The stories of nine Black Country Women, specially researched for Black Country Day 2023.
women in history
Kristina of Sweden
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a king in possession of a crown, must be in want of a son. So much so, in King Gustav II of Sweden's case, that his daughter was at first announced as a son. Yet the future Queen Kristina would soon prove to be far more than what was then expected of her sex.
Sisters: Las Mariposas
The International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women takes place every year on 25th November. The date was chosen in honour of Patria, Minerva, and María Teresa Mirabal, commonly known as ‘Las Mariposas’, three sisters from the Dominican Republic who were assassinated for their resistance against Rafael Trujillo, the then-dictator of the country.
Sisters: Hai Bà Trưng
TheTrưng sisters, Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị, were warriors who rebelled against Chinese Han-dynasty domination of Vietnam, liberating their country and becoming national heroines – and are still celebrated as such today despite both dying around 2000 years ago.
Women Who Fought Back: The Igbo Women’s War
In 1929, one of the first major acts of protest against British colonialism in West Africa broke out in Nigeria. In colonialist terms, the conflict became known as the Aba Riots, an attempt to reduce the action to the hysterical efforts of a few, removing women from it altogether. In the Igbo language, it is Ogu Umunwanyi – the Women’s War.
Jewish women resisters of World War Two
The resistance activities of Jewish women during World War Two have faded from historical memory. Yet they played as big a part as any in the various underground movements and were all exceptionally brave. Instagram's ten slide limit means I can only highlight a few of these women, but I would encourage you to look up the many stories online.
Women Who Fought Back: Madres de Plaza de Mayo
To quote Stephen King: “There’s no bitch on Earth like a mother frightened for her kids.” The Madres de Plaza de Mayo more than prove this, still fighting today for the return of their 'disappeared' children.
Women in Horror: Paula Maxa
The woman who most credibly lays claim to the title of the original scream queen earned her fame on the stage. Paula Maxa became known as ‘the most assassinated woman in the world’, and not for nought — she was ‘killed’ over 10,000 times in at least sixty different ways. Beyond the stage, her real life proves difficult to construct, but if Maxa herself is to be believed, it was just as dark as her career…
Women in Horror: Regina Maria Roche
Regina Maria Roche’s legacy is that of a ‘minor’ Gothic writer, paling in comparison to the likes of Ann Radcliffe and Mary Shelley. Yet, during her lifetime, she was widely celebrated, some of her novels becoming bestsellers and appearing in numerous editions and languages.
Maligned Women: La Malinche
La Malinche is reviled throughout Mexico as a traitor, a whore, the ‘Mexican Eve’ who sold her people out and was directly responsible for their downfall. Now, to pin the blame for an event as significant as the collapse of the Aztec Empire on a single person is pretty ridiculous anyway, but why would it land in particular on a translator who had been sold into slavery and was likely doing what she had to to survive?