They Persisted

Book excerpt: History is fascinating! At some point, you studied history, and it is likely that you already know about some pretty interesting women, like Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, and Amelia Earhart, to name a few. However, there are more amazing women that you may not have heard about, like Helen Marot, Mary Fields, Bessie Coleman, and many others. Stories connect us like the threads that create a tapestry. They stitch us securely into a multigenerational quilt of life and community. History helps us learn who we are, but when we don't know our own history, our power and dreams are immediately diminished. History must tell the whole story; knowing the achievements of women expands our sense of what is real and what is possible. This collection of stories lifts these women from the archives where they have become fossilized and dusty. It breathes new life into them. They are vessels for preserving truth and inspiring a new generation.