Black History Month and Women’s History Month are neighbors, being February and March respectively. Recognizing Black History Month alongside Women’s History Month, we are reminded that progress has never been achieved by any single group alone. As gays, we know that we don’t get anywhere alone. History has taught us that we must work together to achieve the rights we need and deserve.
Black History Month grew from the work of historian Carter G. Woodson, who believed that understanding black history was essential to understanding American history. From the courage of enslaved people who resisted oppression to the leadership of figures such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa Parks, black history is a story of perseverance in the face of systemic injustice.
Women’s History Month, celebrated in March, focuses on the vital role women have played in shaping history across all fields and backgrounds. For centuries, women’s contributions were minimized or omitted, despite their influence as leaders, thinkers, caregivers and change-makers. Women such as Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dolores Huerta, and New Jersey’s own suffragette, Alice Paul, challenged social norms and fought for rights that benefit generations today.
Black History Month and Women’s History Month remind us that progress in this country has always been shaped by people whose identities cross multiple lines — race, gender and LGBTQ experience. Many of the leaders who pushed for justice and liberation lived at these intersections, from black queer writers like Audre Lorde to black trans activists like Marsha P. Johnson. Their work shows that the fight for racial equity, gender equality and LGBTQ rights has never been separate — these movements have always been intertwined.
Honoring these months together means lifting up the people whose stories don’t always get the spotlight — especially black LGBTQ women who’ve shaped culture, community and progress in ways that are impossible to ignore once you really look. Their courage and creativity remind us that liberation isn’t just about rights; it’s about building a world where everyone gets to show up fully and be celebrated for who they are, not just for one month or another, but all year long.
Speaking of women’s history, the second female governor of New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill, took office on Jan. 20 along with Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell. Caldwell, a university president and former state government official who worked under Gov. McGreevey, will also serve as New Jersey’s secretary of state.
For more on black history, head on over to Irene Monroe’s article on black New Jersey LGBTQ icons online and in this issue.
