John,
Today we commemorate Juneteenth—the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the U.S. learned they were free. Juneteenth marks a hard-won victory, achieved not by chance but through generations of resistance, courage, and collective action.
At Women’s March, we honor the Black feminists who organized, agitated, and refused to be silent in the face of enslavement. You probably know Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman. Today, we’re lifting up three more trailblazers who inspire our fight for justice:
Maria W. Stewart (1803–1879) broke barriers as the first American woman to address a mixed-gender audience publicly. Her fierce writings in The Liberator made the moral case for abolition and women’s rights long before it was popular—or safe—to do so.
Sarah Mapps Douglass (1806–1882), a pioneering educator and writer in Philadelphia, co-founded the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. Alongside her mother, Grace Douglass, and ally Lucretia Mott, she helped center Black women in the abolitionist struggle.
Sarah Forten (1814–1893) and her family—mother Charlotte and sisters Margaretta and Harriet—used every tool they had: organizing fairs, circulating petitions, and supporting people escaping slavery. Their work laid a foundation for generations of Black feminist activism.
These women didn’t wait for freedom to arrive—they demanded it. They remind us that liberation takes bold voices, deep love, and relentless organizing.
Let’s honor their legacy not just in words, but in action. The fight for a feminist future—where all of us are free—continues today.
Let's build a free America.
In solidarity,
Women’s March
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