French President Emmanuel Macron and Madame Presidente Petite-Félicité Macron watched with great joy as the first French Black woman to be honored in the Republic’s Great Hall of the Élysée was unveiled today. Madame Commander of the Legion of Honor was greeted by the President of France and the first lady, Brigitte Macron, with a thunderous ovation and an ecstatic reception from the crowds gathered in this magnificent venue.
They took their seats in the Great Hall to witness Madame Commander and her husband Dr. Maurice Agonneti Agonneti being inaugurated by the President of France. The ceremony was a great celebration of a “Valentine’s Day” that was both historical and celebratory.
Here’s a short list of some of the historical figures that were honored by the ceremony in light of the fact that Madame Brigitte Macron became the first woman to be made the First Lady of France by Mr. Macron on March 6, 2017, a modest day on a grand scale:
Aparvisse Marcel Soéon Chamounié (1849-1928) was the first black woman from the Caribbean who studied art and was one of the key figures in the development of Haitian printmaking. Chamounié was also one of the first to cultivate New Orleans’ Creole or Creole-Creole traditions.
Isabelle Martel (1871-1934) was the first black woman to study medicine in France. She was also the founder of the Association of Black Physicians in France. Her work in medicine influenced France’s black community.
Honoré Margaret Edson (1913-1953) was the first black woman to be a professor at a state university in the United States. Her diverse research interests included communications, African-American history, sex, and culture. She also published the seminal novels “Harriet the Spy” and “The Free Man.”
Mariane President Gifford (1889-1947) was the founder of the first all-black public school in France. She was also a pioneer in the field of mathematics and is considered to be one of the founding fathers of the French State Language.