Black Women Have Always Led The Fight For Freedom

Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”
— Shirley Chisholm

It’s no secret that women, specifically Black women, have been a driving force for freedom in this country since its inception. 

From the words of Phillis Wheatley condemning the evils of slavery on the eve of the American Revolution, and Sojourner Truth’s indelible Ain't I a Woman?” speech at the 1851 Women's Rights Convention held in Akron, Ohio, Black women have been the heartbeat of this movement. 

What troubles me in a modern context is how little Black women are recognized for their contributions to this country and the sordid attempts to strip them of political power and influence today. 

We saw it in the attacks on Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential election. The reduction of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s appointment to a DEI-hire. The attempts to push out Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook and Susan Rice from the board at Netflix. And this week, we saw Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett lose an uphill battle in a primary for the Texas Senate race.

The Urban League movement is an embodiment of the resistance to that line of thinking or suppression of history. Of our 93 affiliates, 46 are led by women nationwide. 

In Atlanta, Nancy Flake Johnson has led the Urban League of Greater Atlanta through moments of economic uncertainty and opportunity alike, expanding workforce development, entrepreneurship, and housing programs that help thousands of families build stability and generational wealth. Her leadership reflects what the Urban League movement has always understood: that economic justice is foundational to freedom.

In Columbus, under the leadership of Stephanie Hightower, the Columbus Urban League has become a national model for workforce development and community investment, helping prepare the next generation of leaders while ensuring opportunity reaches those too often left behind.

In Louisiana, Judy Reese Morse has helped guide the Urban League of Louisiana through some of the most complex challenges facing the Gulf region, from disaster recovery to economic resilience, while building pathways for Black families and businesses to thrive in a rapidly changing economy.

And in Tennessee, where we’re holding our Annual Conference this summer in Nashville, Dr. Laurie Shanderson leads the Knoxville Area Urban League, focusing on expanding access to education, economic mobility, and community empowerment work that continues the long tradition of women stepping forward to lead when their communities need them most.

And those numbers are not symbolic. They are proof of a legacy.

These women and dozens more across the Urban League movement are not simply administrators or executives. They are architects of opportunity. They are advocates, bridge-builders, and champions for communities that too often must fight harder just to be seen.

Their leadership reminds us that the legacy of Phillis Wheatley and Sojourner Truth did not end with speeches written in history books. It lives on every day in boardrooms, classrooms, community centers, and neighborhoods where women continue the work of expanding freedom in America.

And during Women’s History Month, the Urban League movement proudly recognizes that this work and this leadership remain essential to our collective future.

 
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