Dear John,

February marks Black History Month, a time to honor and celebrate the invaluable contributions of the leaders, innovators and pioneers in the Black community; and a time to reflect on the countless ways that they have shaped our nation.

Today, I’m taking a moment to spotlight four heroic and inspiring Black women who fought tirelessly for civil rights and women’s suffrage—Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, and Mary Church Terrell.

This Black History Month, as more and more GOP-led states pass outrageous voter suppression laws specifically targeting Black and brown voters, it’s on us to honor the legacy of these four trailblazing women—and the countless unsung heroes who joined in their struggle—with action. To recommit ourselves to fight for justice and equality this and every month.

With love,
Kirsten

A fellow New Yorker, Sojourner Truth famously stood up to demand equal rights for all women in her 1851 ‘Ain’t I A Woman?’ speech. But her impact stretches far beyond a single speech: Born into slavery at the turn of the 19th century, she became one of the world’s best-known abolitionists and women’s rights crusaders.

Harriet Tubman freed countless enslaved people through the Underground Railroad, worked as a scout and spy for the Union Army during the Civil War, and became active in the women’s suffrage movement in later life. She reminds us that bravery and refusal to accept injustice can change history. 

Ida B. Wells was a force. She was an investigative journalist, exposing the horrors of lynching in the south, despite the violent retaliation she faced. She was a civil rights pioneer—one of the founding members of the NAACP. And she was a leading figure in the fight for women’s suffrage, where she faced ridicule, ostracism and outright racism from within the movement.

Mary Church Terrell fearlessly took on racism within the suffrage movement and fought for every Black woman’s right to vote. A lifelong activist, she helped end segregation in public eating places in Washington, D.C.—at the age of 86. Mary Church Terrell’s legacy teaches us that there is no place for bigotry in our flight for equality, and that none of us is free until we all are.