Who You Missed in History Class
Celebrate Black History Month and get to know the Black women you may have missed in history class.
Today, we’re highlighting New York state Senator Samra Brouk, an EMILY’s List candidate and an example of how Black women trailblazers have inspired the next generation of Black women leaders.
Samra Brouk made history in 2020 as the first Black woman to represent her district in the New York Senate, and she’s been fighting for her constituents every day since. A Rochester native, Samra Brouk was born to Ethiopian immigrants who instilled the values of education, resourcefulness, and hard work in her from a young age. And work hard, she did! In the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, she organized a month-long trip to Mississippi where Samra and her classmates helped remove mold from damaged homes and assisted FEMA with paperwork to help hurricane victims. Samra worked three jobs to make ends meet and pay for her college tuition. After college, she joined the Peace Corps in Guatemala, building school capacity and working on health education initiatives.
Since flipping her district by a double-digit margin, Samra has been a tireless advocate for equity and justice in Albany. She has already taken on important leadership roles including serving as chair of the Committee on Mental Health where she co-wrote legislation that would create a Black youth suicide prevention task force and established a working group on essential workers’ mental health during the pandemic. Her priorities include closing the equity gap in education, raising wages for workers, addressing climate change, ensuring adequate senior care, and expanding health care access with a focus on culturally-competent care in order to serve the needs of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ patients.
Samra may not be in the history books yet, but her service is a testament to the importance of seeing people that look like us representing us in government. This Black History Month, and every month, EMILY’s List is committed to electing Black women like Samra Brouk who will continue to make history, but more importantly — fight for Black futures.
Consider powering EMILY’s List’s work with a donation today at this link: secure.emilyslist.org/B29
Marsha P. Johnson
This week we’re celebrating the incredible life and legacy of Marsha P. Johnson! Marsha was born in New Jersey in 1945 and moved to New York at the age of 17, where she spent most of her life. Marsha was an outspoken champion for justice, and one of the foremost figures of the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
After graduating from college in 1960, Marsha moved to New York City’s Greenwich Village. It’s there that she embraced gender nonconformity through artistic expression — performing as a drag queen and often spotted donning colorful dresses and flowers in her hair. It’s said that the “P” in Marsha’s name meant “Pay it no mind,” a phrase Marsha often used when asked about her gender. Marsha is best known for her central role in the Stonewall Uprising — a movement sparked by a violent police raid on June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn, a club in New York City frequented by LGBTQ+ patrons.
While Marsha has been lauded for her contributions to the movement today, as a Black trans woman in the 80s and 90s — she faced frequent racism and transphobia from outside, and within, her own community. Trans women were (and still are) discriminated against when seeking employment and housing. This systemic barrier undoubtedly contributed to Marsha’s struggles with homelessness and mental illness. Despite her own trials, Marsha spent her life helping others in need. Along with trans activist Sylvia Rivera, she founded the STAR House — a refuge for unhoused LGBTQ+ youth to receive housing, food, and community. Later in life, Marsha continued to be an activist as a dedicated member of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) — a group focused on eradicating the HIV/AIDS epidemic. After a life of activism and radical kindness, Marsha died in 1992 due to unknown causes (though it’s believed that she may have been murdered).
“As long as my people don’t have their rights across America, there’s no reason for celebration.” Marsha P. Johnson’s words remain just as true today as when she was alive. While immense progress has been made in the fight for equality for LGBTQ+ Americans, Black trans women have been largely left behind. Black trans folks are far more likely to be unemployed, homeless, living in poverty, murdered, and at risk for suicide than the general population. The life expectancy for Black trans women is 35 years old.
There’s a long way to go before Marsha P. Johnson’s legacy of fighting for liberation for ALL their people is fulfilled. However, it’s progress to see incredible people like Andrea Jenkins, the first Black trans woman elected to public office; and Mauree Turner, the first Black gender nonbinary state legislator, serving their communities with pride. At EMILY’s List, we are committed to electing more people like them, so our government looks more like our country. And we recognize that none of this would have been possible without the contributions of trailblazers like Marsha P. Johnson.
Representative Barbara Jordan
“[…]I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution.”
For this week’s Black History Month highlight, we are honoring former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan — the orator of these electrifying words that partially brought about President Nixon’s resignation, and brought her national recognition. Barbara provided the history books with plenty of firsts, including being the first Black woman in the Texas state Senate, the first Black Texan in Congress, the first Black woman to oversee a state legislative body, and the first Black woman to deliver the keynote address at a Democratic National Convention (which she did from a wheelchair due to her battle with multiple sclerosis). But more importantly — Barbara Jordan was an outstanding lawyer, educator, and champion of civil rights.
Born in Houston, Barbara remained true to her Texas roots throughout her career. After completing her law degree at Boston University, she returned to her hometown and established her own law firm. Her work in the Texas Senate led to a minimum wage expansion that covered farmworkers, and later she was elected president of the body. As a member of the House of Representatives, Barbara advocated for anti-discrimination legislation, minimum wage expansions, and policies that made banks and financial resources more accessible to minority communities. Most notably, she was instrumental to the expansion of the Voting Rights Act, which provided increased protections for Black, Native, Latinx, and AAPI Americans. While Barbara didn’t speak publicly about her sexuality (likely due to advice from her campaign advisors), she spent much of her life with her partner, a woman named Nancy Earl.
There is still plenty of work to be done to carry on the legacy of Barbara. Black women’s representation in Congress is still dismal, and currently there are ZERO Black women in the Senate. With the weakening of the Voting Rights Act, Republicans in state governments have been hard at work trying to disenfranchise Black Americans and people of color across the country. We’re proud to have helped elect women like Reps. Terri Sewell and Nikema Williams, who are working to dismantle these unconstitutional barriers to voting. They stand on the shoulders of women like Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, a bold trailblazer deserving of far more than just a footnote in the pages of history.
Dr. Virginia Alexander
Dr. Virginia Alexander graduated from medical school in the 1920s, at a time when few Black women worked in the medical field. In fact, not one hospital in her home city of Philadelphia would accept her for practical training.
This experience sparked her interest in the intersection of racism and health care. She conducted some of the earliest research on the subject, which yielded a significant finding: segregation did, in fact, negatively impact the health of Black Americans. She found that more than six times as many Black Philadelphians as white died from tuberculosis, and the number of Black babies who died each year was twice that of white babies. After completing her internship in the Kansas City Colored Hospital, Dr. Alexander returned to Philadelphia and founded the Aspiranto Health Home in her own house, which was notoriously a safe hospital for poor patients to be treated both free of charge and free of medical racism. She also gave new mothers and babies, many of whom were Black, important postnatal care that many of them couldn’t otherwise afford.
Dr. Alexander’s work was, and IS, critical. Black mothers are still plagued by a maternal health crisis, and Black people still face enormous barriers to getting quality care. We’re proud to stand with public health experts like House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes in Ohio who are working to break down the systemic issues Black patients face through policy. She, and many others, stand on the shoulders of those who came before, including Dr. Virginia Alexander.
Vice President Harris said she got to where she is by “standing on the shoulders of those who came before.” We should know their stories. Each week throughout Black History Month, we’ll add another trailblazer to this post, so be sure to check back in!
