Biographies

Dorothea Dix was an early 19th century activist who drastically changed the medical field during her lifetime.

As one of the first female veterans elected to the Senate, Senator Ladda Tammy Duckworth has been a tireless advocate for veterans and new mothers.

Although she did not pick up a camera until she was thirty-two, Ava DuVernay has made history as a writer, director, and producer.

Amelia Earhart was a record-breaking female aviator whose international fame paved the way for other female pilots.

Dr. Sylvia Earle holds the record for deepest walk on the sea floor and is a world-renowned expert on marine biology. The first woman to lead the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Earle advocates for ocean conservation and education.

Educator, soldier, and psychologist, Charity Adams Earley led the first African American women’s unit of the army on a tour of duty overseas during WWII.

Mary Baker Eddy founded a popular religious movement during the 19th century, Christian Science.

Anne Frank’s writing in her diary became one of the most recognized accounts of life for a Jewish family in Europe during World War II.

Elizabeth Freeman became the first African American woman to successfully file a lawsuit for freedom in the state of Massachusetts.

Journalist, activist, and co-founder of the National Organization for Women, Betty Friedan was one of the early leaders of the women’s rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

Teacher, lecturer, and author, Grace Frysinger supported rural communities throughout her career.

As co-chair of the world’s largest private charitable foundation, Melinda Gates is one of the most powerful women in philanthropy.

Sarah Grimké and her sister fought for abolition and women's rights.

Although raised on a slave-owning plantation, Angelina Grimké Weld became an ardent abolitionist.

Sarah Josepha Hale is best known for creating the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Her influence can also be seen in historic sites and a national holiday still widely celebrated today.

Florence Hall headed the Women's Land Army during World War II.

Fannie Lou Hamer was one of the most important, passionate, and powerful voices of the civil and voting rights movements .

Poet, activist, and musician Joy Harjo became the first Native American United States Poet Laureate in history.

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was the first African American woman to publish a short story and was also an influential abolitionist, suffragist, and reformer.

Kamala D. Harris became the first woman, the first African American woman, the first Indian-American, the first person of Asian-American descent, and the first graduate of an HBCU to become the Vice-President Elect of the United States of America.