Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Long before Jasmine Crockett made headlines with her fearless voice on Capitol Hill, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was already doing the work.
Born free in Baltimore in 1825, Harper became a teacher, writer, abolitionist, and national lecturer at a time when women — especially Black women — were rarely given a public platform. After joining the American Anti-Slavery Society, she traveled the country speaking against slavery and racism, using her voice to challenge a nation still defining freedom.
Harper was also ahead of her time in the fight for women’s rights. In her powerful 1866 speech “We Are All Bound Up Together,” she confronted white suffragists who ignored the struggles of Black women, declaring: “You white women speak here of rights. I speak of wrongs.” It was intersectional advocacy long before the term existed.
She went on to co‑found the National Association of Colored Women, advocate for education and economic justice, and shape public opinion through groundbreaking writing like Iola Leroy which portrayed Black life during and after the Civil War— and was one of the first novels published by a Black woman.
The path from Harper’s podium to today’s Congress runs through generations of Black women who refused to be silent. When you see voices like Crockett’s today, you’re witnessing a legacy built by women who demanded a seat at the table — and built their own when it wasn’t offered.
Which Black women in history do you think deserve more recognition for shaping the political voices we hear today?
🎬Produced: @RealKizzyCox_
🎶 by @Geosonic.global (Black-owned ✊🏾)
#WomensHistoryMonth #WeSeeYouSis
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Long before Jasmine Crockett made headlines with her fearless voice on Capitol Hill, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was already doing the work.
Born free in Baltimore in 1825, Harper became a teacher, writer, abolitionist, and national lecturer at a time when women — especially Black women — were rarely given a public platform. After joining the American Anti-Slavery Society, she traveled the country speaking against slavery and racism, using her voice to challenge a nation still defining freedom.
Harper was also ahead of her time in the fight for women’s rights. In her powerful 1866 speech “We Are All Bound Up Together,” she confronted white suffragists who ignored the struggles of Black women, declaring: “You white women speak here of rights. I speak of wrongs.” It was intersectional advocacy long before the term existed.
She went on to co‑found the National Association of Colored Women, advocate for education and economic justice, and shape public opinion through groundbreaking writing like Iola Leroy which portrayed Black life during and after the Civil War— and was one of the first novels published by a Black woman.
The path from Harper’s podium to today’s Congress runs through generations of Black women who refused to be silent. When you see voices like Crockett’s today, you’re witnessing a legacy built by women who demanded a seat at the table — and built their own when it wasn’t offered.
Which Black women in history do you think deserve more recognition for shaping the political voices we hear today?
🎬Produced: @RealKizzyCox_
🎶 by @Geosonic.global (Black-owned ✊🏾)
#WomensHistoryMonth #WeSeeYouSis
Connect with theGrio
Subscribe: youtube.com/c/thegrio
Instagram: instagram.com/theGrio
Facebook: Facebook.com/theGrio
Twitter: Twitter.com/theGrio
Website: theGrio.com
