The Black Portia

Name:
Charlotte E. Ray

Born:
January 13, 1850/New York City, New York

Died: 
January 04, 1911/Woodside, New York

Occupation:
Lawyer, educator, African-American civil and women’s rights activist

What Makes Her Bitchin’:
In 1872, Charlotte E. Ray graduated from the Howard University School of Law, subsequently becoming the first African-American female lawyer. The first woman admitted to the District of Columbia Bar, Charlotte struggled against persistent discrimination due to her gender and race. Unable to draw a steady stream of clients, she practiced law for only a couple of years. Charlotte eventually relocated to New York City where she became a teacher.

Betcha’ Didn’t Know:
Charlotte was the first woman permitted to argue cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

For more about this litigating lady, check-out :

Charlotte E. Ray (biography.com)

Ray, Charlotte E. (1850-1911) (BlackPast.org)

Black Fashion’s Fairy Godmother

Name:
Zelda Wynn Valdes

Born:
June 28, 1905

Died: 
Jun September 26, 2001

Occupation:
Fashion designer and costumer

What Makes Her Bitchin’:
A designer and costumer, Zelda created the original Playboy Bunny outfits and costumes for the Dance Theater of Harlem. Among her superstar clientele were entertainers like Dorothy Dandridge, Josephine Baker, and Joyce Bryant. Reflecting on her decades of success, Zelda summed up her career thusly, “I just had a God-given talent for making people beautiful.”

Betcha’ Didn’t Know:
Zelda became the first African-American to own a store on Broadway in New York City when she opened her boutique, "Chez Zelda," in 1948.

For more about black fashion’s fairy godmother, check-out :

Fashionable Game-Changer: Zelda Wynn Valdes

Zelda Wynn Valdes: Black Fashion Designer Who Created The Playboy Bunny Outfit

The Novel Novelist

Name:
Harriet E. Wilson

Born:
March 15, 1825/Milford, New Hampshire

Died: 
June 28, 1900/ Quincy, Massachusetts

Occupation:
Novelist, Spiritualist

What Makes Her Bitchin’:
Considered the 1st African-American female novelist, Harriet was also the 1st Black-American, woman or man, to publish a book in North America. Though, in 1859, Harriet’s work, Our Nig, or Sketches from the Life of a Free Black was published anonymously in Boston, Massachusetts, it was not widely distributed. Over a century later, it was rediscovered by the scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. in 1982.

Betcha’ Didn’t Know:
Harriet was also part of the Spiritualist tradition, popular in America during later 19th and early 20th centuries, and was recognized in Spiritualist circles as “the colored medium.” In the Boston Spiritualist newspaper, Banner of Light, she advertised herself as a trance reader and lecturer.

For more about this novel novelist, check-out:

The Harriet Wilson Project

Harriet E. Wilson Became The First Black Person To Publish A Novel On This Date In 1859

The Bronze Blonde Bombshell

Name:
Joyce Bryant

Born:
October 14, 1928/Oakland, California,

Occupation:
Singer, actress

Nickname/Alias/ Nom de guerre:
The Bronze Blonde Bombshell”, “the black Marilyn Monroe,” “The Belter,” and “The Voice You'll Always Remember”

What Makes Her Bitchin’:
One of the earliest African-American sex-symbols, Joyce became famous during the late 1940s and early 1950s performing at theaters and nightclubs. Besides her sterling silver hair and body-hugging mermaid dresses, she became noteworthy for crooning the popular standards “Love for Sale” and “Drunk with Love.” Both were prohibited from radio because of their provocative lyrics.

Betcha’ Didn’t Know:
Joyce left show business at the zenith of her career, choosing instead to dedicate her life to spirituality. She re-emerged a decade late, becoming a vocal coach for entertainers like Jennifer Holliday and Raquel Welch.

Hear “The Voice You'll Always Remember” sing “Love for Sale”:

For more about this "lost diva," check-out:

Joyce Bryant: The Lost Diva, A Documentary

Joyce Bryant: The Black Marilyn Monroe

The Audacious Aviatrix

Name:
Willa Brown

Born:
January 22, 1906/Glasgow, Kentucky

Died:
July 18, 1992/Chicago, Illinois

Occupation:
Pilot, African-American civil rights activist, educator

What Makes Her Bitchin’:
Maybe you've heard of Bessie Coleman, but do you know about Willa Brown? She was the first African-American woman to receive her commercial pilot’s license in America AND the first black female to become an officer in the U.S. Civil Air Patrol. She also earned her MBA from Northwestern, and co-founded the Coffey School of Aeronautics to help train African-American pilots. What have you done lately? Yep, that's what I thought...

Betcha’ Didn’t Know:
Willa successfully lobbied the U.S. government to integrate African-American pilots into the “separate-but-equal” Army Air Corps and the federal Civilian Pilot Training Program. Having cultivated a taste for politics, she later ran unsuccessfully for Congress.

For more about this audacious aviatrix, check-out:

Masterful Willa Brown (1906-1992)

Brown, Willa (Oxford African American Studies Center)

The Pioneering Playwright

Name:
Angelina Weld Grimké

Born:
February 27, 1880/Boston, Massachusetts

Died:
June 10, 1958/New York City, New York

Occupation:
Educator, journalist, poet, playwright

What Makes Her Bitchin’:
A member of the Harlem Renaissance, Angelina was one of the first African-American women to have a play performed publicly. Premiering in 1916, Rachel was also one of the first theatrical productions to protest racially-motivated violence against Black-Americans.

Betcha’ Didn’t Know:
Examining her personal correspondence and published prose, numerous modern literary critics believe that Angelina was either bisexual or a lesbian. This would make her our first LGBT History Bitch!

For more about this literary luminary, check-out:

Angelina Weld Grimkè (1880-1958) (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Angelina Weld Grimkè (The University of Minnesota)

The Counselor

Name:
Eunice Hunton Carter

Born:
July 16, 1899/Atlanta, Georgia

Died:
January 25, 1970/New York City, New York

Occupation:
Lawyer, women’s rights and anti-racism activist

What Makes Her Bitchin’:
She was the first African-American women to earn a law degree from Fordham University, one of New York's first black female lawyers, and one of the United States’ first district attorneys of color. Oh yeah, AND she helped take down mobster Lucky Luciano. Basically, Eunice Carter was a BOSS!

Betcha’ Didn't Know:
Besides wielding manila folders of evidence like Thor’s hammer, Eunice was on numerous United Nations that championed women’s rights, and served on the Executive Committee of the International Council of Women.


For more about this kick-ass crime-fighting heroine, check-out:

Eunice Hunton Carter, Mob Buster

Remembering Eunice Hunton Carter '32 (Fordham University School of Law)

Carter, Eunice Hunton (1899-1970) (BlackPast.org)

The Unsung Soprano

Name:
Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones

Nickname/Alias/ Nom de guerre: Sissieretta Jones, "The Black Patti" (a reference to celebrated 19th-century Italian soprano Adelina Patti), Madame Jones

Born:
January 5, 1868 or 1869/ Portsmouth, Virginia

Died:
June 24, 1933/Providence, Rhode Island

Occupation:
Opera star

What Makes Her Bitchin’:
Though largely forgotten today, this once world-famous soprano was the first African-American to perform at what is now Carnegie Hall. Similarly bitchin’, throughout her singing career, Sissieretta’s vocal stylings were showcased at the White House during the administrations of four consecutive U.S. (Benjamin Harrison, Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt). Oh, and she performed the British royal family, too (NBD).

Betcha’ Didn't Know:
Around 1896, Sissieretta established Black Patti’s Troubadours. One singer/dancer to perform with the group early in their career was “History Bitches” podcast subject, Aida Overton-Walker.

For more, check-out:

History's Unsung Opera Star

Sissieretta Jones Was an Early Opera Pioneer

The Black Garbo

Name:
Nina Mae McKinney

Nickname/Alias/ Nom de guerre: 
"The Black Garbo" (a reference to international movie star/ icon Greta Garbo)

Born: 
June 13, 1912/Lancaster, South Carolina

Died: 
May 3, 1967/New York City, New York

Occupation: 
Actress

What Makes Her Bitchin’: 
Dubbed “The Black Garbo” for her smoldering good looks, Nina got her start on Broadway before heading to Hollywood. Recruited by MGM, she became the first African-American actress cast in a leading role in a mainstream motion picture, and the first black movie star to sign a long-term contract with a major studio.

Betcha’ Didn't Know:
Later, during the 1930s and post-war era, she performed internationally in theatre, film, and television. In Great Britain, Nina became one of the first African-Americans to appear on T.V.

To watch Nina struttin’ her stuff, check-out:

For more about this forgotten leading lady, visit:

“The Black Garbo,” Nina McKinney

Nina Mae McKinney (Matinee Classics)

Pistol-Packin' Mama

Name: 
Mary Fields

Nickname/Alias/ Nom de guerre: “Stagecoach” Mary

Born: 
c. 1832/ Tennessee

Died: 
1914/ Cascade, Montana

Occupation: 
Entrepreneur and stagecoach driver

What Makes Her Bitchin’: 
She’s described in the African American Registry as a “gun-totin' female in the American Wild West who was six feet tall, heavy, tough, short-tempered, two-fisted, powerful, and…carried a pair of six-shooters and an eight or ten-gauge shotgun.” At roughly 60 years old, Mary became a mail-coach driver, the first African-American woman to hold the position in the United States. She earned the nickname “Stagecoach” for her deathly serious commitment to delivering letters and packages regardless of treacherous weather or unforgiving terrain.

Betcha’ Didn’t Know: 
Mary spent roughly the first thirty years of her life as a slave. After gaining her freedom, she headed first to Toledo, Ohio, then Cascade, Montana, working for a group of Ursuline nuns at St. Peter's Mission. Mary was ultimately let go because, as Ben Thompson of Badass of the Week explained, she literally popped a cap in someone’s ass.

To learn more about this hard-drinkin’, no guff takin’ bad-ass, check-out:

Mary Fields, Rough Exterior with a Giving Heart

STAGECOACH MARY: A gun-toting black woman delivered the U.S. mail in Montana

Badass of the Week: Stagecoach Mary

Happy Black History Month!

February is Black History Month, and to celebrate, I'm writing a series of blogposts spotlighting 10 African-American heroines whose triumphs and legacies are less widely recognized today. First up, is a hard drinkin’, gun totin,’ nun lovin’ (wait, what?) bad-ass chick who made history after becoming the first African-American woman mail coach driver employed by the U.S. government! Check-out her profile and those for 9 other history-making bitches throughout February. Happy Black History Month!

Episode #14: Aida Overton-Walker (Mini-cast)

She was the first African-American female entertainer to achieve international stardom, but there’s a good chance you've never heard of her. Check-out the first episode of “History, Bitches” Black History Month mini-cast series to learn more about “Queen of the Cakewalk,” Aida Overton-Walker.

This Day in History, February 8th

Kate Chopin

Noteworthy Birthdays:

Kate Chopin 
(February 8, 1850-August 22, 1904), American novelist, author of short stories (1, 2)

Elizabeth Bishop 
(February 8, 1911- October 6, 1979) American Pulitzer Prize recipient for poetry, writer of short stories (1, 2)

Lisa Perez Jackson 
(February 8, 1962-), the first African-American to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (1, 2, 3)

Mary, Queen of Scots

Noteworthy Deaths:

Mary, Queen of Scots (December 8, 1542-February 8, 1587), queen regnant of Scotland, queen consort of France (1; for additional sources, see Noteworthy Events entry below)

Noteworthy Events:

1587: Found guilty of scheming to assassinate her cousin Queen Elizabeth I of England, Mary, Queen of Scots was executed by beheading. Her last words were, “In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum” (“Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit”). (1, 2)

The beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots

1925: The 1st all-female U.S. state supreme court is appointed by Texas Governor Pat Neff. The 3 women- Hortense Sparks Ward, Hattie Leah Henenberg, and Ruth Virginia Brazzil-were selected to hear the appeal of a case concerning the Woodmen of the World (WOW), an all-male fraternal organization. (1, 2) 

1952: After her father King George VI's unexpected passing on February 6th, Elizabeth II was officially proclaimed Queen and Head of the Commonwealth and Defender of the Faith (1, 2).

1988: Debi Thomas wins the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Denver, Co. That same year, became the first black-American woman to earn a medal during the Winter Olympics. She received the bronze. (1, 2,3)

2011: U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) was critically injured as she met with constituents in Tucson. Though his assassination attempt was unsuccessful, shooter Jared Lee Loughner nevertheless killed 6 people and wounded 12 others. (1, 2)

Olympic Dreams

Gold medalist high jumper Alice Coachman wasn't the only black woman to make Olympic history. Check-out a few more groundbreaking achievements by kick-ass/inspiring African-American ladies below:

She's Going the Distance

Since tonight is the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics, I thought I’d kick-off History Bitches’ Black History Month series with a blog-post on Alice Coachman, the first African-American woman to earn an Olympic gold medal. Considering the overwhelming obstacles black and female athletes were forced to overcome, Alice’s victory was truly remarkable.