5 Historical Black Women Pt I

In honor of Black History Month, I am excited to share with you all a three part series on black history focusing on individuals that maybe you've never heard of who have made a huge impact on culture, their various fields, and American history. It is important to remember that blacks specifically African Americans have had much of our history wiped from us during slavery. There are many unsung black individuals who were pioneers, inventors, artists, and heroes. This post is focused specifically on five black women who I believe do not get enough credit or spotlight for their contribution and impact on our history. Hope you all enjoy!

I figured the best woman to begin with is the "Godmother of Rock n Roll" Sister Rosetta Tharpe (March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973). Born Rosetta Nubin, she led a very unconventional life for the time. She was born and raised in Arkansas where her parents were evangelists who were heavily involved in their church. Tharpe's musical roots lie in her gospel singing and guitar playing in her home church. As young as six-years-old, she was traveling with her mother on evangelical singing tours. Eventually the pair settled in Chicago where she met her husband. She continued to perform and by the late 1930s, Tharpe left her husband, moved to New York, and took on the name Rosetta Tharpe.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe is considered the precursor to rock n roll and rhythm and blues music. She deconstructed the typical gender role of the guitarist--being one of the first women to become a popular guitarist. She began recording gospel music at the age of 23 (during 1938) with songs such as, "My Man and I" and "Rock Me." "Rock Me" influenced MANY rock n roll singers such as Little Richard and Elvis Presley. She paired with Cab Calloway at the Cotton Club in Harlem as well as at a John Hammond concert during 1938 in which she performed in a way that left people in shock and in awe. Her performances were very controversial but she was an instant hit! She was able to sustain her career for thirty years playing all over the United States and Europe and had a resurgence in the 1970s when blues became popular again!

Above is a clip of Sister Rosetta Tharpe performing "Didn't It Rain." Here you can see how her style of playing exuded a robust attitude with powerful riffs. She was heavily influenced by the sounds of gospel music and that is the basis of rock n roll. Her singing and performing evokes a rawness that makes it clear why she is one of the biggest influences in music history.

Ann Lowe (December 14, 1898 – February 25, 1981) was the first African American to become a notable fashion designer. Her specialty was in creating custom formal wear---wedding dresses and evening gowns galore---specifically for the elite. She is a prime example of how women during that time had to choose between career and marriage. Her husband (whom she had a son with) made her choose between being a designer and a wife. She ended up leaving him once she was hired at a wedding dress shop.

In 1917 Lowe and her son moved from Tampa, Florida to New York City and she attended S.T. Taylor School of Design where she was forced to take classes separately on her own as her white colleagues did not want to be in the same class as her. She opened up her first salon back in Tampa and was able to save $20,000. She closed her shop and moved back to New York City opening up her second shop Ann Lowe's Gowns in Harlem in 1950.

Ann Lowe was very selective in the kinds of women who wore her designs. She catered to the elite and made designs for several generations of the Rockefellers, the Lodges, the Duponts, as well as many famous celebrities. Above is one of her most notable designs, the wedding dress Jacqueline Kennedy wore when she married John F. Kennedy. The stunning dress features a portrait neckline, perfectly pleated bodice, and a "trapunto" skirt which is a layering effect. She undercharged for much of her designs including this wedding dress which was only $500. Undercharging would prove to be a problem for Lowe down the line. As well as the fact that because she was a black designer, the white elite who wore her designs rarely made it known who designed their lavish ensembles. Lack of exposure and undercharging for lush expensive fabrics and materials led to Lowe not being able to make profit from her designs. Thus in 1962 she lost her salon in New York City. She officially retired in 1972.

Despite the downfall of Lowe's business, she contributed to the fashion industry at a time when it was unheard of for an African American to create designs for the upper echelon. Her designs showcased her mastery of sewing and embroidery in classic silhouettes that always flattered the wearer.

Julie Dash (born October 22, 1952) is an African American filmmaker from Queens, New York. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in filmmaking from Leonard Davis Performing Arts Center in 1974. Her work was primarily documentary based, but after film school her work took on a different direction. She became heavily inspired by black writers Alice Walker, Toni Cade Bambara, and Toni Morrison. She realized that the narrative in the books of these wonderful authors should be shown in film as well. From then forward she decided to work on dramatic films and less on documentary.

Dash's first experimental film was Four Women (1975) based on Nina Simone's song "Four Women" (1966). The film showcased characters based on the four stereotypes of black women that Nina sang about. These characters are: Aunt Sarah (a slave), Saffronia (a mixed woman), Sweet Thing (a prostitute), and Peaches (a representation of a woman overcoming generations of racial and gender inequality). The film challenges the viewer address their own biases based on stereotypes.

Other notable work of Julie Dash's is the short film Illusions (1982) explores racial inequality in Hollywood. The film is set in 1942 and focuses on a black woman, Mignon Dupree, who is white passing and a successful Hollywood executive juxtaposed with a black woman, Ester Jeeter, who is a struggling actress/singer who dubs voices for other actresses. Her most notable film, Daughters of Dust (1991), is about three generations of Gullah women (based on her own familial history) on Saint Helena Island.

Julie Dash has worked on plenty of other projects such as: music videos for Raphael Saadiq, Tracy Chapman, and so on. She has directed television films such as the biopic, The Rosa Parks Story (2002) and Brothers of the Borderland (2004). She currently continues to direct on the all female directing roster for Ava Duvernay's Queen Sugar.

Phillis Wheatley (c. 1753 – December 5, 1784) was a slave who became the first African-American poet to be published. There is no found documentation on her date and place of birth. She was sold to John Wheatley (her second slave owner) in Boston. Her slaveowner and his wife named her Phillis after the ship that she had come in on. Their daughter, Mary, taught Phillis how to read and write and thus by the age of 12, she began reading difficult and complex books such as, the Bible as well as Greek and Latin classics. She was greatly influenced by Alexander Pope, Horace, Homer, John Milton, and Virgil and began writing her own poetry.

By the age of 20, Phillis was known to members of high society in Britain who became her audience. She was invited to visit the president, George Washington, in 1776 after writing the poem, "To His Excellency, George Washington." She also wrote poems that were political and agreed with rebellious colonists of the time. For instance, in 1768 she wrote "To The King's Most Excellent Majesty" praising King George III for repealing the Stamp Act.

Phillis was eventually emancipated and ended up marrying a free slave, John Peters, whom was a grocer. They experienced a hard life--living in impoverished, unlivable conditions and dealing with the death of two children. Due to their debt and not being afforded any real opportunity, John Peters was eventually in prisoned, leaving Phillis to end up working as a scullery maid, which is the lowest ranking maid in a home, with their sickly infant child. Phillis died at the age of 31.

Despite the unfortunate ending of her life, Phillis Wheatley's accomplishments should be more talked about today. In 1773, her book Poems on Various Subjects became a famous work at the time and she became the first African American to make a living as a writer. She was noted for being able to have influences but not allow them to seep into her work, thus she wrote completely original and personal ideas.

Last but certainly not least is ophthalmologist and inventor Patricia Bath (born November 4, 1942). She is the first African American woman in the doctoral profession to own a patent for medical purposes--holding four patents in total. She is the first woman to become a member of the Jules Stein Eye Institute (which is the department of ophthalmology in UCLA), first woman to lead a post-grad program in ophthalmology, and first woman elected to earn the title of resident at NYU. She was born in Harlem, New York and was inspired by her love of culture, math, and science. Bath received her B.A. in chemistry from Hunter College in 1964. She attended Howard University in 1964 at the peak of the Civil Rights movement which would later inspire her. In 1968 sparked by MLK's assassination, she began the Howard organization, Poor People's Campaign in Resurrection City, to provide volunteer health services.

After Patricia Bath's residency at NYU, she focused on Corneal Transplantation and Keraprothesis surgery from 1973-74 at Columbia University. She founded the OTP (Ophthalmic Assistant Training Program) at UCLA and co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness in 1978. At UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute, she began the Keratoprothesis Program which provided advanced treatments for blind patients. In 1983, Bath became the first woman in to be appointed Chair of the KING-DREW-UCLA Ophthalmology Residency Program and was chosen to lead the first keratoprothesis based on her research and accomplishments.

In 1981 Patricia Bath invented the Laserphaco Probe which is a medical laser device that removes cataracts from the eye. She continues to improve on this amazing invention and holds the four patents to it.

Hope you all enjoyed this post and I will see you next Friday!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the photographs in this post.