Featured HerStories

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  Mavra Esme Starke (July 19, 1942 – April 8, 2025)
  Mavra was born in Brooklyn, NY, the daughter of Regina Vogel and Harry Steinberg.  Because her parents divorced, her childhood was spent between Brooklyn and Miami Beach, Florida.  Her father, a business owner,  and her mother, who held a variety of… …
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  Victoria Maria DeFrancesco Soto (1978 - )
  Victoria Maria DeFrancesco Soto was born in 1978  to Victoria and Joseph DeFrancesco in Southern Arizona on the U.S.- Mexico border and that is where she grew up.  She is of Italian, Jewish and Mexican descent. She describes herself as a student council… …
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  Hispanic Heritage Month: Let's All Celebrate
  Hispanic culture, foods and art are woven into the very fabric of our nation. So it is appropriate that we show our love for these by celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.  The  National Museum of the American Latino offers more information plus access… …
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  An Illustrious History: The National Association of Colored Women's Clubs
  This month the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs celebrates it's one hundred and twenty-ninth anniversary.  Founders of the NACWC included an illustrious group of nineteenth century Black women:  Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin,  Harriet… …
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  How a Chess Champion Became Utah’s Most Successful Democratic Lawmaker
  Stephanie Pitcher approaches legislation like a chess game — methodical, precise and several steps ahead. She passed more bills than any other Democrat in the Republican-controlled legislature this year. By  Addy Baird This story was first published… …
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  PROMINENT ACTRESS & TIRELESS LGBTQ+ ADVOCATE
  LAVERNE COX  (1972 - ) Laverne Cox has emerged as a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. A prominent actress and the first openly transgender person nominated for an Emmy, Laverne Cox has promoted visibility and awareness on behalf of the… …
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  Annie Jump Cannon (1863-1941)
  Underpaid and Discriminated Against Annie Jump Cannon was a pioneering astronomer who specializesd in the classification of stellar spectra. Born in 1863, she was the eldest daughter of Deleware State Senator Wilson Cannon and Mary.  Annie Cannon was… …
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  WOMEN MAKING HISTORY
  In the first few months of this year two identical historical events occurred in two cities in the U.S. Early this year the metropolis of St. Paul, MN, swore in an all-female city council.  The first in the city's history. The three returning… …
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  THE WOMAN WE SHOULD HAVE AS PRESIDENT
  As we are winding down this year's celebration of Women's History Month, we think it is especially appropriate that we honor the accomplishments of the woman we should have as President - former Vice President Kamala Harris. There are those who believe… …
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  Georgia Douglas Johnson (1880-1966)
  She was born as Georgia Blanche Douglas Camp in 1880 in Atlanta, Georgia, to Laura Douglas and George Camp.  Both parents were of mixed ancestry, with her mother having African-American and Native American heritage, and her father… …
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  PATRICIA ROBERTS HARRIS (1924-1985 ) A WOMAN OF MANY FIRSTS
  Widely known for being the first African American woman to serve in a presidential cabinet, Roberts Harris was President Jimmy Carter’s U.S. Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1977 to 1979 and as Secretary of the… …
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  MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER! WOMEN EDUCATING & INSPIRING GENERATIONS.
  For 2025, the National Women’s History Alliance (NWHA) proudly presents the theme “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.” This theme celebrates the collective strength and influence of women who have dedicated their lives… …
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  Helen A. Cook 1837-1913
  Helen Appo Cook was born in the state of New York in 1837, and died in Washington, D.C. of pneumonia and heart failure in 1913. She was born to William Appo and Elizabeth Brady Appo, both African American. Her father was a musician, who taught both… …
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  HONORING THREE GREAT WOMEN DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH
  Helen Appo Cook    (1837-1913)  Helen A. Cook was a leader for African American women's clubs and an advocate for universal suffrage and education.  Cook attended the first convention for universal suffrage in Washington, DC, but was a critic of Susan… …
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  Commemorating Native American Heritage Month
  From the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 to the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876 to the Occupation of Wounded Knee of 1973 to the election of the first Native women to Congress in 2018 to recent struggles to protect salmon, we will never stop the long walk… …
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  Nina Otero-Warren (1881 -1965 }
  Deftly negotiating between Hispano, Anglo, and American Indian worlds throughout her life, Adelina Isabel Emilia Luna Otero was born on October 23, 1881 on her family’s hacienda near Los Lunas, New Mexico. The Otero family were wealthy and politically… …
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  Madeleine Korbel Albright (1937–2022)
  Madeleine Korbel Albright was nominated to be the first woman Secretary of State by President William Jefferson Clinton on December 5, 1996, confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 22, 1997, and sworn in the next day. She served in the position for four… …
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  How Barbara Ehrenreich Exposed the ‘Positive Thinking’ Industry
  We can thank the late economic justice warrior for her groundbreaking contribution in showing that “positive thinking” is part of a whitewashing of economic inequality. By Sonali Kolhatkar Although the late Barbara Ehrenreich was best known for her 2001… …
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  Cecilia Chung (1965- ) : Groundbreaking Advocate Against Discrimination
  By Mariana Brandman, NWHM Predoctoral Fellow in Women's History | 2020-2022   Cecilia Chung is a groundbreaking advocate for the transgender community and those living with HIV/AIDS. For decades, she has worked on the local, state, and national levels… …
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  Meet "The Mother of Pride" : Brenda Howard (1946 - 2005)
  Howard was a constant champion for bi inclusion in early LGBTQ+ activism. Without her, pride as we know it wouldn't exist. Brenda Howard wore a bright pink button that perhaps said it all: “Bi, Poly, Switch — I know what I want.” A ferocious and radical… …
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  Edith Windsor: Plaintiff In Case Declaring DOMA Unconsitutional
  Edith Windsor (1929 - 2017) Edith Windsor, called Edie, was born in 1929, the youngest of three children, to James and Celia Schlain in Philadelphia. Her parents were immigrants from Russia who owned and lived above a candy and ice cream store, both… …
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  Dr. Paula J. Caplan (1947 – 2021)
  Paula J. Caplan was a clinical and research psychologist, author of books and plays, playwright, actor, director, and activist. She was born  July 7, 1947,  and raised in Springfield, Missouri; attended Greenwood Laboratory School; received her A.B.… …
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  Barbara Joan Love (1937-2022) : Resolute Activist and Author
  In August, 2023, a memorial was held in New York to honor the life and work of Joan Love. There were speakers, years-old video footage of Love’s speeches, media coverage, tributes, and more.  A feminist activist, Barbara fought for gay rights and for lesbians… …
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  OPHELIA SETTLE EGYPT (1903-1984)
  Medical social worker, educator, sociologist, writer, and women's rights advocate.   By  ANDREW WARD In the late 1920s, Ophelia Settle Egypt conducted some of the first and finest interviews with former slaves, setting the stage for the Works Progress… …
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  Rosewood Massacre : Black Florida History and White Terror
  By Dan Royles      February 27, 2023  This year marks the hundredth anniversary of the Rosewood Massacre, when hundreds of whites descended on the nearly all-Black community of Rosewood, Florida, intent on wiping out any trace of the town and its… …
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  “Aunt” Clara Brown (1800-1885)
  Often called the “Angel of the Rockies,” Clara Brown reflects the richness of the African-American experience. She faced enormous challenges and reached wonderful heights in her nearly eighty-five years. Turning her back on her life in slavery, she… …
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  SONDRA AKINS: EDUCATOR, SCIENTIST, CHEMIST
  Sondra Akins (1944- ) Today we are celebrating the lifelong achievements of science educator Sondra Akins! Akins was born on March 16, 1944 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. At a time when few women of color were pursuing a career in science Akins was… …
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  ‘POOR Magazine’ Started With a Mother and Daughter
  A mother and daughter in and out of homelessness founded a grassroots magazine in 1996, by and for people experiencing poverty. It grew into a media, education, and art advocacy project for people in poverty around the world. By April M. Short “I’m a… …
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  February is Black History Month
  An excerpt from an essay by Daryl Michael Scott, Howard University, for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.   https://www.blackhistorymonth.gov/About.html   The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records… …
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  INTERNATIONAL DAY of COMMEMORATION IN MEMORY OF HOLOCAUST VICTIMS
  Every year around 27 January, UNESCO pays tribute to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and reaffirms its unwavering commitment to counter antisemitism, racism, and other forms of intolerance that may lead to group-targeted violence. The date… …
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  Carmen Lomas Garza (1948 - )
  Carmen Lomas Garza was born in Kingsville, Texas, in 1948. Inspired by her parent’s activism with the American G.I. Forum, Garza joined the Chicano Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Although she had decided at the age of thirteen to become a visual… …
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  Do Grandmothers Hold the Key to Understanding Human Evolution?
  By Brenna R. Hassett Of the innumerable species on the planet, just a bare handful have evolved to have one of the most counterintuitive adaptations possible. In a small number of animals, all big-brained mammals, we see something that should not, at… …
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  BARBARA KRUGER (1945 -)
  Barbara Kruger was born in 1945 in Newark, New Jersey. Kruger briefly attended Syracuse University, then Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she studied with artists and photographers Marvin Israel and Diane Arbus. Kruger worked in graphic… …
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  MICKALENE THOMAS: PAINTER, PHOTOGRAPHER, FILMAKER, EDUCATOR
  New York-based artist Mickalene Thomas is best known for her elaborate paintings composed of rhinestones, acrylic and enamel. Mickalene Thomas was born and raised in New Jersey and lives and works in New York. One of the most influential artists today,… …
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  JUDITH LOVE COHEN (1933-2016) : Mathematician, Dancer, Engineer, Publisher, Womens Advocate
  By Alex Thompson   Ballet and Engineering Born in 1933, Judith Love Cohen set out from an early age to do things girls were simply not expected to do at that time. She had a deep passion for maths and was very good at it, to the point where her fellow… …
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  Disability Rights Activist Movement Documentary
  Focusing on the struggles, achievements, and courage of those with disabilities during Disability Pride Month. By Brianna Letendre …
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  YOUNG WOMEN LIKE HER GIVE US HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
  What a remarkable, young woman.  Hers will be a name we will hear more about as the years go by.  We must do all that we can to protect our democracy so that young people like Dasia can get the knowledge to make the world a better place. For more… …
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  MABEL PING-HUA LEE (1897-1966)
  In a 1912 New York Times article, Mabel Ping-Hua Lee was regarded as “the symbol of the new era, when all women will be free and unhampered.”[1] At the time, sixteen year old Lee was already a recognized suffragist and activist that would help to lead… …
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  The Age of Roe: Voices from the Front Lines
  Harvard Radcliffe Institute held a major public conference January 26–27, 2023, to probe the complex and unpredictable ways that Roe v. Wade and its aftermath shaped the United States and the world beyond it for nearly half a century. The existential… …
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  EDITH KANAKA'OLE (1913-1979)
  Edith Kanaka'ole (also affectionately called “Aunty Edith”), a native Hawaiian composer, chanter and dancer, was a champion for the preservation of native Hawaiian culture and arts. Kanaka'ole lead the highly celebrated dance school, Hālau o Kekuhi,… …
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  Quartette: Stories from the Lives of Four Women Jazz Musicians
  By Maxine Gordon    Harvard Radcliffe Institute Quartette: Stories from the Lives of Four Women Jazz Musicians—Maxine Sullivan, Velma Middleton, Melba Liston, and Shirley Scott Maxine Gordon is an independent scholar with a lifetime career working with… …
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  "YOU DON'T BELONG HERE"
   ELIZABETH BECKER TELLS THE STORY OF THE WOMEN JOURNALISTS OF VIETNAM by Robin Lindley   It’s not unusual now to see or hear or read reports from women correspondents who cover the news in combat zones and other perilous situations. They bring home the… …
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  THE DEFIANT WOMAN IN NEW YORK'S FIRST ABORTION BATTLE
  Caroline Ann Trow Lohman, better known as Madame Restell        by   Alan J. Singer   By a 6-3 vote in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022), the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade (1973) and eliminated a woman’s constitutional right to… …
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  FIRST NATIVE AMERICAN/AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN PILOT
  Bessie Coleman (1892-1926) soared across the sky as the first African American, and the first Native American woman pilot. Known for performing flying tricks, Coleman’s nicknames were; “Brave Bessie,” “Queen Bess,” and “The Only Race Aviatrix in the… …
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  "DON"T BE LADYLIKE" said MOTHER JONES
  MOTHER JONES (1837 – 1930)   "Whatever the fight, don't be ladylike."These are the words of the woman Teddy Roosevelt once called "the most dangerous woman in America" - when she was 87 years old. Mary Harris Jones, or "Mother Jones", was born May 1,… …
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  WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH: "CELEBRATING WOMEN WHO TELL OUR STORIES"
  Top: Toni Morrison, Maxine Hong Kingston, Jovita Idar, Maya Angelou Middle: Gerda Lerner, Gloria Steinem, Winona La Duke, Lillian Hellman Bottom: Betty Soskin, Willa Cather, Gertrude Stein, Marjory Stoneman Douglas ​   The National Women’s History… …
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  ARIANNA ROSENBLUTH CHANGED the WORLD BEFORE LEAVING SCIENCE BEHIND
  FLASH  OF  GENIUS     By Anastasiia Carrie    A few years ago, Jean Rosenbluth was visiting her mother at a nursing home in Pasadena. The occasion was a holiday party, and Jean and her husband were seated with her mother and another couple. It came up… …
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  FIGHT FOR AN UNLIKELY AMERICAN DREAM
  Ibtihaj Muhammad  (1985 - )   By Mariana Brandman, NWHM Predoctoral Fellow in Women’s History | 2020-2022   A world-class fencer, Ibtihaj Muhammad made history as the first American to wear a hijab in Olympic competition at the 2016 games in Rio de… …
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  THE WOMEN WHO PRESERVED THE STORY OF THE TULSA MASSACRE
  Two pioneering Black writers have not received the recognition they deserve for chronicling one of the country’s gravest crimes.          By Victor Luckerson After teaching an evening typewriting class, Mary E. Jones Parrish was losing herself in a good… …
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  LIKE A "detective" WHO SAVES LIVES
  Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett (1986 - )  Shortly after receiving her  PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, Dr. Corbett joined NIH as a postdoctoral fellow and an immunologist with the adjacent National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).  She… …
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  FEMALE ENTREPENEUR & LANDOWNER BY EARLY 1800’s
  ELLEANOR ELDRIDGE:  Published by Black Wallstreet USA, Feb., 2023 Elleanor Eldridge was born on March 26 1785. She was from Warwick, RI, the youngest of seven daughters and two sons born to Hannah and Robin Eldridge. Her father and two uncles, Africans… …
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  ACTOR, DANCER, SINGER, PIANIST - BUTTERFLY McQUEEN
  Butterfly McQueen’s Groundbreaking Performances in the Village and Beyond POSTED JANUARY 7, 2021 on the VILLAGE PRESERVATION website Village Preservation   BY ARIEL KATES Butterfly McQueen — it’s an unusual name, but in many ways perfect for the woman… …
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  A HIGHER STANDARD: PATRICIA ROBERTS HARRIS
  Patricia Roberts Harris  (1924 - 1985) Black women have always served a critical role in the African American community, from the names we all know — Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Rosa Parks — to today's young mother fighting for educational… …
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  RENAISANCE WOMAN: FRANCES ELLEN WATKINS HARPER
  Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911) The list of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s accomplishments is lengthy. She was a suffragist, an abolitionist, a poet, a teacher, a prohibitionist, a public speaker, and a writer. Mary Ellen Watkins was born free… …
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  We'wha - "Two Spirit" (1849-1896)
  We’wha, a Lhamana (Zuni Two Spirit) individual, took on both male and female tasks as a Zuni cultural ambassador and pottery and textile artist. Also a spiritual leader, We’wha endeavored to preserve the history, traditions, and knowledge of the Zuni… …
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  A WOMEN’S RIGHTS HISTORY MOMENT
  Helen Hulick was called to court as a burglary witness in November, 1938. The 29-year-old kindergarten teacher arrived in her usual attire of a top and slacks. But seeing slacks on a woman so greatly offended Judge Arthur S. Guerin that he would not… …
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  WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO CALL SOMEONE A "MALE CHAUVINIST PIG?"
  The three jabs in quick succession—male, chauvinist, pig—are part of a larger feminist history. JULIE WILLETT   It would be hard to deny today that the male chauvinist pig is still alive and kicking, running amok in his own filth. The election of Donald… …
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  OUTSTANDING CHAMPION FOR DISABILITY RIGHTS
  Stephanie Ortoleva is an accomplished human rights lawyer and prominent feminist leader, scholar and activist, and herself a woman with a disability, who established Women Enabled International (WEI), in 2012 the first and still only international… …
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  FIRST KNOWN DEAF AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN TO EARN A LAW DEGREE
  CLAUDIA L. GORDON  (1972 - ) Claudia Gordon is Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) in the Department of Labor. Her responsibility: to ensure that contractors doing business with the Federal… …
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  A LITANY OF “FIRSTS” FOR THIS REMARKABLE WOMAN
  SENATOR TAMMY DUCKWORTH  (1968 - ) Serving as the junior U.S. Senator from Illinois since 2017, Tammy Duckworth has made a name for herself with a number of firsts: She was the first female helicopter pilot to lead a combat mission and the first female… …
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  AN EXCUSE FOR HIKING PRICES? SURELY NOT....LOL
  If supposedly corporations are suffering from inflation the same way all of us are, why then are they getting richer by the minute? …
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  "KICK IT LIKE PICKETT"
  By Caitlin O’Kane      JUNE 29, 2022 / 2:29 PM  CBS NEWS   Soccer star Carson Pickett became the first person with a limb difference to play on the U.S. Women's National Team (USWNT). Pickett, who was born without her left forearm and hand, helped the… …
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  COMPUTER SCIENTIST, ELECTRICAL ENGINEER and TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST
    Lynn Conway  (1938 - ) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia She worked at IBM in the 1960s and invented generalized dynamic instruction handling, a key advance used in out-of-order execution, used by most modern computer processors to improve… …
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  THE FIRST AMERICAN WOMAN IN SPACE
  SALLY RIDE  (1951-2012) Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. She made her journey into history on June 18, 1983. Throughout her life, Dr. Ride broke barriers and worked to ensure that girls and women were encouraged to do the same. Sally… …
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  POLITICIAN, POET, and ACTIVIST
  Andrea Jenkins  ( 1961 - ) Andrea Jenkins made history in 2017 when she became the first African American, openly transgender woman elected to public office in the United States. As a politician, poet, activist, and community historian, Jenkins strives… …
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  A CHAMPION FOR TRANSGENDER PEOPLE
  Cecilia Chung  (1965 - )  Cecilia Chung is a groundbreaking advocate for the transgender community and those living with HIV/AIDS. For decades, she has worked on the local, state, and national levels to end the discrimination and violence that her… …
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  A FOUNDER OF THE NEW URBANIST MOVEMENT
  Jane Jacobs  (1916-2006) American and Canadian writer and activist Jane Jacobs transformed the field of urban planning with her writing about American cities and her grass-roots organizing. She led resistance to the wholesale replacement of urban… …
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  THE FIRST TRANGENDER FOUR-STAR OFFICER
  RACHEL LELAND LEVINE, M.D. (1958 - )  is the Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health, having been appointed by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. She previously served as Pennsylvania Department of Health… …
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  SHE CONDUCTED VALUABLE RESEARCH ON VACCINE FOR POLIO
  Ruby Hirose (1904-1960) Although it is a part of history we do not like to admit, the United States did—and still does—have internment camps to isolate individuals that the government deems “suspect.” Native Americans were sent to live on reservations… …
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  AMY TAN Got More Than Lucky With “THE JOY LUCK CLUB”
  Amy Tan didn’t set out to write a bestseller. In fact, she found solace in the fact that she was able to write The Joy Luck Club with “no expectations.” “I had been told that the typical first book by an unknown writer might sell five thousand copies —… …
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  She Created The Genre of Japanese-American Juvenile Literature
  Yoshiko Uchida was born on November 24, 1921, in Alameda, California, to parents Dwight Takashi Uchida (1884–1971) and Iku Umegaki Uchida (1893–1966).  She had an older sister, Keiko ("Kay," 1918-2008). Yoshiko and Keiko enjoyed a relatively privileged… …
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  Rachel Robinson - The Remarkable Woman Behind The Legend
  This past weekend many tributes were made to the late, great baseball star Jackie Robinson, the first  Black man to play in major league baseball in 60 years and the first to open the door for succeeding Black players.  All of the tributes were well… …
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  FIRST WOMAN TO RUN FOR U.S. PRESIDENT - 1872
  Victoria Woodhull   (1838-1927)    The first woman to run for president and the first female stock broker on Wall Street, Victoria Woodhull achieved remarkable success in finance, journalism, and politics. A spiritualist, suffragist, and free love… …
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  Brilliant, Corporate Strategist
  Indra Nooyi  (1955-) Indra Nooyi, a business leader and strategic thinker, is widely considered to be one of the top CEOs in the world for her leadership of the global behemoth PepsiCo for 12 years. She was the first woman of color and first immigrant… …
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  Brilliant, Lifelong Political Strategist For Civil Rights
  Heather Booth  (1945 - ) Heather Booth (born December 15, 1945) is an American civil rights activist, feminist, and political strategist who has been involved in activism for progressive causes. During her student years, she was active in both the civil… …
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  BROWNIE WISE - THE FACE OF TUPPERWARE
  Brownie Wise    (1913-1992) Brownie Wise was a self-made woman who revolutionized marketing tactics and had a knack for motivating others. She introduced the now popular household item, Tupperware, to the market. A pioneering businesswoman when there… …
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  WELL-BEHAVED WOMEN RARELY MAKE HISTORY
  There is no end to the contributions women have made over the centuries and often without the recognition and praise they deserve.  We honor them this month, the named and the unnamed. …
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  LESSONS FROM A TEACHER, LEADER and COURAGEOUS FIGHTER
  Karen Lewis   (1953-2021) The global working-class, Black liberation and labor movements lost a courageous fighter when Karen Lewis — former president of the Chicago Teachers Union  (CTU), who famously led a militant, seven-day strike in 2012 — passed… …
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  POWERFUL VOICE FOR CIVIL & VOTING RIGHTS
  Fannie Lou Hamer  (1917 - 1977) Fannie Lou Townsend Hamer rose from humble beginnings in the Mississippi Delta to become one of the most important, passionate, and powerful voices of the civil and voting rights movements and a leader in the efforts for… …
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  FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE ASTRONAUT
  Mae E. Jemison (1956-) is the first African American female astronaut.  In 1992, she flew into space aboard the Endeavour, becoming the first African American woman in space. Mae C. Jemison is an American astronaut and physician who, on June 4, 1987,… …
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  ENTERTAINER, FRENCH RESISTANCE FIGHTER, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST
  Josephine Baker   (1906-1975) World renowned performer, World War II spy, and activist are few of the titles used to describe Josephine Baker. One of the most successful African American performers in French history, Baker’s career illustrates the ways… …
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  The Black Women Veterans of World War II Fought for More than the "Double V"
  Editors Note: According to the National Archives 6,520 African American women served in WW II.  Retired Army Col. Edna Cummings has said, “I believe that people are aware that Black women served during World War II, but I do not believe they know the… …
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  THE STORY BEHIND BLACK HISTORY MONTH
  Here's the story behind Black History Month — and why it's celebrated in February NPR        February 1, 2022 JONATHAN FRANKLIN  Every February, the U.S. honors the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have helped shape the nation.… …
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  FROM IMMIGRANT TO LATINEX CHAMPION
  ANTONIA HERNANDEZ  (1948 - )  According to Antonia Hernández, she “went to law school for one reason: to use the law as a vehicle for social change.” Decades later, she can claim numerous legal victories for the Latinx community in the areas of voting… …
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  LIFELONG ADVOCATE FOR PROTECTION OF NATIVE LANDS
  Winona LaDuke    (1959 - ) Winona LaDuke, a Native American activist, economist, and author, has devoted her life to advocating for Indigenous control of their homelands, natural resources, and cultural practices. She combines economic and environmental… …
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  THE CHEROKEE NATION'S FIRST DELEGATE TO CONGRESS
  Kimberly Teehee  (19656 - )   Over 200 years ago, the United States signed a treaty with the Cherokee Nation, granting them representation in Congress. However, this position was never filled until Kimberly Teehee entered the scene. In 2019, Teehee… …
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  SHE WAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE "SPACE RACE"
  Mary Golda Ross   (1908 – 2004)  From the Skunk Works to the stars: that was the trajectory of the remarkable and still partly secret career of Mary Golda Ross (Cherokee), the first Native aerospace engineer who was a member of the top-secret team… …
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  Joy Harjo (1951 - )
  As a poet, activist, and musician, Joy Harjo’s work has won countless awards. Most recently, Harjo became the first Native American United States Poet Laureate in history. In addition to her many books of poetry, she wrote two books for young audiences… …
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  A WHITE SHERO FOR BLACK JUSTICE
  Joan Trumpauer Mulholland  (1941 - ) At the age of 10, while visiting her grandmother, a friend “dared” her to walk over to the side of town where Black residents lived. There, she saw an entirely different world than the one she knew, according to… …
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  ANTONIA NOVELLO (1944 - )
  A dedicated public health advocate, Antonia Novello made history as the first female and first Hispanic U.S. Surgeon General in 1990. Novello has led several major public health campaigns in her efforts to improve health conditions and access to medical… …
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  JUSTICE SONIA SOTOMAYOR (1954 - )
  Sonia Maria Sotomayor was born June 25, 1954, in the New York City borough of The Bronx.  Her father was Juan Sotomayor (c. 1921-1964) from the area of Santura, San Juan, Puerto Rico,  and her mother was Celina Báez (1927-2021) an orphan] from the… …
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  PURA BELPRE' (circa 1899 - 1982)
  Pura Belpré  was a talented author and storyteller who wrote and re-interpreted Puerto Rican folk tales. As the first Puerto Rican librarian in the New York Public Library system she pioneered the library's work with the Puerto Rican community. Belpré… …
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  Alicia Dickerson Montemayor (August 6, 1902 – May 13, 1989)
  Alicia Dickerson Montemayor was an American civil rights activist from Laredo, Texas, the first woman elected to a national office not specifically designated for a woman, having served as vice president general of the interest group, the League of… …
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  Dr. Marta Morena Vega
  Dr. Marta Moreno Vega is an Afro-Puerto Rican visual artist, activist, scholar, author, educator, and Yoruba priestess. Vega was born in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Her family is of Yoruba origin and she describes herself… …
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  JOVITA IDAR (1885-1946)
  As a Mexican-American journalist, activist, and suffragist, Jovita Idár often faced dangerous situations. However, she never backed down from a challenge. She single-handedly protected her newspaper headquarters when the Texas Rangers came to shut it… …
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  DOLORES HUERTA (1930 - )
  FEMINIST, ADVOCATE FOR EQUALITY & JUSTICE, LOBBYIST, BUILDER OF LEADERS, ORGANIZER AND AT 91 DOLORES HUERTA IS STILL GOING STRONG. The following is her biography as presented on the webpage of the Dolores Huerta Foundation.  The foundation is a… …
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  Kimberle W. Crenshaw J.D. - Intersectionality
  Kimberlé W. Crenshaw is a pioneering scholar and writer on civil rights, critical race theory, Black feminist legal theory, and race, racism and the law. In addition to her position at Columbia Law School, she is a Distinguished Professor of Law at the… …
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  OUTSPOKEN ADVOCATE FOR TRANS PEOPLE OF COLOR
  Marsha P. Johnson  (1944-1992) Marsha P. Johnson was an African American transgender women who was an LGBTQ rights activist and an outspoken advocate for trans people of color. Johnson spearheaded the Stonewall uprising in 1969 and along with Sylvia… …