Geraldine Brooks Essay

In this paper I will be providing you lots of information on Ms. Ray. Charlotte E. Ray accomplished a lot of great things for African American and women in general. Becoming not only the first female African-American lawyer in the United States but also the first to practice in Washington, D.C. Because of her bravery and persistence obstacles were broken. Ray has paved the way for young women of color in today’s society. She has paved the way for any women in today’s society to reach their dreams. To become a lawyer if they wanted too.

Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her dad was James McCauley a carpenter and her mother Leona McCauley was a teacher. At the age of two after her parents separated Rosa moved to her grandparents farm in Pine Level, Alabama with her mother and her younger brother, Sylvester. When Rosa was eleven she was enrolled

Betty White is one of the most influential actresses of television history. Born as Betty Marion White on January 17, 1922 in Illinois, her family moved to Los Angeles, California during the Great Depression. She began her career by reading commercials for the radio in 1939 when she was seventeen years old. Betty White then started acting in television shows and movies. Since then, she has won several awards and continues to act. Betty White’s autobiography, If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won’t), reveals an actress 's life from her perspective. Betty White’s long life and long career have made it possible to provide inspiration to everyone in the acting world and in the real world.

People make history and history makes an impact on the world; Ella Baker did just that. Never putting herself at the center of attention, Baker’s main involvements in history include the establishment of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, working as a director of branches for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and lastly, forming meetings for the people from the Greensboro sit-ins that transformed into the Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee (SNCC). Although unable to face any grave consequences, Bakers mainly impact on history was during the Civil Rights era from 1931-1986. Baker was against segregation at the time when there was racial discrimination of African Americans and minorities. Today she is known as the backbone of the Civil Rights Movement and considered as one of the most influential African American women activist/advocate that aided in not only African American rights but human rights as a whole.

Susan B. Anthony was a prominent feminist author who started the movement of women’s suffrage and she was also the president of the National American Women Suffrage Association. Anthony was in favor of abolitionism as she was a fierce activist in the anti-slavery movement before the civil war.

When thinking of personal experiences, “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks touches on the emotional topic of abortion. Even though this poem was published decades ago, it can still be seen very relevant to this day. Accepting abortion and the outcome can indeed be a challenging task for many, while others seem to adapt to it without much of a problem. Gwendolyn Brooks’ writing lets us take a look at the mothers view point of abortion and how a mother responds to her new situation. Throughout the poem, the speaker shows signs of grieving concern of the topic of abortion and its outcomes by presenting emotions of regret and memories, shame and guilt, and contradicting herself to almost justify what she has done.

Mary McLeod Bethune was born on July 10 in 1875. Her parents were Patsy and Samuel McLeod. Mary was born the third youngest child out of her seventeen siblings and she was also the first born into freedom. Opportunities came for Mary that her older siblings may not have had and Mary didn’t pass them up. Mary graduated from Scotia Seminary in Concord, NC in 1894. Mary wasted no time a year later she graduated from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois.

What is your opinion on Mary Surratt’s terrible, unneeded hanging? Mary Surratt was an innocent woman who was accused of helping John Wilkes Booth with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. She got hanged for it, but the person who actually did do something to help John Wilkes, Dr Mudd, didn’t get hanged, he got life in prison. The truth is, Mary Surratt should not have been hanged for her “crimes.” She was innocent because she didn’t do anything

“And give up? Not on your life.” Nellie Bly retorted when told to give up her dream job of becoming a reporter. (The Adventures of Nellie Bly). Elizabeth Cochran (the name Nellie Bly was given at birth) was born on May 5, 1864, in Cochran Mills, Pennsylvania. Cochran Mills was named after her father who was a wealthy businessman, and she was often called “Pink” because her mother almost always dressed her in that color. Later, she added an “e” to the end of her last name for elegance. Nellie became a professional muckraker and was a widely read female stunt reporter. She married Robert Livingston Seaman in 1895, and retired from journalism. Unfortunately, she died on January 27, 1922 in New York, New York from pneumonia after a life abundant with conquering hardships and tenacity. Nellie Bly showed perseverance throughout her childhood, work life, and adulthood.

An outstanding woman once said, “ Live day by day and enjoy your family.” That outstanding woman was Mary Hays. And that’s what she did. Living day by day states her early life, her reasons for being in battles, her role in the battles, and her life after battle. This will show Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley was an outstanding person

When you think of September you think of back to school. Right? We all remember the smell of a new box of crayons. Well in the 1900s that was not the case for many children in America. Labor laws were not fair, but there was one American woman in that era that said enough is enough. She fought hard on improving working conditions for many American Her name was Florence Kelley.

“What the people want is very simple they want an America as good its promised. “Barbara’s parents were Arlyne and Benjamin she had two older sisters, Bernie and Rose Mary. Barbara was born on February 21, 1936.Barabra was a critized by her parents by not speaking correct English. They urged her to become a music director or a teacher, because they said that was only good for a black women at the time. Her sister did become a music teacher. Barbara Jordan, who is an expert in medicine, however, explained later that she thought about being pharmacist, a scientist. Barbara Jordan remains a remarkable inspiration to America and the world. She left a vision of America as a nation that stands for children, for justice and for freedom. The nation began to come together as one.

When the colonies were being established in the United States, there were struggles between white colonists and the Native Americans already living there. Mary Musgrove helped this improve this situation when Georgia was being founded in the seventeenth century. Her blended background gave her skills that helped her bridge both groups.

Born as Freda Josephine McDonald on June 3, 1906, in Saint Louis. Her mother had dreams of becoming a music-hall dancer, but gave them up to become a mother and washerwoman and her father abandoned them when she was an infant. Most of her time as a youth was spent in poverty. To help support her family, she started cleaning houses and babysitting at the age of eight often being mistreated. At the age of 13 she ran away from home, found work as a waitress at a club where she met her first husband Willie Wells, who she divorced only weeks later. It was around this time that Josephine first took up dancing, honing her skills, both in clubs and in street performances, by 1919 she was touring the United States with the Jones Family Band and the Dixie Steppers performing comedic skits. By 1921 she married her second husband, Willie Baker whose name she obtained even after they divorced years later.

Harriet Ann Jacobs is the first Afro-American female writer to publish the detailed autobiography about the slavery, freedom and family ties. Jacobs used the pseudonym Linda Brent to keep the identity in secret. In the narrative, Jacobs appears as a strong and independent woman, who is not afraid to fight for her rights.