10 Black Feminists Whose Legacies Deserve More Recognition

Black women have led revolutions and altered the course of history. Yet, their names are missing from the pages that celebrate change. These feminists were pioneers, strategists, and visionaries. Their impact shaped the movements we know today. Their fight didn’t end—it was buried. It’s time to uncover their stories and give them the recognition they earned.

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911)

Abolitionist newspapers amplified her words long before the Civil War. Harper defied the norms of her time, publishing her first book of poetry at 20 and with her delivery of inspirational speeches against slavery. She co-founded the National Association of Colored Women to organize efforts to uplift Black communities through education and activism.

Anna Julia Cooper (1858–1964)

As a teenage teacher, Cooper would later redefine academia. She emphasized the need for the power of knowledge to strengthen the Black feminist movement. “A Voice from the South” became one of her most influential works, laying the foundation for discussions on race, gender, and education. Her doctoral research had broken barriers at the time.

Lucy Parsons (1853–1942)

Parsons fought for the rights of marginalized workers. Despite leading major labor movements, gender bias and anti-anarchist sentiment led to her erasure from mainstream labor history. She published incendiary essays and co-founded the Industrial Workers of the World. Authorities feared her influence so much they raided her home after her death to erase records.

Pauli Murray (1910–1985)

Murray’s legal brilliance reshaped civil rights in ways history often overlooks. She fought tirelessly to dismantle segregation, formulating arguments that influenced “Brown v. Board” of Education. Her legal battles extended beyond race—she laid the foundation for gender equality, directly impacting Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s landmark work on women’s rights.

Claudia Jones (1915–1964)

Jones refused to be silenced and was exiled from the U.S. for her political beliefs. As a journalist and an activist, she founded “The West Indian Gazette,” Britain’s first Black newspaper. She championed anti-racism, feminism, and working-class struggles that shaped the foundation of Black British activism.

Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin (1842–1924)

“The Woman’s Era,” the first newspaper for and by Black women, was founded by Ruffin. Publishing became her weapon against the oppressed, amplifying their voices in the suffrage and civil rights movements. She later co-founded the National Association of Colored Women, solidifying her impact on Black feminist organizing.

Fannie Barrier Williams (1855–1944)

Although she was denied access to opportunities due to her race, she fought for inclusion in elite feminist spaces. Williams was the first Black woman admitted to the Chicago Woman’s Club and spoke at the 1893 World’s Fair, demanding Black women’s participation in national conversations on rights and progress.

Charlotta Bass (1874–1969)

A fearless journalist and political pioneer, Bass used her platform as editor of The California Eagle to fight for civil rights. She historically became the first Black woman to run for U.S. vice president in 1952, challenging segregation and voter suppression in an era that tried to silence her.

Sarah Parker Remond (1826–1894)

She made history in an instant. Thrown out of a segregated opera house, she took her case to court—and won. Turning legal victory into activism, she traveled globally, delivered fiery speeches against slavery, and advocated for universal human rights in Europe. She later settled in Italy, where she became a physician and a trailblazer in medicine as she was in civil rights.

Harriet Jacobs (1813–1897)

She spent seven years hiding inside a crawlspace just to escape slavery. Harriet Jacobs turned her survival into storytelling and penned one of the first autobiographies to expose sexual abuse under slavery. She dedicated her life to teaching freed Black children. For decades, scholars dismissed her memoir as fiction, denying her the historical recognition she deserved.