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This book is the third in a series Carol Jacobsen I started in 2020 called Women of Color and Accomplishment. After seeing the senseless murder of George Floyd and then the brutality of attacks on the peaceful protesters, I was dismayed and angered at the racism that still exists in our country. I wanted to make a contribution by speaking against racism and challenging others to judge people by their character, not by the color of their skin. Using art as a way to get my message across, I started painting portraits of African American women who had been left out of books that focused mainly on white men's achievements. As of January 2024, I've painted 114 of these portraits as a way of highlighting people who have largely been excluded from the narrative of our country's history. This third book uses 32 of these paintings and condensed bios to showcase many of these inspiring women, past and present.
In 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. said "The time is always right to do what is right". Remembering this quote made it clear to me in 2020 that there would never be a better time 'to do what is right' than NOW. The African American women in this book are just a few of the many who improved the lives of others by doing what they felt was 'the right thing'. I feel it's important to use one's life in service to help improve the lives of others, which is what these women did, fearlessly. To use one example from this book, Darnella Frazier had the foresight to film the police interactions with George Floyd, and then the courage to post it online for the world to see.
The women portrayed in this book had visions of improving society, which they were able to achieve even though they had to overcome many barriers including race, gender, poverty, violence, and health. Learning about their achievements can help each of us see that striving to improve your community, be it in ways large or small, can be vital to improve life for everyone. Whether by continuing the fight, righting wrongs, showing the way, or just being an inspiring hero, the women in this book have shown their commitment to 'do the right thing'.
