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

Marjory Stoneman Douglas

Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the “Guardian of the Glades,” led the charge to protect the Everglades and reveal their rich natural heritage to the rest of the world.
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Biography

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Abolitionist author, Harriet Beecher Stowe rose to fame in 1851 with the publication of her best-selling book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which highlighted the evils of slavery, angered the slaveholding South.
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Biography

Louisa Ann Swain

On September 6, 1870, 70-year-old Louisa Ann Swain stepped up to the ballot box in Laramie, Wyoming and cast her vote in the general election. In doing so, she became the first woman to legally cast a ballot in a general election since 1807.
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Biography

Recy Taylor

Although it was very dangerous for African Americans to speak out against white people during the Jim Crow era, Recy Taylor refused to remain silent about sexual violence.
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Biography

Tina Tchen

As women around the world speak out against sexual harassment and unfair treatment, Tina Tchen continues to support the movement through her legal activism.
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Biography

Shirley Temple

Shirley Temple was a child actor with curly hair and later worked as an ambassador for the US government.
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Biography

Mary Church Terrell

Mary Church Terrell was a well-known African American activist who championed racial equality and women’s suffrage.
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Biography

Alma Woodsey Thomas

As an artist and world traveler who never married or had children, Alma Woodsey Thomas circumvented society’s expectations for Black women born in the 19th century.
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Biography

Rashida Tlaib

As a life-long Detroiter, and one of the first Muslim-Americans, as well as the first Palestinian-American woman, ever elected to the United States Congress, Tlaib advocates for issues that affect the working-class.
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Biography

Rosie Lee Tompkins

Rosie Lee Tompkins was a renowned Africa American quiltmaker who used dazzling colors and vivid geometric shapes to make amazing works of art. An intensely private person, Tompkins’s work helped bring a new appreciation to the artistic form.
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Biography

Nkenge Touré

Nkenge Touré is an activist whose expansive collection of speeches and written works confront issues around reproductive justice, Black feminism, and women’s rights.
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Biography

Sister Margaret Traxler

Sister Margaret Traxler was a Catholic feminist nun and a civil rights activist who marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the famous march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.
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Biography

Mary Treadwell

Mary Treadwell was a notable DC-based activist and community organizer. Treadwell is most noted for co-creating Youth Pride, Inc., a job-training program that assisted inner-city youth. She also advocated for the decriminalization of abortion.
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Biography

Sojourner Truth

A former slave, Sojourner Truth was an advocate for abolition, temperance, and civil and women’s rights in the 19th century.
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