Mary Richards was born into slavery in Richmond, Virginia. Freed by the Van Lew family who owned her, she was sent to school in the North, in order to become a missionary. At age 15, she was sent to teach in Liberia, West Africa. But after four years, ill and miserable, she wrote to her […]
4 Famous Black Women Of the Harlem Renaissance
Around the 1920s in Harlem, New York, a new movement celebrating African American art and culture thrived. The “New Negro Movement,” as it was called at the time, gathered together artists, poets, authors, and intellectuals, and had a lasting effect on the development of African American culture. This literary and social movement became known as […]
5 Famous Women Atheists In History
Throughout history, women have challenged societal norms and religious doctrines. This list highlights some influential women throughout the centuries who defied expectations and openly identified as atheists, making significant contributions in their respective fields. 1. Hypatia (c. 350 – 415 AD) Hypatia of Alexandria was a brilliant mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who lived in late […]
Julia Ward Howe: Abolitionist, Social Activist, Poet
In November 1861, while she was staying at Willard’s Hotel in embattled Washington, DC, Julia Ward Howe wrote the lyrics to the most famous patriotic anthem of the Civil War. “It would be impossible for me to say,” she wrote in her Reminiscences (1899), “how many times I have been called upon to rehearse the […]
Anna May Wong, Internationally Acclaimed Actress
Anna May Wong was the first Chinese-American movie star and the first Asian-American actress to gain international fame. She used her fame and influence to talk about and protest the racist practices in Hollywood, protesting against racist depictions of Chinese characters, and opening up more significant and starring roles for herself and many actors of […]
Alice Freeman Palmer, Pioneer of Women’s Education
Alice Freeman Palmer was among the most influential people who expanded the academic horizons for women in the USA.
Mary Ann Shadd Cary, Famous Abolitionist and Pioneering Publisher
Mary Ann Shadd Cary was a teacher, publisher, lawyer, and civil rights activist who published a weekly newspaper called The Provincial Freeman.
Fannie Lou Hamer, Civil Rights Activist
Fannie Lou Hamer was a powerful public speaker who fought tirelessly for the rights of African Americans to vote safely, despite the danger to her life.
Ida B. Wells: Fierce Anti-Lynching Activist and Abolitionist
Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, better known as Ida B. Wells, was an African American writer and activist famous for her work campaigning against lynching in the South.
The Amazing Nellie Bly, Adventurer and Pioneering Journalist
Nellie Bly was only 23 years old when, against all odds, she earned a job at Joseph Pulitzer’s newspaper, The New York World. Nellie had spent 10 days undercover in Blackwell’s Island Lunatic Asylum, proving that women could be successful, intrepid journalists, not just confined to the fashion and society pages. In an active career […]