Treasures of the African Diaspora
BY ZAKIYYAH ALI
Cathay Williams & Dr. Daisy Century:
A Black Female Buffalo Soldier & Her Historian
Part Two: Dr. Daisy Nelson Century, Historical Interpreter
Dr. Daisy Nelson Century
Dr. Daisy Century, a Philadelphia native embodies the stories of African American heroines like Cathay Williams, sharing the knowledge and memories with fascinated audiences around the country.
I met Daisy at least 30 years ago, when she was a teacher at Salisbury Middle School in Allentown. I was working on an environmental project, and we met when I was assigned to a class that she was teaching. The project involved working with the Water Department and the University of Pennsylvania in the part of Philadelphia known as Mill Creek. In Mill Creek, the streets and houses are built over running water—a series of creeks. From time to time, the creeks flood, so the whole neighborhood floods—to this day. The community has high rates of asthma and respiratory issues due to the toxicity.
Daisy went on to earn her doctorate in Education. When I spoke to her about her reenactments, she couldn’t tell me how she started. She recalled that she had started buying clothing that she would not wear on regular occasions and storing the items in her closet. For example, she bought a bomber jacket and a roaring 20s dress for no apparent reason. When we spoke, she wasn’t sure when she started collecting.
Later, an event arose that called upon Daisy to do an enactment of Bessie Coleman, the pilot. She went into her closet, and there was the bomber jacket. At another point, she was called to portray Madam C. J. Walker, and there was the 30s dress, ready and available. Now Daisy portrays eight characters, including Cathay Williams. I had the pleasure of seeing her very beautiful enactment of Cathay Williams when she came to the senior center that I attend during Black History Month 2025.
Thumbnail sketches of the historical women that Dr. Daisy Century portrays are listed below. For a fuller bio of each heroine, visit Daisy’s website at https://daisycentury.com.:
Bessie Coleman, World War I Aviator.
The Bessie Coleman reenactment also touches on the themes of Jim Crow and the Roaring Twenties.
Cathay Williams, Buffalo Soldier. The courage, energy and true grit of Cathay Williams are palpable in Dr. Century’s realistic portrayal.
Harriet Tubman, Underground Railroad Captain. In addition to Harriet Tubman’s life, the reenactment explores the Civil War, enslavement and abolition.
Hatshepsut, Egyptian Pharaoh
Taking us to 18th Dynasty Egypt, Dr. Century animates the life of one of the most accomplished pharaohs on record.
Madam C. J. Walker, Entrepreneur & Producer. Madam Walker’s life is enlivened against the backdrop of Civil Rights and the Harlem Renaissance.
Mary Fields, Wild West Mail Carrier. Emancipated after the Civil War, “Stagecoach Mary” delivered mail in Montana between the City of Cascade and St. Peter’s Church.
Phillis Wheatly, Poet & Literary Genius
Dr. Century weaves Ms. Wheatley’s story into contemporary events and iconic figures of her time: the Revolutionary War, General George Washington and more.
Sojourner Truth, Womanist & Abolitionist. The powerful delivery brings Truth’s story alive amidst the Civil War, Enslavement and women’s suffrage.
Daisy presents her reenactments all over the place, to preschool children and elders. She goes to meetings and conferences, schools, churches, family reunions and more. In less than an hour, sometimes s little bit more, she brings audiences face-to-face with heroines that they have only read about—or maybe never heard of before. She also runs two summer camps named after Black women heroines: Harriet Tubman and Bessie Coleman.
An avid historian, Dr. Century is also a 5-time author. Her fiction books are Belle, children’s story Zach and His Lucky Zebra Socks and the adventure story, Deedle, Deedle Your House Is On Fire. Her collection of poems is entitled, Leave the Porch Light On. Century combines fiction with the real-life wisdom of Africa passed through generations in South Carolina in Ms. Emmaline’s Little Book of Wit & Wisdom.
So, a chance meeting at a senior center during Black History Month 2025 yielded two African Treasures. To see my friend, Dr. Daisy Century, transform from her bright, beautiful, up-spirited self to this other Black woman, not known to many, was heartfelt and eye-opening to lost history. Dr. Century—my friend Daisy, is an African Treasure in the flesh now who, through her journey life, history and service brings to us, her community, new insight and enlightenment about past African women whom we should treasure as well. It has been my pleasure to bring these stories to you, my community. Please take a few minutes to check out Dr. Century’s website. Do something great for your community by bringing her to your site, either in person or virtually. You will be enlightened, entertained and refreshed.