Penguin Books
Up Close: Ella Fitzgerald
A reading of Tanya Lee Stones' biography of Ella Fitzgerald lets middle schoolers get up close and personal with the First Lady of Jazz. Stone recounts details of Fitzgerald's life from her early days through her experiences as a teenage...
Other
Black History From a to Z
Students will enjoy exploring this colorful site during Black History Month, or any other month! Follow the timeline of famous African American women and inventors, or just click on a letter of the alphabet to find brief pieces of...
University of Richmond
University of Richmond: History Engine: Maggie L. Walker
This brief biography of Maggie L. Walker outlines her rise to success as the first African American bank owner in the United States.
Other
Washington and Lee University: Black History Month: Maggie Lena Walker
Maggie L. Walker was the first female bank president of the United States. Learn about the life and work of this African American teacher and entrepreneur. This brief biography includes accompanying audio [1:49], as well as a...
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Maggie L. Walker
Maggie Lena Walker was an entrepreneur and the first female bank president in the United States. Find out about the personal life and many impressive career firsts of this African American teacher and businesswoman.
Black Past
Black Past: Magggie Lena Walker
With this brief biography, learn about the life and career of Maggie L. Walker, the first African American bank president. Topics also includes Walker's activism, philanthropy and family history.
Other
Mississippi Writers' Page: Ida B. Wells Barnett
The University of Mississippi offers a detailed biography of Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862-1931) the famous freedom fighter is offered at this site. It includes an extensive bibliography of her works, and works about her, as well as some...
National Women's Hall of Fame
National Women's Hall of Fame: Sojourner Truth
The National Women's Hall of Fame provides a brief biography of the famous abolitionist and former slave, Sojourner Truth.
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Ruby Bridges
A biographical look at Ruby Bridges who became famous at six years of age by being the first Black child to attend a desegregated school in America.
Library of Congress
Loc: Today in History: December 1: Rosa Parks & Pas De Deux
Two important events in U.S. history are described here. The first looks at Rosa Parks with quotes from Parks herself. The second looks at the New York City Ballet and the collaboration between Russian composer Igor Stravinsky and...
PBS
Art21: Kara Walker
This artist is best known for exploring the themes of race, gender, and sexuality through silhouetted figures created by light projection.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin
Biographical sketch of Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, an American community leader who was active in the women's rights movement and particularly in organizing African American women around issues of civic and cultural development.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Byllye Avery
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Byllye Avery, an American health care activist whose efforts centred on bettering the welfare of low-income African American women through self-help groups and advocacy networks.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Sojourner Truth
Easy to read biography of anti-slavery activist, abolitionist and feminist, Sojourner Truth. Article covers her early life as a slave, her Civil War years, and her famous speeches.
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: Mathilde Anneke, 1817 1884
Mathilde Anneke was a remarkable woman. A feminist before the days of feminism, she worked tirelessly for the rights of women and of African Americans. She experienced firsthand the powerlessness of a nineteenth-century woman after her...
Other
The Vel Phillips Foundation: Vel Phillips' March
The Vel Phillips Foundation is dedicated to the example of Vel Phillips, an African-American civil rights leader in Milwaukee. She championed the rights of women and minorities in her roles as a judge, a city councillor and later a...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Cheryl Miller
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Cheryl Miller, an American basketball player who is one of the greatest players in the history of women's basketball. Miller is credited with both popularizing the women's game and...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Bell Hooks
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features bell hooks, an American scholar whose work examined the varied perceptions of black women and black women writers and the development of feminist identities.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Cynthia Cooper
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Cynthia Cooper, an American basketball player who was the first Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In the WNBA's inaugural season (1997),...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Fannie Barrier Williams
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Fannie Barrier Williams, an American social reformer, lecturer, club woman, and cofounder of the National League of Colored Women.
Black Past
Black Past: Margaret Garner Incident (1856)
Brief encyclopedia entry explores the Margaret Garner Incident, one of the most famous fugitive slave trials and the inspiration for Toni Morrison's book and film Beloved.
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: A Life of Firsts: Brief Biography of Vel Phillips
Born in Milwaukee in 1924, Vel Phillips was a women's and civil rights activist, and the first female African American lawyer in Wisconsin. Her many accomplishments as an African American woman paved the way for others.