Often when we talk about Black History Month, we only hear about Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Ella Baker. Remembering the roles played by these heroines of their times is important, but Black Women’s history continues to be made every day, in our own communities.
Yolanda Holder, is a professional Endurance Ultra Marathon Walker and a 2-time Guinness World Record holder for “Most Marathons Completed in a Calendar Year”, finishing a staggering 106 marathons/ultras in 2010 and breaking her own record in 2012 finishing 120 marathons/ultras. Yolanda, who began walking competitively at age 50, is the first African American to Run or Walk over 100 marathons in a calendar year and the first woman in the world to ever do it twice. This interview was produced by KPFA’s Amandla Collective.
Rabi’a Keeble is founder of Qalbu Maryam, the nation’s second “women’s mosque.” Qalbu Maryam (Mary’s Heart) is an inclusive mosque, open to people of all genders and faiths. Rabi’a is also a nurse, an activist, poet, writer and speaker. A convert to Islam after living for ten years as an Orthodox Jew, she founded Qalbu Maryam in order to promote women’s leadership.