Poetry of Pride

The Queens Who Came Before Me

If you rely on American history books to teach you about Africans, you will never know the whole story. When I visited Europe many years ago I was well-versed in the history of the continent. During school I didn’t receive any meaningful education about people who were my ancestors.

Photo by Ian Kiragu on Unsplash

Nzinga paved the way to help me understand a woman’s power!
Kandake was an Ethiopian military leader that made many men cower.

Nefertiti was an example of how to lead with your man.
Queen Moremi diligently fought for the Yoruba’s land.

Amina was a fierce Hausa warrior queen.
Shaka Zulu was born to Nandi and they both reigned supreme.

Yaa Asantewaa fought against British colonization.
Each woman was a beautiful, powerful, and strong creation.

I love learning about the history of strong women, African queens in particular. I didn’t learn about positive African role models in school. My history teachers led me to believe there was a single story when it came to Black women. We were enslaved and our existence was not important. The truth is our story is complex and these women are just a few examples of the many great rulers in Africa. Thank you for taking the time to read about women that I admire!