Embed from Getty Images Stacey Abrams Stacey Abrams is a trailblazer in American politics, becoming the first female and first African American woman holding state and national political positions. Born to Carolyn and Robert Abrams on December 9, 1973 in Madison, Wisconsin, her parents imbued her with the values of civil rights, advocating for civic [...]
Amanda Blackhorse - Social Worker and Member of Navajo Nation Amanda Blackhorse, a social worker and member of the Navajo Nation, has been a prominent example of Native American activists fighting for justice and respect. Her 2006 lawsuit Blackhorse et al v. Pro-Football Inc., which aimed to change the Washington Football Team's name on account [...]
Mary Eliza Church Terrell - American Civil Rights Activist, Women's Rights Activist, Co-Founder of NACW Mary Eliza Church Terrell was born in 1863 during a period of great change in the history of African Americans. In her lifetime she advocated for a wide range of causes—woman's suffrage, adult education, anti-segregation, anti-lynching, and women's employment. Church [...]
Maya Lin - Asian-American designer and sculptor Maya Ying Lin is an Asian-American designer and sculptor. In 1981, while an undergraduate at Yale University, she achieved national recognition when she won a national design competition for the planned Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC. Maya Lin was born in Athens, Ohio. Her parents emigrated from China [...]
Elizabeth Peratrovich - American Civil Rights Activist, President of Alaska Native Sisterhood, Tlingit Nation Member Elizabeth Wanamaker Peratrovich was an American civil rights activist, Grand President of the Alaska Native Sisterhood, and member of the Tlingit nation who worked for equality on behalf of Alaska Natives. Born a member of the Tlingit Nation, she was [...]
Rebecca Lobo - Women's Basketball Hall of Fame As team captain her senior year, Lobo led the University of Connecticut to a perfect season in 1995. The Huskies were undefeated in 28 regular-season games and defeated Tennessee in the NCAA Championship that year to go 35-0. For her outstanding performance in and out of the [...]
Althea Gibson - International Tennis Player History.com Born into a sharecropping family in South Carolina, Althea Gibson (1927–2003) spent most of her formative years in Harlem, New York, where she was first introduced to the game of tennis as a teenager. At age 20, Gibson won the first of 10 straight titles at the national [...]
Wilma Rudolph - Olympic Goldmedalist Eleven seconds flat—that’s how long it took for Wilma Rudolph (1940–1994) to streak to victory in the 100-meter sprint and claim Olympic gold at the 1960 Summer Games in Rome. Nicknamed “Skeeter,” the 20-year-old sprinter triumphed in the 200-meter sprint and the 4 x 100-meter relay as well, becoming the [...]
DROP of History behind Women's HERstory Month President Jimmy Carter signs document at the White House in Washington on Feb. 28, 1980, proclaiming March 2-8 "National Women's History Week." Barry Thumma—AP (courtesy of Time.com) Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and [...]