Black twitter has emerged with yet another hashtag honoring the accomplishments of black women in history. The hashtag honors the marks made on the world by women from Michelle Obama to Nicki Minaj to Ruby Bridges. Because the melanin in most history textbooks expires at Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, hashtags like this are so important in the understanding of black contributions to history that are otherwise ignored. There has been lots of of talk about “breaking the glass ceiling” recently, referring to Hillary Clinton being the first woman presidential nominee of a major party. #BlackWomanDidThat honors the beautiful melanin that helped put those cracks in that ceiling.
Black women have been breaking records and doing the impossible flawlessly throughout all of American history. However, many black little girls are not exposed to the celebration of women who look like them or their mothers or their aunties or their sisters. How are those little girls suppose to have ambition without any one to mold their dreams after? Representation matters. When black girls see Gabby Douglas become an All Around gymnastic champion, they can dream it, because what separates her from them? When they learn about Annie Malone, who was the first to patten the hot comb and became one of the wealthiest African Americans, they can dream about one day creating a world-changing invention themselves. When young trans black women see Laverne Cox, they can be inspired to be unapologetically themselves.
The hashtag highlights many “firsts” such as Beverly Johnson, the first African American woman to appear on the cover of American Vogue, or Tera Poole, the first black valedictorian at the World’s First School of Dentistry. It leaves us wondering, who will be the next to break a boundary, be the next first, and will there ever be a time where there won’t be any more “first” for black women? To reach that point young black women need to keep thinking and aspiring, however for that, they need encouragement. Appreciation of those who came before offers that encouragement, so that little girls around the world can dream that they will one day be celebrated as well.
Black women are now the most educated group in the US, proof that black excellence is running rampant. They’ve invented everything from bantu knots to The Black Lives Matter Movement. They have been changing the game for generations, and will continue to spread their magic.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Johnson
https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=72
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