Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about
Charlotte Maxeke's 151st birthday
Today’s Doodle, illustrated by South Africa-based artist Pola Maneli, celebrates the life and 151st birthday of Mama Charlotte Maxeke. Widely known as the mother of Black Freedom in South Africa, she was a scholar, an evangelist and a torchbearer for Black South African women’s rights.
Charlotte Manye Maxeke was born in 1871 in the small town of Fort Beaufort, situated in today’s Eastern Cape province. She eventually found herself following in her parents’ footsteps—her mother was a teacher, her father a preacher. By age 20, Maxeke was invited to sing and tour Britain and the United States as part of the African Jubilee Choir. While in the United States, the choir’s tour was cut short, but Maxeke decided to stay behind as her sights were set on the opportunity to study in America.
She eventually earned a bachelor degree from the Wilberforce University in 1903 and is recognized as the first Black South African woman to graduate from the school, as well as the first with a university degree from America. While in school, Maxeke excelled in many fields of study and was lectured by renowned Pan-Africanist scholar, W.E.B. DuBois.
After returning to South Africa, Maxeke settled in Johannesburg and became involved in the country’s political and social rights movements. She attended the launch of the South African Native National Congress (SANCC) in Bloemfontein in 1912. As an avid opponent of the dompas, a pass which regulated and limited the freedom of Black South Africans (especially women), Maxeke helped organize the anti-dompas movement in 1913. She also founded the Bantu Women’s League of the SANCC in 1918.
Over the next 25 years, Charlotte Maxeke continued her efforts as a tireless leader and advocate for women’s rights. She worked with others across race and class, oftentimes remembered as “everyone’s friend and no one’s enemy.”
Happy birthday, Charlotte Maxeke and as always have a chilled day from the Viking
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