Women’s History Month offers us an opportunity to remember. And as we close this month, we pay tribute to women, known and unknown, whose lives reveal deep roots and a lasting, living legacy. These women pursued justice, even when they understood they might never see it fully realized in their lifetime.
Among the many rights they pursued was the right to vote.
But for African American women, suffrage was never just about the ballot. It was about dignity, access, voice, and freedom in every area of life. The struggle for enfranchisement was deeply connected to education, faith, community, and survival itself. It did not begin neatly in 1848 at Seneca Falls, nor did it end cleanly in 1920 with the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Even the Voting Rights Act of 1965 reminds us that the work of securing that right has always required vigilance. Yet within these periods, there is an extraordinary legacy of women who worked to create a more just society for all…