Her Ruby Shoe Moment Ida B. Wells held a copy of her book, The Red Record, in her hands and had a sense of deep satisfaction. At about 100 pages, it was her biggest project ever. After months of research and writing, it was finally published in spring of 1895. The book was the first of its kind — it … Read More
Frances Watkins Harper
Her Ruby Shoe Moment It wasn’t the first time Frances Watkins Harper had seen her work in print. She had published books of poetry and serialized novels in magazines. Her suffrage and civil rights speeches had been featured in many newspapers and pamphlets. But holding the bound edition of her novel Iola Leroy; or, Shadows Uplifted was different. The number … Read More
Alice Ball
Her Ruby Shoe Moment Alice Ball inspected the light colored liquid in her test tube. Then, she placed a drop into water and swirled it around. She smiled as the two liquids mixed together. It was 1915 and Alice just created the first effective treatment for leprosy — an injectable oil extract from the seeds of the chaulmoogra tree. And … Read More
Maggie Lena Walker
She was born on the estate where her mother had been enslaved and grew up in segregated Richmond as part of the first generation of African Americans born into freedom. She learned quickly that there could be no true freedom without economic independence and became the first woman to charter a bank, while also founding a newspaper and opening a general store. Transport yourself to her 1901 speech announcing these plans and hear the soaring words spoken by Maggie Lena Walker…
Marian Anderson
When this internationally known opera star was barred from performing at Constitution Hall due to its “white performers only” policy, she sang in front of the Lincoln Memorial for thousands and broke racial barriers along the way. Transport yourself to Easter Sunday, 1939 and meet Marian Anderson…