projects

Black Women in History – Marian Anderson

Anderson became the first African American to be invited to perform at the white house, when she was asked by President Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor. In addition, Anderson became the first singer to perform as a member of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. In honor of Marian Anderson work and talents, On January 27, 2005, a commemorative U.S. postage stamp was commissioned as a part of the Black Heritage series.

Black Women in History – Octavia Butler

“I just knew there were stories I wanted to tell” – Octavia Butler

Bell Hooks

Born on September 25, 1952 as Gloria jean Watkins…most know her her by her pen name bell hooks which is from her maternal grandmother. hooks is an American author, radical feminist, and social activist. Her writing has focused on the interconnectivity of race, capitalism, and gender and what she describes as their ability to produce and perpetuate systems of oppression and class domination. She has published over thirty books including the famous ain’t i woman: Black women and feminism (not to be confused with Sojourner Truth’s testimony) and numerous scholarly and mainstream articles, and appeared in several documentary films. Primarily through a postmodern perspective, hooks has addressed race, class, and gender in education, art, history, sexuality, mass media and feminism.

Shirley Lee Ralph

In 2010, black women accounted for 6,100 (29%) of the estimated new HIV infections among all adult and adolescent blacks. This number represents a decrease of 21% since 2008. Most HIV infections among black women (87%; 5,300) are attributed to heterosexual sex. The estimated rate of new HIV infections for black women (38.1/100,000 population) was 20 times as high as the rate for white women, and almost five times as high as that of Latinas.