Black Women

Photograph of women activists with signs for voter registration

This photograph is part of a scrapbook that was compiled in 1956 and 1957 by Frances Albrier during her term as president of the San Francisco Chapter of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). The scrapbook highlights the Chapter’s efforts to register voters and educate Bay Area residents on the importance of voting as a part of the Citizenship Education Project..

Tennis racquet used by Althea Gibson in wood frame
Leveling the Playing Field: Althea Gibson and the Williams' Sisters
Two African American adult women stand next to a raised garden bed. The younger woman holds a child and wears a green dress printed with stylized figures. The woman standing next to her wears a hat and t-shirt with the logo for Soul Fresh Farms.
Urban Farming is Activism for the Women of Soul Fresh Farms
Red dress on a mannequin with gold arm band at sleeves and a wide black collar. On one side of the chest there's a Starfleet logo patch with gold fabric and black embroidery.
Nichelle Nichols's Star Trek Lieutenant Uhura Uniform
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

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Pastel portrait of Serena Williams similing with bare shoulders and long hair. She is framed by green foliage.
Four New Portraits Honor Black Women at the Smithsonian
Graphic with video title and an illustration of the original eight members of the Daughters of Bilitis gathered in a group.
How the Daughters of Bilitis Organized for Lesbian Rights
The front of the black-and-white program features a centrally oriented, thatched illustration of Wilma Rudolph.
Collection Item
Wilma Rudolph
Madame Lillian Evanti wears a fur stole, pearls, and a flower in her carefully prepared hair.
Collection Item
Madame Lillian Evanti
An Alpha Kappa Alpha metal pin with a pin back. The pin is a circular gold ring with gold ivy leaves at center. The bottom portion of the circle has "A K A" on it and a diamond, while the top half of the pin has lettering that reads "Alpha Kappa Alpha."
Collection Item
Pin for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's 75th Anniversary
Mary McLeod Bethune stands in front of a painting of a house and palm trees.
Collection Item
Mary McLeod Bethune
In this black-and-white photograph, Althea Gibson poses on a stool with two tennis rackets. Both the rackets have dark colors printed with Althea Gibson in white letters.
Collection Item
Althea Gibson
Painting of Henrietta Lacks standing against a background with a repeating geometric Flower of Life motif. She wears a hat and pearls and she holds a Bible.
Collection Item
Henrietta Lacks (HeLa): The Mother of Modern Medicine
A tintype occupational portrait of a woman, likely a doctor or possibly a nurse or midwife, carrying a medical bag. The woman is standing tall at the center of the image, looking directly at the camera. She carries a medical bag in her proper left hand.
Collection Item
Vital Midwives