Alice Ball, the Chemist Who Changed Leprosy Treatment
Alice Ball transformed a difficult leprosy remedy into an injectable treatment. Her work helped patients improve and return to their families.
Women worth knowing
All Stories
Extraordinary women, overlooked stories, and a more complete history. Explore the lives, ideas, and achievements that changed the world.
black women
Black women in history, from all over the world.
Juanita Jackson Mitchell: Breaking Barriers in Law and Civil Rights
She broke barriers in the legal profession and used her expertise to challenge segregation, carrying community organizing into the courtroom and expanding the fight for civil rights.
African American Women Firsts in Medicine
Black women challenged exclusion in medicine, nursing, and research, expanding professional opportunities and improving care for communities neglected by existing institutions.
4 Famous Black Women Of the Harlem Renaissance
Black women’s writing and art helped drive a cultural movement, bringing new voices into public life and influencing how communities understood and represented themselves.
5 Successful Black Businesswomen In History
Black businesswomen built thriving enterprises despite racism and sexism, creating jobs and supporting education, community institutions, and opportunities others had been denied.
The Role of Women In the 1963 March on Washington
Women helped organize a defining civil rights demonstration while facing exclusion from its public platform, exposing the gap between their essential work and the recognition they received.
Women Who Sued For Freedom From Slavery
Enslaved women fought in court for their own freedom and their children’s, using legal claims to challenge a system that treated their families as property.
4 Famous Black Women Mathematicians in History
Black women mathematicians broke barriers in education, led institutions, and widened opportunities for others, changing expectations of who could study, teach, and lead in the field.
Fannie Lou Hamer, the Civil Rights Activist Who Fought for Black Political Power
After risking her home and enduring a brutal jail beating, Fannie Lou Hamer took Mississippi’s fight for Black political representation to the 1964 Democratic convention.
3 Daring Female Astronauts That Beat The Odds
Women pushed beyond discrimination and skepticism to travel into space, expanding the possibilities for space exploration and the ambitions of those who followed them.
Bessie Coleman, Fearless Aviator Breaking Barriers
Denied flight training at home, she traveled abroad to earn her pilot’s license, then thrilled audiences with aerial stunts while challenging segregation on the ground.
Cathay Williams, AKA William Cathay, American Civil War soldier
She enlisted under a male name when the army excluded women, claiming a place in military service despite the racism and restrictions surrounding her.
Wilma Rudolph, Olympic gold medalist & civil rights pioneer
Olympic victories gave her a platform she used to challenge segregation, turning athletic fame into a powerful example for women athletes and civil rights campaigners.
Madam C. J. Walker, self-made millionaire
She built a haircare business that created jobs for Black women, then used her wealth to support education, community institutions, and resistance to racism.
Ana Nzinga Mbande, fearless African queen
She used diplomacy, warfare, and shifting alliances to resist colonial expansion, defending her kingdoms and building the political and commercial strength needed to survive.
Edmonia Lewis, African-American & Native American sculptor of international fame
She built an internationally celebrated sculpture career despite racism and sexism, creating art that inspired other Black and Indigenous artists to pursue their ambitions.
Nana Asma’u: princess, poet, reformer of Muslim women’s education
She turned poetry into a powerful tool for women’s education, training traveling teachers who carried knowledge into communities and helped other women become educators.
Eugenia Charles, Dominica’s first female prime minister
Breaking barriers in law and national leadership, she challenged corruption and defended her island nation’s identity, becoming a formidable force in public life.
Ella Baker: The Woman Who Helped Build the Civil Rights Movement
Ella Baker helped student protesters build SNCC and connected generations of organizers who changed the civil rights movement from the ground up.