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Here's a small collection of brave Black women in American history. I took artistic license with a couple of the images. However, the synopses were taken from the article link below them, wherein you will find several more women and their stories...

Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler

Dr. Crumpler was the first African-American woman physician in the United States. Born in 1831, Dr. Crumpler first worked as a nurse in Massachusetts between 1852 and 1860. She was accepted to New England Female Medical College and earned an M.D. in 1864. She practiced medicine in Boston and Richmond, Virginia, primarily working with the poor, who had limited access to medical care. In 1883, Dr. Crumpler published a renowned book, Book of Medical Discourses In Two Parts, which many believe is the first medical text written by an African-American author.

Claudette Colvin

Nine months before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Mont­gomery, Alabama, a then 15-year-old Claudette Colvin did the same. On March 2, 1955, Colvin was taking the bus home from high school when the driver ordered her to give up her seat, according to NPR. Colvin refused, saying she paid her fare and it was her constitutional right, but was then arrested by two police officers. Colvin later became the main witness in the federal lawsuit Browder v. Gayle, which ended segregation on public trans­portation in Alabama.

Irene Morgan Kirkaldy

And before both Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks, there was Irene Morgan Kirkaldy. In July 1944, Morgan Kirkaldy was arrested after she refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Virginia. She was convicted in a County Circuit Court, but appealed the decision to the Virginia Supreme Court and later to the Supreme Court. With the help of lawyers from the NAACP, including Thurgood Marshall, the Supreme Court rule in favor of Morgan Kirkaldy on June 3, 1946. While Southern states largely ignored the ruling, Morgan Kirkaldy's case was a pioneer in civil rights law. Morgan Kirkaldy received the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Bill Clinton in 2001.

Shirley Chisholm

Chisholm was a pioneer for African-American women holding major roles in the govern­ment. Chisholm first served as an educational consultant for New York City's bureau of child welfare and ran for New York State Assembly in 1964. In 1968, Chisholm was elected as the first African-American Congresswoman, and later became one of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Chisholm made history once again in 1972 when she became the first African-American woman of a major political party to run for the Democratic party nomination.

The Black History Heroes You May Never Have Heard Of

Okay, there is one last person I want you to know about. Her story also comes from the article above, but I was so intrigued by her that I added the CNN, USA Today, and even a New York Times link about her life...

Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson was an LGBTQ activist and trans woman who was one of the first drag queens to walk into the Stonewall Inn. In addition to being a drag performer, Johnson co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries organization with Sylvia Rivera, according to CNN. The organization housed and fed homeless youth that identified as queer, as well as sex workers in the lower part of New York City, said USA TODAY. Johnson also modeled for Andy Warhol, performed with the drag group Hot Peaches, and was an AIDS activist with ACT UP for five years.

CNN

USA Today

New York Times

I'm sorry that New York Times link might not work because of their subscription requirements. It was the longest, but also connected to many other people (not just Black) who needed to be posthumously recognized by the NYT.