Honoring Black Feminist Icon Dorothy Pitman Hughes

This Black History Month, we’re honoring Black mothers who sparked change.

“When you help women, you help everybody.” -Dorothy Pitman Hughes

Pitman Hughes (1938 - 2022) was a pioneering feminist, child-welfare advocate, author and daycare owner born in Lumpkin, Georgia. She is widely credited for inspiring the launch of ‘Ms.’ magazine, and she taught her longtime friend, Gloria Steinem, about Black feminism.

Pitman Hughes was a mother to three daughters — Delethia, Patrice and Angela (named after civil rights luminary Angela Davis).

According to The New York Times, Pitman Hughes was having a difficult time finding a caregiver for her young children. She also observed that many children were home alone during the day while their parents worked. So in 1966, she founded a day care and charged $5 per child weekly. In 1971, she opened the new and improved West 80th Community Childcare Center, after fundraising over a quarter of million dollars to purchase a building. The center was community focused, providing housing assistance, shelter for abused women, job training and more.

She continued to focus on the wellness of families throughout the entirety of her life.

Pitman Hughes believed that feminism could not be divorced from the trials of everyday Black women — in fact, it must prioritize them.

To learn more about Pitman Hughes’ tireless fight for children and families, read Laura L. Lovett’s “With Her Fist Raised: Dorothy Pitman Hughes and the Transformative Power of Black Community Activism.”