.jpeg){kind=link}
In 1925 Mary Rose Reeves, a former prima ballerina, stepped onto campus and into her new job. She was responsible for creating Howard University’s new women’s physical education program – but she refused to just teach exercise classes.
Instead, she used her position to fight white supremacy! But what did that have to do with physical education?
That same year, over 30,000 Klansmen marched on the steps of the nation’s capital, celebrating their legacy of annihilating Black lives. Though they often killed Black men, Black women were often raped, beaten, and killed as well.
But the mental impact was often just as dangerous.
Beauty standards were based on white women. From their hair to their color to their bodies, Black women were considered “inferior.” She knew we had to love and take care of ourselves to really get free.
So what exactly did Reeves teach?
She taught that white supremacy was at the root of racial violence, that Eurocentric beauty standards were worthless, and that racial stress could cause illness. She focused on “total fitness,” not just the body itself. Her work reminds us of the connection between our bodies and our minds.
Reeves recognized the effects of racism on Black women’s health. She took control of the education of our future Black women leaders by helping them prepare their minds AND bodies.
Healthy Black women make healthy Black communities!