We celebrate the women who tenaciously keep our communities standing.
The African American Women's History Month Project honors extraordinary volunteers, mentors and matriarchs whose work sustains African American communities — on the record, by name.
"Celebrating the Lives & Legacy of African Americans."
Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole
Anthropologist, educator and museum director
Born in Jacksonville in 1936, Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole entered Fisk University at fifteen and earned her doctorate in anthropology from Northwestern. In 1987 she became the seventh president of Spelman College — and the first Black woman to lead the college founded for the education of women of African descent. She went on to preside over Bennett College and to direct the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art. The 2026 exhibit returns to her home city in her honor.
About the exhibit →The women we have been looking for.
Honorees identified for their hard work and dedication — teachers, organizers, judges, preachers, healers, grandmothers. Photographed and archived, year after year.
October 2026 · JacksonvilleThe Power of Her Presence
Honoring the Legacy of Black Women in Florida
A second showing of the exhibit celebrating the extraordinary achievements of Black women across Florida — women who were born in, lived in, or shaped the communities of this state. Fifty-six honorees, spanning medicine, education, the arts, public service and activism.
A program built quietly, over decades.
Women honored as Community Stars, alongside a few good men and several organizations.
Founded in Orlando as the Women’s History Month Project, and reorganized in 2011.
Women honored in the 2026 exhibit, The Power of Her Presence.
Florida-registered charity. Every gift is tax-deductible.
What's ahead.
Exhibits, honors and programs. Ticketed events link through to our ticketing partner.
Help us write the
next chapter.
Every gift funds scholarships, the traveling exhibit and the workshops keeping the project moving forward. Every contribution is fully tax-deductible.
Gifts of any size fund the exhibit, our scholarships, and the work of honoring Community Stars by name.
Give now→AAWHMP, Inc. is a Florida 501(c)(3) (CH52520). Tax-deductible.