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Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images By Victoria Uwumarogie ·

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Scott Olson / Staff / Getty Images By Rayna Reid Rayford ·Updated March 1, 2024

In honor of Beyoncé releasing her next country album, ESSENCE is shining a light on the lesser-known history of the Black women of the wild, wild west.  

In modern media, cowboys have stereotypically been depicted “as White men defending their ranch from Indigenous groups. [But i]n reality, Black and Native Americans comprised a notable percentage of these cowboy groups.”

During the 1890s in Montana, formerly enslaved Mary Fields, more widely known by her nickname Stagecoach Mary, was the first Black woman to carry mail. And “she stood out on the trail—and became a Wild West legend. Rumor had it that she’d fended off an angry pack of wolves with her rifle, had ‘the temperament of a grizzly bear.’”

“She met trains with mail, then drove her stagecoach over rocky, rough roads and through snow and inclement weather.” More importantly, “would-be mail thieves didn’t stand a chance against Stagecoach Mary.”

Another notable woman from that time was Henrietta Williams Foster, affectionately referred to as Aunt Rittie. Foster, a cowhand who resided in Refugio County in South Texas, “was considered a tenacious, tough-as-nails woman who would ride her horse sidesaddle in long skirts and could perform the same work as the men.”

A member of the Black Seminole community, Johanna “Chona” Phillips July Wilkes Lasley was an extremely skilled horse tamer during the late 1800s. As an interviewee of the Federal Writers’ Project, in an atypical move for women of the time, Lasley “became an expert horse breaker” and after her father’s death, she “continued his work.” Her method “She put on her clothes that needed washing and led the horse to the Rio Grande…pulled the horse into the deep water forcing it to swim. She stayed in the water until the horse tired and then she hopped on its back and rode out of the river. Her method of gentling the horse took advantage of the terrain and lessened her chore of cleaning her garments.”

Before Mulan, there was Cathay Williams, who is credited with being “the first African-American woman to enlist in the army and did so by disguising herself as a man. Though she was hospitalized five times, no one ever discovered her secret. She called herself William Cathay and was deemed fit for duty.” Following her time in combat, she moved out to Colorado and was married. But after her husband tried to steal her money and her horses, she had him arrested.

These were among just some of the women who lived and thrived in that era. According to Cowgirl Magazine, “African American women made enormous contributions to the advancement and culture of the West. They built towns, established charities, created schools, developed churches, and did dangerous jobs such as delivering the mail. They were real estate magnates, writers, celebrated chefs, investors, and trailblazers.”

The post It’s Not Our First Rodeo: Black Women In The Wild, Wild West appeared first on Essence.

Originally published April 25, 2022

It’s the time of year when students begin receiving college admissions decisions and financial aid packages. Whether this will be a student’s first time in college or they are navigating the enrollment processes as a current or returning student, the availability of financial aid will likely be a leading consideration for enrollment. What options do students have when their financial aid award may not reflect their current situation?

Many students and families may not know they can appeal for more financial aid. The four tips below will help you take the necessary steps to secure all eligible financial aid.

Why should you submit a financial aid appeal?

Submitting a financial aid appeal is an extra step in the process — but it’s worth asking and advocating for what you need to succeed in school. Without sharing that your situation has changed since submitting a financial aid application, there is no way for the school to know.

Did you know that by federal law, there are certain reasons you can request a change to your financial aid package through what’s called a “professional judgment” or “special circumstances” appeal? Simply put, it’s your right to request more aid. Reasons to appeal your financial aid award include, but are not limited to, job loss, loss of a loved one, medical expenses, and childcare costs.

Where should you start when asking for more financial aid?

A financial aid appeal or request is available to qualifying students at all types of institutions (graduate, four-year, two-year, and trade) offering federal financial aid. The office of financial assistance may take some time to evaluate your request, so you should ask about the appeal options as soon as possible.

After you decide which school you will attend, your best first step is to review your school’s website to determine if they have a Special Circumstances or Professional Judgment form to start the appeals process.

If the school does not have an online form, there is a free tool, SwiftStudent, that offers downloadable templates for students to request adjustments to their financial aid award. Downloading a financial aid appeal template can be done in a matter of minutes. Students simply complete a form, and their responses generate an appeal letter they can use to let their school know their situation. The question prompts on the form also guide students through what supporting documentation they may need to submit with their appeal.

What do you need to request more financial aid?

Whether you are submitting your school’s online form or an appeal letter, you must include supporting documentation with your appeal. Supporting documents include bills, signed letters from caregivers, medical or service providers’ costs, court documents, termination letters, unemployment benefits, final pay stubs, or out-of-pocket repair costs after a natural disaster. Ultimately, it’s up to your financial aid office to determine the required documents. These documents aim to confirm the change in your financial situation.

Do not submit original documents, as the financial aid office will need to retain them for its records.

What’s next after you submit a financial aid appeal? 

– Additional Documentation: Your financial aid office may need additional documents or information to make a decision.

– Follow-up: Make sure to check your official school email address daily so you don’t miss a response from your financial aid office. You can also reach out to your financial aid office to check on the status of your request. SwiftStudent has a worksheet to help you keep track of your communication and conversations with the financial aid office.

– Appeal Decision: While there is no guarantee that your school will adjust your financial package, federal law allows financial aid officers to use “professional judgment” to update the information used to calculate a student’s offer of financial assistance. If your request is approved, the financial aid office will share how much more aid you can expect to receive, if any. If you are offered a loan, it’s important to consider the type of loan and how the amount will help you reach your educational goals. If your request is denied, it doesn’t mean you’re out of options. Ask your financial aid office why the request was rejected and what other community or institutional resources are available.

RELATED CONTENT: University Of North Carolina Expands Financial Aid In Response To Supreme Court

Family with one child viewing potential new home withsenior estate agent, father talking to agent while mother and son look out of window of spacious empty room, real estate, new life, beginnings By Jasmine Browley ·Updated February 28, 2024

The American Dream may be a bit more equitable than we thought, according to a new report from Zillow.

Homeownership, one of the most touted bastions of wealth-building, has notoriously been more challenging for Black Americans than white Americans. But new data from Zillow suggests the gap between the share of Black and white renting families that could comfortably afford a mortgage payment shrunk significantly during the pandemic.

The report points out that in 2022, nearly 40% of 138 million U.S. families didn’t own homes—of those, more than 6.3 million families were considered “income-ready” for a mortgage, or in other words ready to make a purchase if they chose to do.

Just 7.8% of Black families were income-ready for a mortgage, compared to 12.5% of white families — a gap of 4.7 percentage points. This gap has closed by significantly since it stood at 7.9 percentage points since 2012.

“Despite the significant decline in mortgage affordability in the past two years, millions of families who do not own their home have the means to afford the largest share of a homeowner’s cost — the mortgage,” said Zillow Senior Economist Orphe Divounguy in a news release. “While some families may choose to rent, many are simply constrained. It’s crucial to recognize the existence of additional barriers beyond monthly cost, including access to funds for a down payment and closing costs — as well as other barriers that significantly contribute to mortgage denials, like insufficient credit scores and lack of access to credit. These barriers especially impact people of color.”

While there has been improvement in closing the racial homeownership gap, it is still marginal. Across the U.S., homeownership among white families sits at 73% as compared to Black households (44%). This is also compounded by the pervasive racial wealth gap. As the Brookings Institute reports, between 2019 and 2022, for every $100 in wealth held by white households, Black households held only $15.

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