They buried us, but they didn't know we were seeds

For generations, serving as the cornerstone of leadership in our communities,  the voices of African American women have long been at the forefront leading the fight for justice, equality, and change.  Women TAKE ACTION by showing up, standing up, and speaking up against the injustices impacting Black communities. From Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I A Woman” to Shirley Chisholm’s “Unbought and Unbossed”, Maya Angelou’s “And Still I Rise”, to Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb”, the voices of African American women inspire us to unite, stand and step into our power—for Freedom. Equality. Justice. 

From our nation’s soil, we have toiled and seeded movements producing civil rights activists and pioneers in health, science, education, mathematics, music, technology, fine arts, politics, Nobel laureates, entertainment, STEM, philosophy, nurture families, lead communities, And MORE!

Despite the many achievements and contributions, Black women continue to face unprecedented disparities across every facet in life, i.e., healthcare, gender pay gap, environmental issues, education, corporate redlining, mass incarceration rates, housing eviction, insecurity and discrimination all rank high among the long list of apparent and clear disparities.  African American women make up 13 percent of women in the country but represent 30 percent of the women’s prison population and a staggering 44 percent of women in jail. According to the Sentencing Project, “Of the more than 115,000 women in jails in the U.S., more than 60 percent haven’t been convicted of a crime, but are incarcerated while awaiting trial because they can’t make bail.” Even with advanced education, the gender pay gap remains disproportionate with Black women earning approximately 66 percent as white males and attaining 90 percent less wealth. Discriminatory housing and redlining practices are common place in black communities across social class on insurance, homeownership, even home appraisals.