Walk with me Now Lord

Christian Black Women from history Who Impacted Change Lisa Samra Feb 02, 2026 In honor of Black History Month, we remember faithful women who found sustaining strength and steadfast courage from their faith in Jesus to help them endure hardship and opposition in their calling to be advocates for dignity and equality for all people.

Phyllis Wheatley (First African American Published Poet; c. 1753-1784)

Phyllis Wheatley’s celebrated poetry was rich in theological truths and called for equality for all regardless of the color of one’s skin. Born around 1753 in western Africa, Phyllis was torn from her home at seven years of age and sold to a slave trader. She was purchased by John Wheatley, a wealthy Massachusetts merchant who gave her the family name. Recognizing her sharp mind, the Wheatley family provided her with a rigorous education and supported her literary abilities before finally emancipating her in 1773.

Throughout her short life, Wheatley used biblical symbolism and literary skill to persuade Christians of the need to abolish slavery. In her best-known poem, “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” Wheatley presses her readers to consider Black Christians as equal recipients of salvation.

Sojourner Truth (Abolitionist, Women’s Rights Activist; 1797-1883)

A gifted orator, Sojourner was an unrelenting advocate for the abolition of slavery and equal rights for women. Born Isabella in the Hudson River Valley of New York, the future activist spent 30 years enslaved before escaping her cruel owners and finding refuge with Isaac and Maria Van Wagenen, who purchased her freedom for only $20. After moving to New York City, she became a speaker in religious revivals and in 1843, she changed her name to Sojourner Truth because of her call to preach the gospel and speak out against slavery.

A charismatic speaker, she would passionately ask her audience, “Children, who made your skin white? Was it not God? Who made me black? Was it not the same God? Am I to blame, therefore, because my skin is black? Does it not cast reproach on our Maker to despise a part of His children, because He has been pleased to give them a black sin? And did not the same Savior die to save the one as well as the other?

Harriet Tubman (Abolitionist; c. 1822-1913)

Harriet Tubman’s belief in the power of prayer to rescue people inspired a nation. Born into slavery around 1820 in Maryland, Harriet not only escaped slavery but helped hundreds of other African Americans find freedom through her work on the Underground Railroad. She was given the nickname “Moses” for safely bringing every person she led from bondage to freedom in the North.

Contemporary biographer Sarah Bradford remarked that miraculous answers to prayer “never seemed to strike her as at all strange or mysterious; her prayer was the prayer of faith, and she expected an answer.”

Mary McLeod Bethune (Educator, Civil Rights Activist; 1875-1955)

Mary McLeod Bethune was the most influential Black woman in the 20^th century because of her extensive work to advocate for educational opportunities for all people. The daughter of freed slaves, Mary, was not deterred by the obstacles or abuse she suffered in her quest to get an education. Seeking additional education, she attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. The only Black student on campus, Mary excelled in her studies and spiritual leadership. Enormous disappointment followed graduation when mission boards would not appoint her as a missionary to Africa because she was Black. Instead, she focused her attention on addressing the spiritual, educational, and physical needs of Black children in the United States.

Mahalia Jackson (Gospel Singer; Civil Rights Activist; 1911-1972)

Known as the Queen of Gospel, Mahalia Jackson used her voice to promote civil rights. The granddaughter of enslaved people who worked on rice and cotton plantations, Mahalia was born in New Orleans but moved to Chicago during the Great Migration, a term for the mass movement of Black Southerners to the North to escape Jim Crow laws and find fair job opportunities. In 1964, Mahalia wrote about her convictions and reason for singing, saying, “Using the gift God gave me, singing the old spiritual songs for people everywhere has been a great personal help for me. Not to become just an entertainer or a star, but to help give people faith—that is the most important thing I can do. Gospel songs are the songs of hope and faith.”

Fannie Lou Hamer (Civil Rights Activist; 1917-1977)

Fannie Lou Hamer rose from humble beginnings to become a respected advocate for civil and voting rights. Born in Mississippi, the 20^th child of poor sharecroppers, Hamer began picking cotton at six years old. In 1962, she organized a group of 17 Black volunteers to travel to the courthouse to register to vote. Denied the opportunity to register she was also fired from her job and her home was confiscated as a result of her advocacy. Motivated by the biblical truth that all people are children of God, she co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, helped lead civil rights protests, and launched the Freedom Farm Cooperative to help Black farmers develop cooperatives that would provide affordable housing and economic opportunities.

Known for regularly bursting into a Gospel song, one of Fannie’s favorites was “This Little Light of Mine,” a song that she had learned as a girl in her Baptist church. Another song associated with Fannie came out of horrible suffering. Beaten and lying in a jail cell in June 1963, she asked the woman in the cell with her to sing the lyrics of “Walk with Me” throughout the night to help them find strength and be reminded that God was with them.

Walk with me

Now, Lord

Walk with me

While I'm on

This Jesus journey

I want Jesus

To walk with me

Be my friend

Now, Lord

Be my friend