Famous and Notable Black Women Posters, “E...-”
for the social studies classroom, home schoolers and theme decor.

Marion Wright Edelman
Joycelyn Elders

Minnie Evans

Lanterns: A Memoir of Mentors

Marian Wright Edelman
b. 6-6-1939; Bennetsville, SC

Marian Wright Edelman, activist for the rights of children, is president and founder of the Children's Defense Fund.

Marian Wright Edelman quotes ~
• “If you don’t like the way the world is, you change it. You just do it one step at a time.”
• “You just need to be a flea against injustice. Enough committed fleas biting strategically can make even the biggest dog uncomfortable and transform even the biggest nation.”

• Civil Rights posters

Joycelyn Elders
née Minnie Lee Jones
b. 8-13-1955; Schaal, Arkansas

Pediatrician, former Navy vice-admiral, and public health administrator, Joycelyn Elders, was the first African American, and second woman, appointed as Surgeon General of the United States. As the Director of the Arkansas Department of Health she increased tenfold the number of early childhood screenings annually and almsot double the immunization rate for two-year olds in the state.

Elders was dismissed from the Surgeon General post in 1994 due to the conservative outcry against her when she expressing her views on drug legalization and distributing contraception in schools. She returned to teaching at the University of Arkansas.

Minnie Evans (nee Kelley)
b. 12-12-1890; Pender Co., NC
d. 12-16-1987; Wilmington, NC

Minnie Evans, an African American folk artist, worked in colored pencils and crayon to depict scenes from the her private dream world.

• Painting Dreams: Minnie Evans, Visionary Artists

Madame Lillian Evanti
née Lillian Evans
b. 8-12-1890/91; Washington, DC
d. 12-6-1967; Washington, DC

Soprano Lillian Evanti was the first African-American to develop a professional career in grand opera. A graduate of Howard University she studied and performed in many of the principal opera houses in France and Italy between 1925 and 1928.

In 1932 the Metropolitan Opera exclusionary racial policy made it impossible for her to perform there; she did give a recital at the Belasco Theater, the only prestige stage in Washington, D.C. to present performances by African-American artists to segregated audiences. Two years later she gave a command performance at the White House.

Evanti made several concert tours in Africa, where she was decorated for her cultural contributions in Nigeria, Liberia, and Ghana. In 1957 she wrote the independence song for Ghana.

Evanti, her stage name, is a combination of Evans and Tibbs, the last name of her husband.