Celebrating Women in History
There is no doubt that She Code Africa has always celebrated women in different ways. However, this month, we decided to do something different. We are going down the history lane to celebrate women who have made impacts and changes in the world as we would have known it.
March is known to be the women’s history month, a month dedicated to celebrating women around the world and appreciating them specially for being the amazing people that they are.
There are so many women in the world who keep on achieving great feats and paving the way for the younger generations, we cannot include them all in this list, but we celebrate every woman equally.
To the wives and mothers, who care for their children, who keep the home in order, whom, without them, everything would not be the same. We say thank you, and we celebrate you.
To the career women, trying their best to survive in a place where the odds are already stacked against them, we celebrate you, you are doing amazing.
To every woman out there, surviving each day, facing all the challenges that come with being a woman, we celebrate you. Keep on pushing, and keep on being you.
We decided to shine the light on some women who have been amazing and have made impacts in the world through their actions. To do this, we curated a list of women who have been agents of change in the world and would like to share it with you.
In no particular order, let’s get started.
“The intellectual, the moral, the religious seem to me all naturally bound up and interlinked together in one great and harmonious whole.” ~ Ada Lovelace
Augusta Ada Byrone(1815–1852) also known as Ada Lovelace was an English mathematician and writer.
She was born in London and was homeschooled by her mother and several other tutors. Her mother insisted that she was tutored in science and arithmetics which could be seen as what led to her career in mathematics.
She is legendary for her work on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine. She was the first to recognize that the machine had other functions beyond pure calculation, and to have published the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine.
Ada Lovelace was a pioneer of computing science who took part in writing the first published program. She wrote notes that explained how the notion of a specific engine could transition calculation to computation. As a result of these, she is often regarded as one of the first computer programmers.
“There is no problem in this world that cannot be solved.” ~Florence Nwapa
Florence Nwanzuruahu Nkiru Nwapa (13 January 1931–16 October 1993) Popularly known as Flora Nwapa, she was a Nigerian author who has been referred to as the mother of modern African literature.
She created a path for the new generation of African women writers and was also acknowledged as the first African woman novelist to be published in the English language in Britain.
Efuru, her first novel, helped her gain international recognition. It was published in 1966 when she was 30 years old. While Flora Nwapa never considered herself a feminist, she was best known for recreating life and traditions from an Igbo woman’s perspective.
In addition to being a writer, Flora was also known to have worked with the government to help orphans, refugees, and displaced persons who were affected during the Biafran war.
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” ~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg (March 1933 — September 2020) was an American lawyer who worked in the Supreme Court of the United States as an associate justice from 1993 until September 2020 when she died.
After Sandra O’Connor, Ruth was the second woman to serve on the Court. She was the first Jewish woman. Ruth spent a great part of her legal career advocating for equality of genders and the rights of women. She won many arguments in the Supreme Court.
She suffered a fair share of gender discrimination during her lifetime. From school to the workplace, she had to deal with gender-based discrimination. Despite having excellent academic records, Ruth had difficulties finding a job after school.
She worked as a volunteer attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union and was also a member of its board of directors and one of its general counsel in the 1970s. In 1980, she was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She served there until her appointment to the Supreme Court in 1993. Ruth Bader was the only female justice in the Supreme Court between 2006 and 2009.
According to Oyez, a free legal organization. “Justice Ginsburg proved time and again that she was a force to be reckoned with, and those who doubted her capacity to effectively complete her judicial duties needed only to look at her record in oral arguments, where she was, until her death, among the most avid questioners on the bench.”
“As for the charges against me, I am unconcerned. I am beyond their timid lying morality and so I am beyond caring.” ~Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti
Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, MON (October 1900 - April 1978), additionally known as Funmilayo Anikulapo-Kuti, was a Nigerian political campaigner, educator, suffragist, and advocate for women’s rights.
Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria. She was the first female student to attend the Abeokuta Grammar School. As a young adult, she organized some of the first preschool classes in the country and arranged literacy classes for women who earned a lower income.
During the 1940s, she established the Abeokuta Women’s Union where she fought for women’s rights, demanded better representation of women in local governing bodies, and an end to unfair taxation of traders. She was described by the media as the “Lioness of Lisabi”.
She took part in the Nigerian independence movement by attending conferences and joining overseas delegations to discuss proposed national constitutions. She was instrumental in the creation of the Nigerian Women’s Union and the Federation of Nigerian Women’s Societies. Ransome-Kutis advocated for Nigerian women’s right to vote and became a notable member of international peace and women’s rights movements.
Ransome-Kuti received the Lenin Peace Prize and was awarded membership in the Order of the Niger for her notable works.
“We’re having an information explosion, among others, and it’s certainly obvious that information is of no use unless it’s available.” ~Mary Kenneth Keller
Mary Kenneth Keller(1913–1985) was an American roman catholic religious sister, educator, and pioneer in computer science. She was part of the first two people to earn a doctorate in computer science in the United States.
Mary, alongside two other scientists, developed the BASIC programming language. In 1965, she received her PH. D in computer science from the University of Michigan. She then developed a computer science department in Clarke College, a catholic college for women. For 20 years she led the computer science department where she was an advocate for the involvement of women in computing.
Keller supported mothers to work and encouraged them to bring their babies to class with them.
She helped in the establishment of the Association of Small Computer Users in Education (ASCUE). Mary Keller went on to write four books in her field.
Keller is primarily legendary for being the first woman to receive a PH. D in computer science. To honour her, Clarke University established the Mary Keller Computer Science Scholarship.
“Be your own artist, and always be confident in what you’re doing. If you’re not going to be confident, you might as well not be doing it.” ~Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin (March 25, 1942 — August 16, 2018) was a gifted singer, songwriter, actress, pianist, and civil rights, activist. She began her career as a child singing gospel at the church. She was a singer who defined the golden age of soul music of the 1960s.
As a young girl, Aretha performed with her father on his gospel programs in major cities throughout the country and was recognized as a child prodigy.
She was signed to Columbia Records, and later Atlantic records. Aretha released several popular singles, which we now consider classics. She experienced a lot of successes as well as failures in her music career, which did not deter her.
Aretha had a highly celebrated career. Over 100 of her singles appeared in the Billboard charts, including 17 Top 10 pop singles and 20 No1 R&B hits
In 1987, she was named the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1994, a National Medal of Arts in 1999, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. In 2008 she won her 18th Grammy Award, making her one of the most honoured artists in Grammy history.
Some of Aretha’s popular songs are Respect (1967), Amazing Grace (1972), Rock Steady (1972), You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman (1967), Think (1968).
“If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.” ~African Proverb
Nana Asmaʼu bint Shehu Usman dan Fodiyo(1793–1864) popularly known as Nana Asma’u, was a Fula princess, poet, teacher, and daughter of the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate, Usman dan Fodio.
She remains a respected figure in northern Nigeria. She is seen as an example of the education and independence of women. She was highly educated and fluent in four languages which are Arabic, Fula, Hausa, and Tamacheq Taureg. She was literate in three of these languages.
Nana Asma’u had a reputation as a leading scholar in Northern Nigeria, which allowed her to communicate widely. She witnessed many of the Fulani wars and wrote about her experiences in a prose narrative Wakar Gewaye, “The Journey”.
When she began to write poems, they included her views about these conflicts, character evaluations of some people in history, and straightforward explanations of Islamic tenets of belief. Her poetry put her on the map in a way, because in many of her poems, she made sure to advocate for women leaders and the rights of women. Asma’u used her poems as a tool to teach people.
For a large part of her adult life, she was responsible for women’s religious education. Starting around 1830, she created a group of women teachers (jajis) who travelled around the Caliphate to educate women in their homes. She trained these women as educators in Nigeria. The women then travelled to villages within the Caliphate and educated other women, providing them with the knowledge that they could then pass on to many other people.
Asma’u believed in teaching all there was to teach. In her role, both as an intellectual and a mother, she knew that if she educated a woman, she would have made an impact on not just the woman, but her household as a whole. Through Jaji (her group of women teachers), Asma’u was able to develop a war-torn community into one that was educated.
“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” ~Rosa Louise Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 — October 24, 2005) popularly known as Rosa Parks, is broadly recognised as the mother of the modern-day civil rights movement. She was born in Tuskegee, Alabama.
Rosa became a part of the civil rights movement when she was chosen as the secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( Montgomery chapter) in 1943.
In 1955 Rosa and the civil rights movement gained global fame when she refused to vacate her seat for a white person- The segregation law stated that white passengers be given priority in the buses. Rosa was part of the four blacks who were told to move by the bus driver; three of them got up and moved but she refused.
The refusal led to her being arrested, and her arrest sparked a mass boycott of Montgomery’s bus services that lasted over a year. The boycott was one of the longest mass mobilizations of a black population ever witnessed in the United States. This event led to the end of segregation laws in southern America.
Rosa’s refusal to vacate her seat and the Montgomery bus boycott became important symbols of the movement. She became an icon of resistance and collaborated with civil rights leaders, like Edgar Nixon and Martin Luther King Jr.
When she died in 2005, she became the first woman to lie in honour in the Capitol Rotunda. California and Missouri celebrate Rosa Parks Day on her birthday, February 4, while Ohio and Oregon celebrate the anniversary of her arrest, December 1.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~Maya Angelou
Marguerite Annie Johnson (April 4, 1928 — May 28, 2014) Popularly known as Maya Angelou, was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights, activist. Among her published works are seven autobiographies, three books of essays, many books of poetry, and she is credited with many plays, movies, and television shows over 50 years.
Maya Angelou is one of the most influential women in the history of America whose award-winning memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings made history as the first nonfiction best-seller by a black woman.
Like many other women in her time, Maya experienced racial discrimination for a large part of her life. At the age of seven, she was assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend, who her uncles killed in revenge. The incident traumatised Maya to the extent that she became mute for many years. She became a poet and writer after doing many odd jobs during her young adulthood.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings had a great influence on the civil rights movement. It explores subjects such as identity, rape, racism, and literacy. In the book, Maya publicly discussed various aspects of her personal life.
She was respected as a spokesperson for Black people and women especially. Her works have been considered a defence of Black culture. Maya Angelou’s works are widely referenced in schools and universities all over the world, although there have been attempts made to ban her books from some libraries in the US. Her books focus on themes including racism, identity, family, and travel.
“Never interrupt someone doing something you said couldn’t be done.” ~Amelia Mary Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart (July 24, 1897 — disappeared July 2, 1937, declared dead January 5, 1939)
was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Amelia Earhart can be seen as a true definition of a trailblazer. She was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set a lot of records and wrote a lot of best-sellers about her flying experiences. Amelia was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, which is an organization for female pilots.
She developed a passion for adventure at a young age, In 1920, Amelia began flying lessons and quickly became determined to receive her pilot’s license. She passed her flight test in December 1921. In 1928, Amelia became the first female passenger to cross the Atlantic by aeroplane. She was widely recognized for this action.
She made a nonstop solo transatlantic flight in 1932, becoming the first woman to achieve such a feat. To honour this accomplishment, she received the United States Distinguished Flying Cross. Amelia was also a member of the National Woman’s Party and an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment.
During her attempt to become the first female to complete a circumnavigational flight around the globe in 1937 Amelia and navigator, Fred Noonan disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. Both of them were last seen in Lae, New Guinea, on July 2, 1937, which was their last land stop before Howland Island and one of the final parts of the flight. It was believed that she lost her life in the Pacific during the circumnavigation.
Amelia Earhart was officially declared dead, after almost a year and six months of disappearance. To date, her plane wreckage has not been found. Investigations and significant public interest in their disappearance continue.
“The quality of strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination.” ~Maya Angelou
Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan (1 January 1914–13 September 1944), also known as Nora Inayat-Khan, was a British spy in World War II who served as the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
Noor-un-Nissa’s father, Inayat Khan was the leader of the Sufi sect of Muhammad mystics and a direct descendant of Tipu Sultan, the 18th-century sultan of the Indian state of Mysore.
She was educated in Paris. Noor Inayat Khan escaped to England to join the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) in 1940 after France fell to the German forces.
As an SOE agent under the codename Madeleine, she became the first female wireless operator sent from the UK into France to help the French Resistance during the second world war. As a wireless operator, she was required to transmit messages to England about what was happening in France.
She would be the first woman to be sent over in that capacity, as all the women agents before her were sent as couriers. She had previous wireless telegraphy training, which gave her an edge over those who were just beginning their radio training. She was both fast and accurate.
She managed to escape being captured for a while, but in October 1943, Inayat Khan was captured after being betrayed.
As soon as she was captured, she tried to escape on many occasions but was caught. Inayat made several attempts to escape but was met with failure each time. It is on record that no other prisoner has as many jail-break attempts as she did, which led to her being labelled a ‘Very Dangerous Prisoner’. Due to her prison break attempts, she was transferred to another jail in Germany, where she was isolated.
In 1944, after suffering long months of imprisonment and torture, she was executed at Dachau concentration camp. Her final word in front of the firing squad was “Liberté” which means “freedom”.
She was posthumously awarded the George Cross for her service in the SOE, the highest civilian decoration in the United Kingdom.
These women, in their various capacities, have paved the way for many generations of younger women to come.
By their actions, contributions, and teachings, they have successfully made a mark for themselves in history, as well as created role models for many people around the world.
March, being women’s history month, is a good time to remind us all of their bravery and courage that inspires many people around the world today. We hope that they somehow inspire you to never be afraid to challenge yourself in any given situation.
Help forge women’s equality by donating to SheCodeAfrica, a non-profit organization that works for the advancement of women and girls.
With $5.3/₦3,000 you can sponsor a girl child from our community to get FREE access to 1-day quality resources, platforms, technical events, and mentoring
Kindly send your donations to https://shecodeafrica.org/donate
