Bios of African American Women in History

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African-American History

Timeline of
African-American History
(with quiz/printout)

Black History Calendar

EnchantedLearning.com
Biographies of Some
African-American Women
Who Changed the World
Women in History

African Americans
A Printable Activity Book for Early Readers

African Americans
A Printable Activity Book for Fluent Readers

Chisholm, Shirley

Shirley Chisholm (Nov. 30, 1924 - Jan. 1, 2005) was the first African-American woman elected to the US Congress. Shirley Anita St. Hill was born in Brooklyn, New York. After being a teacher and serving as a New York state assemblywoman, Chisolm was elected as a Democrat to the House of Representatives. She served in Congress for seven terms, from January 3, 1969, until January 3, 1983. In 1972, Chisholm was the first African-American woman to run for a major-party presidential nomination. During her long political career, she fought for the rights of women and minorities.

Goode, Sarah S.
Sarah E. Goode was a businesswoman and inventor. Goode invented the folding cabinet bed, a space-saver that folded up against the wall into a cabinet. When folded up, it could be used as a desk, complete with compartments for stationery and writing supplies. Goode owned a furniture store in Chicago, Illinois, and invented the bed for people living in small apartments. Goode's patent was the first one obtained by an African-American woman inventor (patent #322,177, approved on July 14, 1885).

Jemison, Mae C.

Mae C. Jemison (October 17, 1956 - ) was the first African-American woman in space. Dr. Jemison is a medical doctor and a surgeon, with engineering experience. She flew on the space shuttle Endeavor (STS-47, Spacelab-J) as the Mission Specialist; the mission lifted off on September 12, 1992 and landed on September 20, 1992.

For more information on Jemison, click here.

Go to a cloze (fill-in-the-blanks) activity on Mae Jemison.
Go to a worksheet printout on Mae Jemison with information, three questions to answer, and a picture to color.

Jordan, Barbara
Barbara Jordan (Feb. 21, 1936-Jan. 17, 1996) was the first black U.S. congresswoman from the deep South; she served Texas for six years in the US House of Representatives. Jordan was a powerful orator who fought for civil rights and the rights of the poor.

Parks, Rosa

Rosa Parks (February 4, 1913 - October 24, 2005) was a pivotal figure in the fight for civil rights. On December 1, 1955, a Montgomery, Alabama, bus driver ordered Mrs. Parks to give up her seat to a white man. When she refused, she was fined and arrested. This incident prompted a city-wide bus boycott, which eventually resulted in a Supreme Court ruling that segregation on city buses is unconstitutional.

For more information on Rosa Parks, click here.

For a Parks Cloze activity, click here.

Truth, Sojourner
Sojourner Truth (1797?-1883) was an American preacher who dedicated her life to fighting for for civil and human rights. She was born a slave in New York State, but was freed in 1827. After becoming a preacher, she campaigned for the abolition of slavery and for women's rights. During the US Civil War, she helped black Union soldiers obtain supplies and also worked as a counselor for the National Freedon Relief Association.

Tubman, Harriet
Harriet Tubman (1820 - 1913) escaped slavery in Maryland in 1849 and traveled north. She then helped hundreds of other slaves flee to the north to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Mrs. Tubman helped John Brown recruit soldiers for his raid on Harpers Ferry (1859). She spied for the Union (in South Carolina) during the US Civil War. After the war, she lived in Auburn, New York, and founded the Harriet Tubman Home for Aged Negroes. Mrs. Tubman devoted her life to fighting slavery and championing the rights of women.

For more information on Harriet Tubman, click here.

Walker, Madame C. J.
Madame C. J. Walker

Madam C. J. Walker (December 23, 1867 - May 25, 1919) was an inventor, businesswoman and self-made millionaire. Sarah Breedlove McWilliams C. J. Walker was an African-American who developed many beauty and hair care products that were extremely popular. Madam Walker started her cosmetics business in 1905. Her first product was a scalp treatment that used petrolatum and sulphur. She added Madam to her name and began selling her new "Walker System" door-to-door. Walker soon added new cosmetic products to her line. The products were very successful and she soon had many saleswomen, called "Walker Agents," who sold her products door to door and to beauty salons.

For more information on Madame C. J. Walker, click here.

Walker, Maggie Lena
Maggie Lena Walker (July 15, 1867-December 15, 1934) was the first woman in the USA to become a local bank president. Throughout her life, Walker worked for civil rights and other humanitarian causes.

Maggie Mitchell was born in Richmond, Virginia, to former slaves. In 1886, Maggie married Armstead Walker, Jr. She worked first as a teacher, and then as an agent for the Woman's Union Insurance Company, quickly rising to become the executive secretary/treasurer of the company. She founded the newspaper, the St. Luke Herald, in 1902. In 1903, she started the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank and was its president. In 1929, at the start of the economic depression, her bank bought all the local black-owned banks in town and renamed itself the Consolidated Bank and Trust Company.

For more information on Maggie Lena Walker, click here.

For a cloze (fill-in-the-blanks) activity on Maggie Lena Walker, click here.

Related Pages:

African-American History
Timeline of
African-American History
(with quiz/printout)
Black History Calendar Word for Each Letter

Find an Important African-American for Each Letter
See if you can think of and write down an important African-American from history for each letter of the alphabet. Find a person's name for as many letters as you can. Or go to a sample answer page.

African Americans
A Printable Activity Book for Early Readers
African Americans
A Printable Activity Book for Fluent Readers
Quiz on Great African-Americans
A printable page
African-American Inventors
A printable page