Biographies

Women have always played an active role in history. Explore some of the historical women and contemporary newsmakers that continue to impact the world. New biographies are added regularly, so check back to discover inspiring new stories!

Biography

Mary McLeod Bethune

Mary McLeod Bethune was one of the most important Black educators, civil and women’s rights leaders and government officials of the twentieth century.
READ MORE
Biography

Amanda Blackhorse

Amanda Blackhorse has always seen Native American women fighting against injustice. Blackhorse, member of the Navajo, a social worker and mother of two, served as the named plaintiff in the 2006 lawsuit Blackhorse et al v. Pro-Football Inc.
READ MORE
Biography

Amelia Bloomer

Amelia Bloomer was a suffragist, editor, social activist, and fashion advocate who worked to change women’s clothing.
READ MORE
Biography

Nellie Bly

Nellie Bly became a star journalist by going undercover as a patient at a New York City mental health asylum in 1887 and exposing its terrible conditions in the New York World.
READ MORE
Biography

Frances P. Bolton

US Rep Frances Bolton pursued a life of philanthropy, politics, and social reform, and was a lifelong advocate of education, healthcare, and civil rights.
READ MORE
Biography

Julia "Judy" Bonds

Judy Bonds led the fight in West Virginia to stop the mountaintop mining that was destroying her Appalachian homeland.
READ MORE
Biography

Dorothy Boulding Ferebee

The founder of the Mississippi Health Project and the Southeast Neighborhood House, Dr. Dorothy Ferebee provided healthcare to the most vulnerable members of the African American community.
READ MORE
Biography

Isabella "Belle" Boyd

Isabella “Belle” Boyd was was one of the most famous female Confederate spies, hailed by some as the “Cleopatra of Secession.”
READ MORE
Biography

Ruby Bridges

Ruby Bridges was only six years old when she became the first African American to attend her elementary school.
READ MORE
Biography

Pearl S. Buck

Pearl S. Buck produced works of fiction and non-fiction throughout her lifetime, many of which focused on her experiences in China.
READ MORE
Biography

Selma Burke

Selma Burke discovered her love for sculpture as a young child and followed her passion to Harlem Renaissance New York, Parisian art studios, and even the White House.
READ MORE
Biography

Tarana Burke

As an activist, community organizer, and executive, Tarana Burke has made quite an impact.
READ MORE
Biography

Mary Burrill

Mary P. Burrill was a celebrated playwright whose works inspired many prominent writers of the New Negro Movement/Harlem Renaissance.
READ MORE
Biography

Cori Bush

As one of the newest members of Congress, Bush pushes for progressive legislative goals that will benefit her constituents—people just like her.
READ MORE
Biography

Octavia Estelle Butler

Octavia Butler was a pioneering writer of science fiction. As one of the first African American and female science fiction writers, Butler wrote novels that concerned themes of injustice towards African Americans, global warming, and women's rights.
READ MORE
Biography

Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson catalyzed the global environmental movement with her 1962 book Silent Spring.
READ MORE