch of jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald. Hers is a story quite typical of those in this book: making the seemingly impossible leap from poverty laced with racist oppression to unique accomplishments on the world stage. Her overnight transition from homelessness to earning the equivalent of $500 in a talent competition is described as “going from rags to riches” while the subsequent impact of her signature song becoming a hit record four years later leads to a career assessment of having “snowballed from there.”
Introduction
In the Introduction, the author explains the motivation behind writing and publishing this book as well as what it means to be chosen for inclusion. It is not intended to be merely a historical overview of African America woman who have contributed to various disciplines, careers, and artistic pursuits. It is also an inspiring display of how privilege and entitlement can occasionally—rarely, it must be admitted, lest the book would not exist—be overcome by those others wish to relegate to the shadows: “In a society where being black and female meant being an outside or sometimes invisible, these women dared to go after what they wanted.”
