100 MOST FASCINATING BLACK WOMEN OF THE 20th CENTURY

Ebony, March, 1999

THE SUPREMES

Young, talented and beautiful, they were the princesses of popular music, dazzling divas-in-the-making whose sweet, soothing harmonies reached across the racial divide and had all of America touching somebody's hand and stopping in the name of love. Individually, they were (l. to r.) Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard and Diana Ross. Collectively, they were simply ... Supreme.

MABEL STAUPERS (1890-1989)

Nurse activist who spent her entire life on the front lines, either mending the wounds of men in battle or leading the charge against segregation in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. Her long campaign extending from the Great Depression to World War II, resulted in the full integration of Black nurses into the Army and ultimately into civilian hospitals as well.

MARY CHURCH TERRELL (1863-1954)

Educator, civil rights activist and women's rights leader, she advocated advancing all of Black America by improving the lives of African-American women. She also was a founding member of the NAACP and the National Association of Colored Women.

SARAH VAUGHAN (1924-1990)

Combining precise phrasing with incredible, yet effortless, range, "The Divine One" scaled seemingly unreachable vocal heights and took jazz singing to an entirely new level.

SUE BAILEY THURMAN (1903-1996)

In partnership with her husband, noted scholar and theologian Howard Thurman. she promoted the spiritual and social uplift of Black Americans. An activist in her own right, she criss-crossed the country preaching the gospel of nonviolent resistance and helped to establish what was believed to be the first integrated church in the United States.

CICELY TYSON

On stage and on screen, she redefined the Black woman--and the White woman--and, in the process, personified the cultural sea change sweeping the country.

ALICE WALKER

A Pulitzer Prize winner in 1983 for The Color Purple, this novelist, essayist, poet and short story writer has been at the forefront of the women's movement for nearly 30 years and remains one its most prolific and influential voices.

DINAH WASHINGTON (1924-1963)

Dubbed "Queen of the Blues," she was, in fact, a rhythm and blues pioneer and a singer of immense versatility. Whether growling out a down-home blues number or purring a cover of some pop hit, she mesmerized audiences and paved the way for the generation of singers who followed.

ETHEL WATERS (1896-1977)

Actress and blues singer, she was a star of the famed Cotton Club in the '20s and the toast of Broadway in the '30s. Later, she established herself in dramatic roles on stage and in films. She won raves and an Academy Award nomination (Pinky), and became one of the highest-paid performers of the '40s and '50s.

MAGGIE LENA WALKER (1867-1934)

The first woman bank president in the United States, she built the Independent Order of St. Luke into one of the most progressive and profitable mutual aid societies of the early 20th century. As executive head of the Richmond-based agency, she presided over its banking and insurance enterprises and was a tireless civic leader.