Fresh Ten African American History Month Lesbian Icons

February is African American History Month. All month long, the U.S. comes together to pay tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society. In honor of this important and valuable celebration, we consulted with Equality Forum’s GLBT History Month icons to highlight some of the women that have made their list in the past few years. Each of these African American women were selected for their achievements in their field of endeavor, their status as a national hero, or their significant contribution to GLBT civil rights.

1. Ruth Ellis. Ruth Ellis, who lived to be 101, was credited with being the oldest known lesbian and GLBT civil rights activist.

2. Zora Neale Hurston. American author and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston was a principal figure in the Harlem Renaissance. She is the author of “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” a book heralded as “one of the most poetic works of fiction by a black writer in the first half of the 20th century, and one of the most revealing treatments in modern literature of a woman’s quest for satisfying life.”

3. The Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray. The Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray was a lifelong civil rights attorney and activist against racial and sexual discrimination. She was the first African-American female Episcopal priest.

4. Alice Walker. Alice Walker is an award-winning writer, activist and self-proclaimed “Womanist”—a term she coined in her book “In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens” (1974) to describe black feminists. The voices she brings to life in her novels, short stories and poems helped educate and inspire readers.

5. Angela Davis. A revolutionary of unequivocal prowess, Angela Davis has devoted her life to combating racism and sexism. Despite acrimonious attempts by the U.S. government to suppress her political influence, Davis has never wavered in her commitment towards global social justice.

6. Bessie Smith. Otherwise known as the “Empress of the Blues,” Bessie Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s.

7. Audre Lorde. A self-proclaimed “Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” Audre Lorde dedicated her life to combating social injustice. She helped found Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, the world’s first publishing company run by women of color.

8. Sherry Harris. Believing it impossible to win election as an out lesbian, many people warned Sherry Harris against running for Seattle City Council. In 1991, Harris proved her skeptics wrong. She defeated a 24-year incumbent councilman and became the nation’s first openly lesbian African-American city council member.

9. Barbara Jordan. Representative Barbara Jordan (D-Texas) was the first African-American woman elected to Congress from a southern state. She was known as an outstanding orator and Constitutional scholar.

10. Sheryl Swoopes. In 2005, Sheryl Swoopes became one of the highest profile professional athletes in a team sport to come out publicly when she announced that she is a lesbian.

The above information was obtained from Equality Forum’s GLBT History Month website, which highlights annually the achievements of 31 gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender icons. The women listed above have appeared in the organization’s 2009, 2008, 2007, or 2006 list. For more information visit http://www.glbthistorymonth.com.

Equality Forum is a national and international GLBT civil rights organization with an educational focus. Equality Forum coordinates GLBT History Month, produces documentary films, undertakes high-impact initiatives and presents the largest annual international GLBT civil rights forum. For more information, visit www.equalityforum.com.