By Sister Tarpley
“Valiant Women of the Vote.” The theme honors “the brave women who fought to win suffrage rights for women, and for the women who continue to fight for the voting rights of others.” . . .
March is National Women’s History Month. Every year the National Women’s highlights History Projects and selects a unifying theme to be shared with all who want to promote women’s history. This year’s theme presents the opportunity to weave women’s stories – individually and collectively – into the essential fabric of our nation’s history.
I usually highlight Black women to celebrate strong women who have made, or who are making a difference or will make a difference with their contribution to mankind this month.
Throughout history, Black women have made contributions to our society; but unfortunately, most of the time, you will not find their stories in America’s history books.
Accounts of the lives of individual Black women are critically important because they reveal exceptionally strong role models who share a more expansive vision of what a woman can do.
The stories of Black women’s lives, and the choices they made, encourage girls and young women to think larger and bolder and give Black boys and men a fuller understanding.
Knowing Black women’s achievements challenges stereotypes and upends social assumptions about who they are and what they can accomplish today.
There is real power in hearing Black women’s stories, both personally and in a larger context. Remembering and recounting tales of our ancestors’ talents, sacrifices, and commitments inspire today’s generations and open the way to the future.
Delilah L. Beasley – Historian and Newspaper Columnist; at her memorial service, which was a testament to her life-long crusade for justice, all attending stood and made the following pledge—“Every life casts it shadow, my life plus others make power to move the world. I, therefore pledge my life to the living work of brotherhood and material understanding between the races.
Beasley was the first Black woman to be regularly published in a major metropolitan newspaper and the first author to present the history of Blacks in early California.
Growing up in Ohio, Beasley started writing social columns for Black and White newspapers while still a teenager. After her parents’ deaths, she sought a career path that would better support her younger siblings, working as a hairdresser, massage therapist, nurse, and maid for many years.
In 1910 she moved to Oakland California where she immersed herself in the local Black community and again started writing articles in local newspapers.
In 1915 Beasley started writing a weekly column in the Oakland Tribune. Her articles protested the stereotypes contained in the movie “The Birth of a Nation.” Through a column called “Activities among Negroes,” she campaigned for Black dignity and rights.
She Highlighted activities of local churches, women’s clubs, literary societies, along with national politics, and achievements of Black men and women; her column aimed to give all readers a positive picture of the Black community and demonstrate the capabilities of Blacks.
Deeply interested in the history of Black Californians, Beasley trained herself in archival research and oral histories. In 1919 she self-published The Negro Trail-Blazers of California, this was a groundbreaking book chronicling the lives of hundreds of Black Californians from the pioneer period through the early 20th century.
Her book included an unprecedented amount of Black women’s history, focusing on the strong roles women played in their communities and featuring countless biographies of Black women leaders.
In the thirties, Beasley was the driving force behind the passage of California’s first anti-lynching bill. She continued her column and was active in the community until her death in 1934.
