Authors, Activists, Artists Speak! History is not only what we inherit. It is what we choose to remember, to record, and to pass forward. For Black women, storytelling has always been an act of preservation and resistance—a way of holding onto truth when the official record refused to.
On the same night Michelle Obama and Kendrick Lamar were celebrated at the 2026 NAACP Image Awards, a reporter for Word In Black quietly made history of her own. Anissa Durham won the inaugural Outstanding Literary Work – Journalism award for “On Borrowed Time."
Who today has ever heard of Rose Meta Morgan? If, thanks to groundbreaking work by Stanley Nelson and A’Lelia Bundles, many are aware of the triumphant, if brief, lives of Madam Walker and her daughter, no biographer has come forward for their successor in the sphere of Black beauty.
By Tracy Chiles McGhee Anniversaries like America’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence reveal not only what is celebrated, but what is omitted and whose stories are positioned as central to the national memory. For example, out of the 24 titles included in the National Endowment of the Arts America…
To tell the truth about how the movement endured, we have to listen for the voices history often lowered. Even among the women we do remember, their leadership is often mis-framed.
Originally published on March 28, 2024 Claudette Colvin passed away on January 13, 2026. We honor her life, courage, and enduring legacy in the Civil Rights Movement. Claudette Colvin—young, courageous, and defiant in the face of segregation—sparked one of the most infamous movements of the 20th century. In the heart of Montgomery, Alabama, she took…
Transforming memory into action, Hathaway has launched the Donny Hathaway Legacy Project. She says the nonprofit organization will create a space where culture, holistic healing and community meet mental health.
For Black women who lead in movements, ministries, nonprofits, classrooms, and boardrooms, the holidays can bring a mix of joy and exhaustion.
In this season, Black families and communities are coming together to celebrate one another, help and share resources. Unerased Black Women Speak has compiled this resource list for those looking for support and those willing to assist their community this holiday season.
The holidays can be beautiful, full of tradition, nostalgia, delicious food and connection with loved ones. But they can also stir up stress in the form of pressure, expectations and emotions we don’t always talk about.