In honor of Black History Month, we are celebrating Black leaders who have fought against sexual violence throughout history. Black leaders, women especially, have been instrumental as advocates and activists, championing survivors and victims and working toward a world without sexual violence.
Here at The Rowan Center, we share these same goals—and this month, we are honoring some of the incredible Black women who inspire us as we advocate for victims, counsel those impacted by sexual violence, and educate our community. Their work spans geography and time, and we owe them a debt of gratitude for their contributions.
Rosa Parks: Civil Rights Activist
Before acting as the catalyst for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Rosa Parks was a fierce advocate for victims of sexual violence. As a member of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP, Rosa worked to defend victims, investigate racist policing, and expose the violence affecting Black women in the south.
Her work brought valuable attention to cases like Recy Taylor’s and Gertrude Perkins’, rallying thousands of people in the fight against police negligence and sexual violence. Parks’ impact on the world is immeasurable, and we are grateful for her example as we advocate for survivors and victims in our community.
Anita Hill: Lawyer, Educator, Author
In 1991, Anita Hill became one of the most well-known women in America after bravely testifying that U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her at work. She used her fame to create a better world for all and has not stopped speaking out about sexual harassment and discrimination. Her work as a law professor and author continues to drive the conversation around sexual violence, impacting countless lives in the process.
Anita Hill particularly inspires us as educators as we speak up about injustice, work against the devastating effects of shame, and serve as trailblazers in the conversation around sexual violence.
Recy Taylor: Survivor, Fighter
Recy Taylor was a survivor who refused to be silenced by the Jim Crow legal system. After she was sexually assaulted by a group of white men in 1944, the local police department did not press charges. She refused to let the injustice stand, and the Black community in Alabama mobilized behind her. The NAACP sent their best investigator, Rosa Parks, to make a report, and the case got even more attention when the Chigaco Defender ran a front-page article on Taylor and her attackers.
With Parks as an advocate on her side, Recy’s case made it in front of a judge but was dismissed because the police had never arrested any suspects. Parks got a second grand jury to reopen the case in court, but a jury of white men refused to convict, even after Taylor’s attackers admitted their involvement. Taylor was unable to get justice and often spoke about feeling unsafe after the case.
Finally, in 2011, the Alabama Legislature issued Taylor a formal apology for the state’s failure to hold her attackers accountable.
Recy Taylor’s story reminds us that the status quo doesn’t have to be accepted; change is always possible.
Tarana Burke: Advocate, Organizer, Activist
Tarana Burke’s work as the originator of the Me Too movement has been empowering women to stand up for themselves since 2006. She encouraged women to rally around Me Too and share their stories to draw attention to the pervasiveness of sexual violence in our society.
Burke is currently the Senior Director at Girls for Equality and has organized for gender, economic, and racial justice since she was a teenager.
Her work shows us how important it is to bring attention to sexual violence worldwide.
Survivors of the Memphis Riots: Truth Tellers, Trailblazers
During the Memphis Riots of 1886, a white mob violently attacked Black residents of Memphis, leaving death and sexual violence in their wake. Five women who survived sexual violence during the riot gave their testimony in a Congressional investigation. Their brave act is recognized as the first testimony about sexual assault provided in a U.S. court trial.
No charges were brought in their case, but their courage paved the way for many more survivors of sexual violence to testify about what happened to them.
As we reflect on these women’s stories in honor of Black History Month, we are thankful for the groundwork they laid in the fight to eradicate sexual violence. Their examples inform our work of advocacy, counseling, and education.