Anna Julia Cooper: Champion of Black Women’s Voices
Born into slavery in Raleigh, North Carolina, Anna Julia Cooper transformed the limitations imposed upon Black women into fuel for her relentless pursuit of education and justice.
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Dorothy Cotton: An Architect of the Civil Rights Movement
When we think of the Civil Rights Movement, names like Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis dominate the narrative. Dorothy Cotton, an unsung architect of racial justice, embodied the period of protest and change.
She Came First: Black Women Transforming Sports
Before the buzzer sounds, before the world takes notice, before history is recorded—Black women have already been there, pushing boundaries, setting records, and changing the rules of the game.
From Wash Tubs to Union Halls: Black Women’s Legacy in the Labor Movement
In the aftermath of the Civil War, as the United States grappled with Reconstruction, Black women – both formerly enslaved and free – emerged as a force in the labor movement.
We Don’t Need Permission to Celebrate Black History Month
The 2025 Black History Month theme is African Americans and Labor, which focuses on the various and profound ways that work and working of all kinds intersect with the collective experiences of Black people and the work that we have done throughout the U.S., Africa, and the Diaspora.
A Note From Word In Black About the L.A. Fires
My uncle Justin, his wife, and 1-year-old daughter were among the estimated 180,000 people who had to evacuate, as of Thursday afternoon.
Los Angeles Burned, Now They’re Coming for Karen Bass
The first woman and second-ever Black person to serve as mayor of L.A. is under attack by conservative trolls like Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
Songstress Superstars: Honoring their Pain and Passions
Billie Holiday, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige, Natalie Cole, Phyllis Hyman, and Whitney Houston. Spanning generations and genres, these phenomenal songstress with crossover adulation shared more in common than their superstar status. All fought the demons of addiction; some to their demise, others to their recovery and rise. Commemorating Black Music Month, we unerase the…
Celebrating Three Blues Queens
This month we celebrate the far-flung majesty of Black music by paying homage to three pioneers. Musical royalty, they were all late 19th Century contemporaries who staked out their legendary portraits: the First Lady of Blues Mammie Smith, the Mother of Blues Ma Rainey, the Empress of Blues Bessie Smith. Singularly and collectively – each…
Preserving History: Making Harlem’s Legacy Unavoidable
In the heart of Harlem, where Black culture, resilience, and brilliance have thrived for generations, one organization is fighting to ensure that this legacy is never forgotten.
