In honor of Black History Month, we remember the faithful women who found lasting strength and unwavering courage in their faith in Jesus to help them endure hardship and opposition in their call to uphold dignity and equality for all. Be inspired by these insights into the lives of seven Black Christian women motivated by the truth of Scripture to influence change in church and society.
Phyllis Wheatley (first published African American poet; c. 1753–1784)
Phyllis Wheatley’s famous poetry was rich in theological truths and called for equality for all, regardless of skin color. Born around 1753 in West Africa, Phyllis was taken from her home at the age of seven and sold to a slave trader. She was purchased by John Wheatley, a wealthy Massachusetts merchant after whom she was named. Recognizing her keen mind, the Wheatley family provided her with a rigorous education and supported her literary abilities before finally emancipating her in 1773. Growing up in the Wheatley household, Phyllis was exposed to Christianity and converted at the age of 16. Phyllis’s first book of poetry, Poems on various subjects, religious and moral, was published in London in 1773 after being rejected by American publishers. She quickly became famous on both sides of the Atlantic, although some people, including Thomas Jefferson, disparaged her work based on her gender and ethnicity.
Throughout his short life, Wheatley used biblical symbolism and his literary skills to persuade Christians of the need to abolish slavery. In his best-known poem, “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” Wheatley exhorts his readers to view black Christians as equal recipients of salvation.
Sojourner Truth (abolitionist, women’s rights activist; 1797–1883)
A gifted orator, Sojourner was a fierce advocate for the abolition of slavery and equal rights for women. Born Isabella in New York’s Hudson River Valley, the future activist spent 30 years in slavery before escaping her cruel owners and finding refuge with Isaac and Maria Van Wagenen, who bought her freedom for just $20. Their kindness and faith had an impact on Sojourner, and her budding faith was firmly established after a dream in which she felt the love of Jesus. After moving to New York, she became a speaker at religious revivals, and in 1843 she changed her name to Sojourner Truth because of her call to preach the gospel and denounce slavery. Encouraged by prominent abolitionists to tell her story, she dictated (she never learned to read or write) her autobiography. The story of the truth about the stay in 1850, which mainly recounts his spiritual awakening. In 1851, she gave her most famous speech, “Ain’t IA Woman?” which challenged dominant beliefs promoting racial and gender inequalities.
The legacy of Sojourner, a strong Black Christian woman who demonstrated great courage in the face of the horrors of slavery, continues to inspire generations. His beliefs and faith were often intertwined in his speeches and poems, including “The Great Sin of Prejudice Against Color.” A charismatic speaker, she passionately asked her audience: “Children, who made your skin white? Is it not God? Who made mine black? Is it not the same God? Am I then guilty because my skin is black? Is it not a reproach to our Creator to despise some of his children, because it pleased him to give them a black sin? And did not the same Savior die to save some like the others?”
Harriet Tubman (abolitionist; c. 1822–1913)
Harriet Tubman’s belief in the power of prayer to save people inspired an entire nation. Born a slave around 1820 in Maryland, Harriet not only escaped slavery, but also helped hundreds of other African Americans find freedom through her work on the Underground Railroad. She was given the nickname “Moses” for safely bringing all the people she led from slavery to freedom in the North. She was also the first woman to lead an armed expedition during the Civil War, leading the raid on Combahee Ferry that freed more than 700 slaves. In her later years, she was active in the women’s suffrage movement.
Tubman was a woman of deep faith who experienced the power of God firsthand. Contemporary biographer Sarah Bradford remarked that miraculous answers to prayer “never seemed strange or mysterious to him; her prayer was the prayer of faith and she was waiting for an answer.”
Mary McLeod Bethune (educator, civil rights activist; 1875–1955)
Mary McLeod Bethune was the most influential black woman of the 20th century because of his extensive work promoting educational opportunities for all. The daughter of freed slaves, Mary was not deterred by the obstacles or abuse she faced in her quest to obtain an education. Seeking further training, she attended the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. The only black student on campus, Mary excelled in her studies and spiritual leadership. A huge disappointment followed her graduation when mission boards would not appoint her a missionary to Africa because she was black. Instead, she focused her attention on meeting the spiritual, educational, and physical needs of black children in the United States. Firmly believing in God’s calling and with only $1.50, she founded the Daytona Literary and Industrial Training Institute for Negro Girls on October 3, 1904, which later became Bethune-Cookman University. She helped found the United Negro College Fund, was a member of President Roosevelt’s “Black Cabinet,” and helped integrate the Red Cross.
Mary’s deep faith was integrated into all her efforts. Writing about the purpose of her university, she wrote: “There is among us a crying need for qualified women as moral and Christian leaders. The Bible occupies an important place in every department of our work. It is the guide of our lives.” In a history of Bethune-Cookman University, the authors conclude: “spiritual strength, race prideInterracial harmony and faith in America’s possibilities were central to Bethune’s beliefs and advocacy.
Mahalia Jackson (gospel singer; civil rights activist; 1911–1972)
Known as the Queen of Gospel, Mahalia Jackson used her voice to promote civil rights. The granddaughter of slaves who worked on rice and cotton plantations, Mahalia was born in New Orleans but moved to Chicago during the Great Migration, the term for the mass movement of black people from the South to the North to escape Jim Crow laws and find fair employment opportunities. His 1947 album, “Move On Up a Little Higher” quickly became the best-selling Gospel single, bringing him national and international recognition. She is also known for singing “I’ve Been ‘Buked and I’ve Been Scorned” during the March on Washington on August 28, 1963, before Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Mahalia turned down lucrative offers to sing in nightclubs (or other places she considered unfit for a gospel singer) and turned down opportunities to sing in front of segregated audiences. In 1964, Mahalia wrote about her beliefs and why she sang, saying: “Using the gift God gave me, singing the old spiritual songs for people all over the world has been of great personal help to me. Not to just become an artist or a star, but to help give faith to people – that is the most important thing I can do. Gospel songs are songs of hope and faith.”
Fannie Lou Hamer (civil rights activist; 1917–1977)
Fannie Lou Hamer rose from humble beginnings to become a respected advocate for civil and voting rights. Born in Mississippi, 20th The child of poor sharecroppers, Hamer began picking cotton at the age of six. Her formal education ended after sixth grade when she began working as a timekeeper on a cotton plantation. In 1961, instead of removing a small tumor, the doctor performed a complete hysterectomy without her permission, a common practice in the South to help reduce the black population. In 1962, she organized a group of 17 black volunteers to go to the courthouse to register to vote. Denied the opportunity to register and fined for traveling on a bus deemed too yellow, she was also fired from her job and her home confiscated following her plea. Motivated by the biblical truth that all men are children of God, she co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, helped lead civil rights protests, and launched the Freedom Farm Cooperative to help black farmers develop cooperatives that would provide affordable housing and economic opportunity.
Known for regularly singing a gospel song, one of Fannie’s favorites was “This Little Light of Mine,” a song she learned as a child in her Baptist church. Another song associated with Fannie comes from horrible suffering. Beaten and lying in a prison cell in June 1963, she asked the woman in her cell to sing the lyrics to “Walk with Me” all night to help them find strength and remember that God was with them. Author Jemar Tisby wrote of Fannie: “She used her knowledge of the Bible to develop a sophisticated political theology that led her to become one of the most notable activists of the civil rights era.” »
Latasha Morrison (modern racial reconciliation advocate)
Latasha Morrison is a compelling, modern voice calling on the Church to pursue racial unity and reconciliation grounded in biblical principles. A native of North Carolina, she grew up knowing she was a descendant of sharecroppers. Latasha’s experiences of racial insensitivity in school and church, as well as an African American history course in college that gave her a more complete history of black history in America, were sparks that led her to explore the role of the Church in addressing racial issues. After college, she held several corporate positions and worked on staff at primarily white churches in Georgia and Texas, which helped her find her life’s calling. In conversations with white friends and colleagues about modern expressions of racism and discrimination, she initiated discussion groups on racial reconciliation. These groups led her to found Be the Bridge in 2016, “an organization committed to bringing the reconciling power of the Gospel to racial division in America.”
Be the Bridge is actually made up of more than a thousand groups across five countries that help people of all ethnicities begin respectful discussions and build interracial and intercultural relationships to help the Church move toward racial reconciliation as a force for cultural impact. D in his book, Be the bridgeLatasha writes that change is possible when Christians “recognize the truth of our racial history… deplore injustice… confess our sins so that we can be healed by God… seek and extend forgiveness… repent and turn from our sins… seek restorative reconciliation…[and] bring reconciliation to others [God’s] name.”
Learn more about Black History Month:
The importance of Black History Month for Christians
Celebrating Black History Month
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