Women and Black History Month

In doing my research for the Beyond Sixty Project I have run across numerous reminders of the many African-American women who have made a difference in our nation’s history.  Harriett Tubman and the underground railroad and Rosa Parks who showed incredible courage on an Alabama bus so many years ago are just two of the women I have been reading about. I wish they were here today so I could interview them and better understand the depth of their courage and resilience.

And then there is Madame CJ Walker, the first female millionaire in America.  I feel like I have been able to best understand her through my recent interview with A’Lelia Bundles, Madame CJ Walker’s great-great granddaughter and biographer.  To think that a woman born in 1867, on the same Louisiana plantation where her parents had been slaves, would become the first woman millionaire seems inconceivable.  Madame Walker’s story is fascinating, powerful and a testament to the determination and resilience I am finding in so many women.

You can learn more about A’Lelia Bundles by watching a clip of her interview in the Beyond Sixty Project website.  http://www.beyondsixtyproject.com

For more information on notable African American women check out this site: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/africanamerican/a/black_women.htm