Kerry Washington has been celebrating Black History Month in the best way.
Throughout the month of February, the Scandal star has been making good use of her wigs, makeup and props teams by channelling some of the most groundbreaking Black women in American history in a series she’s called “Black HERstory.”
Some of the women she’s embodied thus far include supermodel Beverly Johnson, Olympian Wilma Rudolph and, most recently, Rosa Parks.
“A lot of people think that Rosa’s activism started with her refusing to give up her seat on the bus, but she lived a life of activism long before that,” Washington wrote in her latest post, featuring a side-by-side image of Parks’s mugshot from the 1960s and her own re-creation of it.
Of course, Parks was a renowned activist in the civil rights movement best known for her role in the Montgomery bus boycott, during which she refused to give up her seat for a white passenger on a segregated bus in the Jim Crow south.
“It was Rosa Park’s [sic] act of civil disobedience on that bus that sparked a revolution,” Washington wrote. “She took that seat in order to take a stand. That seat on the bus was her fighting stance – and so we continue the fight today, in whatever way we can!”
“Lets ask ourselves, what can we do!” she continued. “Sit. Stand. March. Make calls. Volunteer. Talk to your family and friends. Do whatever you can and however you can. Rosa taught us that. And we are forever grateful. It was an honor to honor her.”
Washington’s efforts to elevate the stories of Black American women in history have been widely appreciated by her fans.
“Love how you are paying homage to these phenomenal women!” one follower wrote on Washington’s recent post.
“Learning from history is critical. This really happened,” a fan added, while another wrote, “Standing On Hero’s Shoulders!”
In Washington’s first post in early February, the actress said she was inspired to begin the series because she wanted to personally do something to remind people that Black History is “about more than just slavery and Jim Crow.”
“Our history is a tapestry of beauty, culture, power, community, resilience, & strength. And through it all – the pain and the joy – Black women have held it down,” she wrote at the time. “I want to celebrate and honor Black HERstory and embody my sisters who have paved the way for putting magic into the world.”
And that she did.
“Wilma ran (literally!) so that Black athletes and Olympians could run too. And show the world our magic, our talents, and our determination,” Washington wrote in her post celebrating Wilma Rudolph, who won three gold medals for track and field events during the 1960 Olympics in Rome.
Following her huge wins, Rudolph became a role model for Black and female athletes and helped elevate women’s track and field in the United States.
“She wasn’t the first Black athlete or the first female athlete to win three gold medals, she was the first ATHLETE,” Washington made clear in her post.
Washington also donned a long and curly wig to channel Beverly Johnson, the first Black woman to cover Vogue magazine in August 1974.
“She showed little Black girls, the fashion industry, and the WORLD that Black is beautiful and powerful,” the actress wrote in her tribute post. “Forever grateful to Ms. Beverly and to all of the Black models of this era that changed the game.”
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