Cervina van Moors (? – 1695) was an enslaved woman who served in the household of Hendrik Adriaan van Reede tot Drakenstein, Lord of Mijdrecht. The name Cervina van Moors was given to her when she was baptized, her own name is undocumented. She is buried in the Buurkerk in Utrecht, now the Museum of Speelklok tot Pierement.

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Susanna Dumion (1713 – 1818) was born in Suriname and enslaved on the plantation Het Vertrouwen. Around 1743 she was taken to the Netherlands by her owner Maria Lespinasse-Tauney and served the family, living  in Amsterdam and later in Haarlem. On the occasion of her 100th birthday a portrait was made of her that is now part of the collection of the Teylers Museum. The name Susanna Dumion was given to her when she was baptized, her own name is undocumented. She passed away on 12 November 1818, aged 105 and is buried in the Bavokerk in Haarlem.

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Dora Fauca, of whom no date of birth or death are known, was a free Black woman from the USA who lived in Haarlem and stood up for her own rights. She had been waiting for seven years for ‘the year's rent as a maid’ and for the legacy of 100 guilders promised in the will by Wesselius Brouwer, for whom she had served until 1764. Fauca needed all her wages for her livelihood and therefore asked for help to bring a case against the executors of Brouwer's will. We do not yet know how Fauca's request turned out.

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Sojourner Truth (1797/1800 – 1883), born Isabella Bomefree, was an American abolitionist and activist for African-American civil rights and women’s rights. She was born into slavery on the estate Hardenbergh in Swartekill, New York where she spoke Dutch. Sold several times to various slave owners she was cruelly mistreated, but never defeated. In 1827 she escaped and joined the anti-slavery and women’s movements, choosing her own name Sojourner Truth, travelling the country preaching about the abolition of slavery. Her speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” became one of the most famous speeches of the abolitionist movement. She passed away on 26 November 1883 in Michigan, USA.

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Hennah Buyne (1952 – 2012) was a Dutch politician and judge. She was born in Paramaribo, Suriname and moved to the Netherlands aged nine. She studied law and became the first Black woman to work as a public prosecutor in Groningen. She was also the first Black woman to become a judge in the Netherlands, working in Groningen, Amsterdam and Arnhem on civil and criminal cases.