via Wikimedia
Great men like Black nationalist Marcus Garvey were bold thinkers and radical leaders in their own right.
But these four Black women deserve ample credit for shaping Pan-Africanism, one of the farthest-reaching movements for Black liberation ever to emerge.
Dr. Anna Julia Cooper
Cooper spoke truth to power when she critiqued Booker T. Washington’s idealist view of compliance with white oppression, and shaped Pan-Africanist ideology by advocating for schooling opportunities for Black youth.
She organized the first Pan-African Congress in 1900 that brought radical thinkers from all over the globe together.
Amy Ashwood Garvey
Garvey’s first wife was a co-founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) organization and the Black nationalist newspaper, Negro World, who also made sure Pan-Africanism scrutinized the oppressions working-class Black women faced.
Amy Euphemia Jacques Garvey
Garvey’s second wife researched and wrote the majority of his most celebrated speeches, served as editor for his literary works as well as the Negro World newspaper.
Her activism helped convince the United Nations to add an African Freedom Charter, which progressed humanitarian efforts across the continent.
Claudia Jones
As a Trinidadian-born activist, Jones made sure to lift up the evils of American imperialism across Africa and the Caribbean - giving the movement a more developed international scope.
Her work greatly influenced the political thinking of legendary Ghanaian president Kwame Nkrumah.