He was born in slavery around 1820 on a plantation in the state of Maryland. When she discovered that she and others of her were in danger of being sold, she decided to run away despite her being aware that if she were discovered she would risk her life. In 1849 Harriet embarked on her journey to freedom alone and after a long journey she arrived in Pennsylvania and became a free woman. She later joined the Underground Railroad, a network of activists who helped people in bondage achieve freedom. She herself was able to help more than 700 people to break the chains of slavery during her life and for this reason she was nicknamed “Moses of the People”. Harriet alone saved her life before her and then came back to help others. In 2014 an asteroid was baptized in her name and in 2019 director Kasi Lemmons shot the film “Harriet” based on her biography.
Winnie Mandela
For most people outside South Africa, Winnie Mandela was simply Nelson Madiba Mandela’s wife, however, for those who know her history she was the loudest voice in the fight against apartheid. She was born in 1936 in South Africa as Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela and was a political activist. In 1956 she earned her bachelor’s degree in social work. In 1958 she married Nelson Mandela. It was she who carried on the struggle after her husband and other leaders were jailed. The government tried in every way to contain her resistance: she was prevented from working as a social worker, served 17 months in solitary confinement, she was accused of various crimes, she was sentenced to house arrest, her house was set on fire, her children expelled from school for no reason but despite constant pressure and intimidation he continued tirelessly to fight against the regime to the end. In 1990, when Nelson was released after 27 years in prison, she raised her fist with him in victory. She is also remembered for being the women’s leader of the African Nation Congress. In South Africa today they call her “The Mother of the Nation” in reference to the role she has played in shaping the country’s future.
Scientists, activists, writers, visionaries, these women have taught me that the greatest victory for humanity is to use our existence for a greater good than us. There are many women I met on my self-taught journey and I’m sure it’s time to tell their stories even at school.
* Sarah Kamsu, journalist and writer of Cameroonian origins, is the founder of @weafricansunited, a window on the culture – or rather, the multiple cultures – of the African continent.
Source: Vanity Fair
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