It’s Women’s Herstory Month! There have been so many influential women throughout history, and because of this, some of these phenomenal women get left out and aren’t recognized for their contributions. I think it’s important for us to recognize and highlight some of the women who don’t always get the recognition that they deserve. Here are some amazing historical women that you might not know about!
Coretta Scott King was more than just the wife of a civil rights activist; she was a civil rights activist in her own right. Along with standing with Dr. King throughout the Civil Rights Movement, she fought some pretty big battles after his death. Mrs. Scott fought to make her husband’s birthday a national holiday, to ensure that his life and legacy isn’t forgotten. She was also an ally for the lqbtq+ community, which is a huge deal given the fact that she was a Southern, Christian woman (and the wife of a Reverend). She openly pledged her support for the Gay and Civil Rights Act, a bill that would have prohibited discrimination against gay people in housing and employment. She committed herself to fighting discrimination and fighting for reform; and our country is a better place because of her dedication to making a change.
Alice Paul was a fiesty suffragette. She fought in the Women’s Suffrage Movement in Britain, while there, she was arrested several times and participated in a hunger strike. If you can’t tell, she was known for using radical and dramatic tactics to fight for her cause. When she returned to the United States, she joined the Women’s Suffrage Movement here. Originally, she was a member in the National American Women’s Suffrage Association, but because they were not willing to resort to the more radical tactics that she would prefer, she branched off and co-founded the National Women’s Party. She stood at the head of this organization and led them in their tireless fight to get the Nineteenth Amendment passed.
Ida B. Wells was an African American journalist who led an anti-lynching campaign after a lynching in Memphis,Tennessee. She wrote articles discussing the lynching of her friend and how the inhumane practice of lynching led to the wrongful death of many African-American people. Ms. Wells put her life at risk in order to go down to the deep south and document the lynching practices there. After receiving death threats for her work in the south, Ida moved back up to the North where she continued her work by writing an in-depth report of lynching in America for an African-American newspaper called The New York Age. Ms. Well’s is work was important because people needed to know about how heinous the practice of lynching is, and she put her life on the line to show people that.
Elizabeth Cochran was a journalist who did groundbreaking investigative pieces, her most famous being the piece that exposed the horrific mistreatment that patients in mental institutions faced. She also used her platform as a writer to discuss the negative consequences of sexism and to discuss women’s rights issues. Cochran was not only notable for her game-changing writing though. She faced discrimination because of the fact that she was a female journalist, so in order to be published without discrimination, she began using the pen-name Nellie Bly. Ms. Cochran knew that she was going to face discrimination, but she also knew that the work she was doing was important. She didn’t allow closed-minded people to stop her from telling the story of those who couldn’t tell it for themselves, she simply took a detour to get her work done; and for that, I admire her.
These are just a few of some of my favorite historical women. I encourage you to do some research for yourself and learn about some more amazing women, you might find one that inspres you! Let’s celebrate Women’s History month by not allowing the legacy of these underappreciated women get swept under the rug, let’s be more intentional about educating ourselves about women who’s contributions changed the world!