When Society Forgot Black Women, Dr. Sha Battle Built A Month That Wouldn’t — Inside 10 Years Of International Black Women’s History Month [Excluisve]

Dr. Sha Battle didn't wait for a seat at the table; she built an entirely new one. Ten years later, the whole world is showing up to it. The post When Society Forgot Black Women, Dr. Sha Battle Built A Month That Wouldn’t — Inside 10 Years Of International Black Women’s History Month [Excluisve] appeared first on MadameNoire.

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Apr 21, 2026 - 20:19
When Society Forgot Black Women, Dr. Sha Battle Built A Month That Wouldn’t — Inside 10 Years Of International Black Women’s History Month [Excluisve]
Dr. Sha Battle
Courtesy of Dr. Sha Battle / Photo by Janet Howard Studios

International Women’s Month gets a lot of airtime. Celebratory posts flood your feed, and “empowering” brand emails fill your inbox. But every year it seems like the same women are at the forefront of these celebrations (and the majority are not of African descent). Sound familiar? Dr. Sha Battle noticed it too. But rather than scroll past the performative celebrations, she asked a harder question: where, exactly, are the Black women in all of this?

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Her answer? Build something from scratch. The story of how it started is almost poetic in its simplicity. “I thought we already had a Black Women’s History Month,” Dr. Battle recalls, “but found quickly that we didn’t, so I proceeded to do so.” Just like that. Gap identified, gap filled. That’s the kind of main character energy we are here for.

When International Black Women’s History Month launched in April of 2016, not everyone got it right away. “Some people looked at me like I had five heads,” she laughed, “but others took to the mission immediately.” And once you understand what sparked her vision, it’s hard not to become an instant convert too. While researching Black women to honor, Dr. Battle kept uncovering story after story of women who had done extraordinary things. Women whose names and contributions had simply never made it mainstream. That erasure lit a fire.

“I kept coming across Black women that have done incredible things, none of which I had learned about in school.”

At the heart of the initiative is the annual Black Women’s History Month Awards. Think of it as the recognition ceremony the culture should have had all along. But don’t expect this to be a highlight reel reserved only for the famous or the flashy. Dr. Battle’s vision is radically inclusive. Recognizing the women doing quiet, world-changing work in communities nobody’s writing think-pieces about. Not just the ones with blue checkmarks or bestselling memoirs.

“This initiative impacts each and every one of us,” she says. “It’s not just for those who have made grandiose contributions, but those who have been a mentor, or are committed to taking care of their family and community. They are to be celebrated and supported as well.”

The post When Society Forgot Black Women, Dr. Sha Battle Built A Month That Wouldn’t — Inside 10 Years Of International Black Women’s History Month [Excluisve] appeared first on MadameNoire.

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