Unbroken- Black Women Who Turned Trauma into Triumph

 Dear God, 

Thank you for those who have come before me. Thank you for the ability to educate myself and see others who have labored for my family and I to be free. Continue to bless us and watch over us as we navigate this thing called life. Even now under the administration with blatant and direct disrespect, Lord help us to be a beacon of your light. I continue to strive to be who you have destined me to be. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Happy Black History Month!

Pain has long been a silent companion in the lives of Black people, but today we will focus on the Black Woman. For centuries, we have endured violence, oppression, and unspeakable trauma. Through it all, over and over again, we still rise. From the horrors of slavery to the injustices of today, Black women have not only survived but have turned their pain into power, using our voices to spark change, inspire generations, and demand justice.

This post honors the stories of remarkable Black women who endured sexual violence yet refused to let their trauma define them. Instead, they transformed their suffering into legacies of strength, activism, and healing. Their journeys remind us that even in the darkest moments, resilience shines through. I am a proud survivor who can say, the women before me placed a path for people like me to keep going. 

As we honor these women, let’s also acknowledge the countless others whose stories were never told, whose pain was dismissed, yet who still carried on. Their voices and their healing process matters. Most importantly, their triumph is a testament to the power of survival.

In school history is limited to Martin Luther King, Jr, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, and Malcolm X to name a few. We learned about slavery and how black women were treated unjustly. As we begin the year 2025, the current administration has a plan to remove all black history education. The hurtful truth is that there is so much more history that is not being taught, yet the little that is currently being threatened to be removed.

Netflix taught me about the all black American women soldiers. The true story behind the movie is during WWII the morale among the troops were suffering due to a backlog of undelivered mail. Close to 17 million pieces piled up in warehouses. In 1945 the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was deployed to England and then to France to take on this problem. Despite facing racism and sexism both from the military and communities served, these amazing woman completed their mission in record breaking time of three months. It was not until 2022 they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal of honor. 

Rosa Parks was a civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955 sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Her arrest became a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement, leading to a Supreme Court ruling that ended segregation on public buses. A longtime NAACP member, Parks continued advocating for racial justice in Detroit. After facing threats and losing her job, Parks and her husband relocated to Detroit, where she continued her activism, working for Congressman John Conyers and promoting civil rights education. She received numerous honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Parks’ courage and lifelong commitment to justice cemented her legacy as the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.

Maya Angelou is one of my favorites of the selection today. Maya Angelou was a poet, author, and civil rights activist known for her powerful autobiographies, including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. At the young age of eight, she was sexually assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend, Freeman. She confided in her older brother, Bailey, who told the family. Freeman was arrested but served only a brief sentence before being released. Shortly after, he was murdered believed to be by Angelou’s uncles seeking revenge. The trauma of the assault and deeply affected Angelou. Believing that her words had caused his killing, she stopped speaking for nearly five years, communicating only through gestures and writing. During this period of silence, she developed a deep connection with literature, memorizing poetry and reading works by Black poets, Shakespeare, and classic authors. A teacher and mentor eventually helped her find her voice again, encouraging her to speak by introducing her to poetry as a means of expression. Her works explored themes of identity, racism, and resilience. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement, working with both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Angelou made history as the first Black woman to write and recite a poem at a U.S. presidential inauguration in 1993. Her legacy continues to inspire through her literary contributions and advocacy for justice and equality.

Media Mogul Oprah Winfrey was raised by her grandmother in Mississippi. Her clothing-potato sacks at times. Her childhood was unstable moving from place to place-grandmother to mother to father. Between the ages of 9 and 14 she was sexually assaulted by family members. At 14 she became pregnant with a son that she went into labor with prematurely and passed away after birth. Despite all these hardships she excelled in school achieving a full scholarship to Tennessee State University studying communications. At the age of 19, she became the first Black female news anchor in Nashville. The rest was history. In 2011 she founded OWN (The Oprah Winfrey Network), published O the Oprah Magazine, and created Oprah's Book club, which turned many books into bestsellers. 

Each of these ladies endured significant trauma but transformed their pain into powerful advocacy, inspiring women today to fight for justice.

Instead of being silenced by fear, Rosa Parks became a lifelong activist, proving that one act of defiance can spark systemic change. Her courage teaches women that standing firm in the face of injustice can lead to lasting reform.

Instead of allowing her trauma to long her, Maya Angelou found her voice through literature and activism. She showed women that their stories have power and that resilience can turn pain into purpose.

Despite living in poverty and being abuse by someone she knew, Oprah Winfrey became one of the most influential women in media. She uses her platform to uplift marginalized voices, promote healing, and advocate for survivors of abuse. Her journey encourages women to reclaim their narratives and use their experiences to empower others.

Together, these women demonstrate that personal trauma does not define one’s future but can be a source of strength. Their legacies inspire women today to speak up, fight injustice, and create meaningful change in their communities.

Thank you to the Black women-both known and unknown-who have endured sexual abuse, trauma, poverty, and depression, yet still persevered. Your strength reminds us who we are-powerful, unbreakable, unstoppable. Like Maya Angelou wrote, we will still rise, soaring like air.

To my Black sisters today, we are in this together. Let us uplift and not tear down. Together, we can achieve more, break even more barriers, and create lasting change.

Happy Black History Month-Week 1!