By: Faith Crippen
In honor of International Women’s Day coming up, we are celebrating groundbreaking women throughout history, from activists, to authors, to astronauts. Each woman included in the following list were pioneers of their time and continue to have a wild influence on our modern world.
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou was born April 4, 1928 in St Louis, Missouri. Though she is most known for her literary works, Angelou was also a civil rights activist, singer & songwriter, director, and much more. Over the course of her life, she wrote plays, autobiographies, poetry, children’s books, and cookbooks, as well as produced films and plays. Some of her literary works include I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Heart of a Woman, All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes, and Mom & Me & Mom. Angelou was also heavily involved in the Civil Rights movement and worked closely with Martin Luther King, Jr. on the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Not only did Angelou break barriers, but she inspired countless women to chase their dreams.
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas, on July 24th of 1897. She is known primarily for her solo flight in 1932 across the Atlantic ocean, which made her the first woman to ever accomplish such a feat. She assisted in founding a group called the Ninety-Nines, which taught and inspired women to become aviators. Some of Earhart’s other well-known accomplishments include her flight from Los Angeles to Mexico city, and from Mexico city to New York. She set records in female aviation, as well as helped and encouraged women to pursue careers in aviation.
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks is one of the most common names brought up when talking about women in history, but because of her importance, we will be covering her regardless. Parks grew up in an environment where she was frequently exposed to racism and discrimination, her own grandparents having been slaves, which is likely the start of her activism. She is most remembered for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Parks was told to move from her seat in the bus so that a white passenger could take her seat, but she refused and was arrested on the spot. This event led to a series of bus boycotts that continued for many months, which would eventually lead to the segregated bus ban being lifted. The Montgomery Bus Boycott proved to be one of the most important and effective protests of the Civil Rights Movement, and Rosa Parks is to thank.
Kamala Harris
Chances are, most people recognize this name upon seeing or hearing it, as she was just recently made the first female vice president of the United States of America. She is a trailblazer of our time, proving that it is indeed possible for women to work as higher-ups in the government. Harris provides immense representation to young girls and is a role model for them to look up to, proving to them that anything is possible.
Though not on the list, there are so many more incredible women that I encourage you to research and celebrate, some being Jane Austen, Susan B. Anthony, Valentina Tereshkova, Elizabeth Blackwell, Queen Elizabeth I, Malala Yousafzai, and countless others.
Works Cited:
Wagmeister, Elizabeth. “Kamala Harris Becomes First Female Vice President in American History.” Variety, Variety, 20 Jan. 2021, variety.com/2021/biz/news/kamala-harris-woman-vice-president-inauguration-1234888228/
“Maya Angelou.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, poets.org/poet/maya-angelou.
“Rosa Parks.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 5 Jan. 2021, www.biography.com/activist/rosa-parks.
“Amelia Earhart.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 20 Aug. 2020, www.biography.com/explorer/amelia-earhart.