Fab Five

January: Five Inspiring Women

Our monthly Fab Five round-up seeks to highlight women that have, and continue to make, history. Presenting women’s stories that have been traditionally overlooked, NWHM museum educators feature five historical pioneers and contemporary newsmakers each month that inspire us to help make the world a better place. This January, the NWHM celebrates Five Inspiring Women who have fought, and are continuing to fight, for equality, civil rights and opportunities for women in the workplace. These women's activism shows that change can happen at the grassroots and in the halls of major institutions.

On May 2, 1963, 9 year old Audrey Faye Hendricks became the youngest known person arrested during the Civil Rights Movement.

Audrey Faye Hendricks

O’Neal has received many honors in her life, including inclusion in the Alabama Social Work Hall of Fame (2017). She was also the first African American elected to the Alabama State Personnel Board (2006 and 2010).

Joyce Parrish O'Neal

Lillian D. Wald helped to bring health care to the residents of New York’s Lower East Side at the turn of the twentieth century.

Lillian Wald

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.

Rashida Tlaib

As the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against the New York Times in 1974, Wade transformed the industry and newsrooms across the nation.

Betsy Wade

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