Today — March 8 — is International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The month of March is recognized as Women’s History Month in the United States, a time where we encourage the study and celebration of the vital role women have played in American history.
From the women who led the Civil Rights Movement (i.e., Ella Baker, Leah Chase, etc.) through more recent strides forward, such as the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s recent $24 million settlement building on the 1963 Equal Pay Act, women continue to pave the way forward. Here are some more women who have made significant contributions to American history:
- Eunice Newton Foote, graduate of Troy Female Seminary (Emma Willard School), was the first person to predict that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would lead to a warmer earth (i.e. global warming).
- Ketanji Brown Jackson was nominated last month to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court and should become the first black woman to sit on the nation’s highest court.
- Kalpana Chawla, an astronaut and engineer, was the first woman of Indian descent to fly into space.
- Sylvia Rivera, a Venezuelan-Puerto Rican trans woman, was a pioneer in LGBT activism and is often credited as the person who put the “t” in LGBT.
- Christine Sun Kim is an artist that advocates for deaf culture through her work, making connections between music, American Sign Language, and linguistics.
- Wilma Mankiller was the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation, creating a job center, increasing tribal health clinics, providing summer programs for youth and adult literacy, and so much more.
As you can see, women have been instrumental in pushing society forward in ways that benefit all of us, and they will continue to do so in the future.
In solidarity,
Kayla Miller
Technical Assistant
Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
k.miller1@hvcc.edu
Published: Tue, 08 Mar 2022 13:03:37 +0000 by k.miller1