Grace Soyinka was a Nigerian businesswoman and women’s rights activist. She co-founded the Abeokuta Women’s Union (AWU) alongside her aunt-in-law, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, leading one of Nigeria’s most influential anti-colonial movements.

The AWU fiercely opposed the heavy taxation imposed on women by the Alake of Abeokuta, a ruler backed by colonial authorities. Through organised protests and strategic resistance, they successfully forced the Alake to abdicate. The movement later grew into the Nigerian Women’s Union (NWU), expanding its advocacy for women’s rights on a national scale.

Grace was married to Samuel Ayodele Soyinka, an Anglican minister, and together they raised seven children, including Wole Soyinka, who won Africa’s first Nobel Prize in Literature. In his 1981 memoir Aké: The Years of Childhood, Wole paints a vivid portrait of his mother, whom he called "Wild Christian." He depicts her as a strict yet loving disciplinarian, deeply religious, and fiercely principled. Her moral convictions, entrepreneurial drive, and activism, particularly within the AWU, left an enduring impact on her family and community.

Her resilience, unwavering sense of justice, and dedication to social change profoundly shaped her son’s worldview, instilling in him a lifelong commitment to advocacy, integrity, and fearless self-expression.