Meet the Mothers of Black America

Celebrate Black history month with timelines, biographies and quotes from famous Black women.

These women are the founding mothers of black communities everywhere. From abolition to women's and civil rights, these remarkable sisters, daughters and neighbors shaped the way we see America. Get inspired by their words and click through to learn about their actions.

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"I was sick and tired of being sick and tired." — Fannie Lou Hamer

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"The stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, 'it's a girl.''— Shirley Chisolm

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"We are each other's magnitude and bond." — Gwendolyn Brooks

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"Invest in the human soul. Who knows, it might be a diamond in the rough." — Mary McLeod Bethune
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"If I'm going to sing like someone else, then I don't need to sing at all." — Billie Holiday
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"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." — Maya Angelou
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"My world did not shrink because I was a black female writer. It just got bigger." — Toni Morrison
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"Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them." — Madame C.J. Walker
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"The only tired I was, was tired of giving in." — Rosa Parks
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"Never be afraid to sit awhile and think." — Lorraine Hansberry
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"The things we truly love stay with us always, locked in our hearts as long as life remains." — Josephine Baker
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"We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society." — Angela Davis
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"You have to learn to get up from the table when love is not being served." — Nina Simone
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"Truth is powerful and it prevails." — Sojourner Truth
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"Grab the broom of anger and drive off the beast of fear." — Zora Neale Hurston
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"The people must know before they can act, and there is no educator to compare with the press." — Ida B. Wells
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"No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you." — Althea Gibson
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"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." — Harriet Tubman
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"It's not the load that breaks you down; it's the way you carry it." — Lena Horne
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"The air is the only place free from prejudice." — Bessie Coleman
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"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." — Alice Walker
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"If you worry about who is going to get credit, you don't get much work done." — Dorothy Height
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"Love is an action; never simply a feeling." — bell hooks
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"The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change." — Audre Lorde
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"What the people want is very simple - they want an America as good as its promise." — Barbara Jordan
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"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough." — Oprah Winfrey
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"Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it." — Marian Anderson
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"Never, never rest contented with any circle of ideas, but always be certain that a wider one is still possible."—Pearl Bailey

Meet the Mothers of Black America

"I was sick and tired of being sick and tired." — Fannie Lou Hamer

"The stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, 'it's a girl.''— Shirley Chisolm

"We are each other's magnitude and bond." — Gwendolyn Brooks

"Invest in the human soul. Who knows, it might be a diamond in the rough." — Mary McLeod Bethune

"If I'm going to sing like someone else, then I don't need to sing at all." — Billie Holiday

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." — Maya Angelou

"My world did not shrink because I was a black female writer. It just got bigger." — Toni Morrison

"Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them." — Madame C.J. Walker

"The only tired I was, was tired of giving in." — Rosa Parks

"Never be afraid to sit awhile and think." — Lorraine Hansberry

"The things we truly love stay with us always, locked in our hearts as long as life remains." — Josephine Baker

"We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society." — Angela Davis

"You have to learn to get up from the table when love is not being served." — Nina Simone

"Truth is powerful and it prevails." — Sojourner Truth

"Grab the broom of anger and drive off the beast of fear." — Zora Neale Hurston

"The people must know before they can act, and there is no educator to compare with the press." — Ida B. Wells

"No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you." — Althea Gibson

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." — Harriet Tubman

"It's not the load that breaks you down; it's the way you carry it." — Lena Horne

"The air is the only place free from prejudice." — Bessie Coleman

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." — Alice Walker

"If you worry about who is going to get credit, you don't get much work done." — Dorothy Height

"Love is an action; never simply a feeling." — bell hooks

"The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change." — Audre Lorde

"What the people want is very simple - they want an America as good as its promise." — Barbara Jordan

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough." — Oprah Winfrey

"Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it." — Marian Anderson

"Never, never rest contented with any circle of ideas, but always be certain that a wider one is still possible."—Pearl Bailey