- Mohawk woman and common-law wife of ex-patriot Irishman
- Claimed powers typically reserved for male chiefs through role as a Clan Mother, Loyalist Chief and by leveraging her marriage
- Urged loyalty to the British king, acted as an informant and adviser to the military
- Played a critical role as a mediator between the British military and Native communities
- Procured resources for Native communities through her efforts
“the women were ‘the Truest Owners being the persons who labour on the Lands, and therefore are esteemed in that light.’” -Mohawk chief
“It was always the custom for [women] to be present [at councils] being of much estimation among Us, in that we proceed from them, and they provide our Warriors with provisions when they go abroad.” -Oneida chief
- Youngest daughter of wealthy South Carolina plantation owners
- Opposed slavery from young age, inspired by Christian faith
- Moved to Philadelphia, devoted life to abolition movement
- Cataloged everyday cruelties and degradations of slavery
- Castigated both Southerners and Northerners for enabling slavery to continue
- As member of elite, played unique role in revealing hypocrisy of "polite society"
"...Even were slavery no curse to its victims, the exercise of arbitrary power works such fearful ruin upon the hearts of slaveholders, that I should feel impelled to labor and pray for its overthrow with my last energies and latest breath."
"...The sufferings of the slaves are not only innumerable, but they are indescribable...I cannot describe the daily, hourly, ceaseless torture, endured by the heart that is constantly trampled under the foot of despotic power. This is a part of the horrors of slavery which, I believe, no one has ever attempted to delineate; I wonder not at it, it mocks all power of language."
- Moved to the Bay Area & Joined the Black Panther Party in 1967
- First woman to serve on the BPP Central Committee (their decision body)
- Served as the party's national Communications Secretary & spokesperson for several years, organizing national campaigns, leading rallies, delivering speeches & holding press conferences
"People have been murdered for less than what the Black Panthers did, so the question was for us: 'Do you want to live on your knees or die on your feet?'" - Kathleen Cleaver
"Panther women, like their foremothers, dedicated themselves to serving and defending the African American community. They also sought to transform America by struggling against racist, classist, and sexist oppression and exploitation." - Angela LeBlanc-Ernest