Wilma Rudolph, 1940-1994 Rudolph’s legacy lies in her efforts to overcome obstacles from childhood illnesses including polio to become the fastest woman runner in the world in 1960. Rudolph is also regarded as a civil rights and women’s rights pioneer. Further Information: National Women’s History Museum Olympics
Month: November 2021
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks, 1913 –2005 Rosa Parks was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has called her “the first lady of civil rights” and “the mother of the freedom movement”. Additional Information: Wikipedia Academy of Achievement
Dr. Patricia Bath
Dr. Patricia Era Bath, 1942 –2019 Dr. Bath was an American ophthalmologist, inventor, humanitarian, and academic. She was the inventor of laser cataract surgery. Her invention was called Laserphaco Probe. She also became the first woman member of the Jules Stein Eye Institute, the first woman to lead a post-graduate training program in ophthalmology, and… Continue reading Dr. Patricia Bath
Sarah Boone
Sarah Boone, 1832-1904 Sarah Boone was an African-American inventor. She was born into slavery and barred from formal education but was educated by her grandfather at home. After she married James Boone in 1847 she was freed from involuntary servitude. Boone, a seamstress, obtained a United States patent in 1892 for her improvements to the… Continue reading Sarah Boone
WOCAA Scientists and Inventors
These are the women in the Scientists and Inventors portion of the Women of Color and Accomplishment (WOCAA) book: Sarah Boone Ruth Ella Moore Katherine Johnson Dr. Patricia Bath Mamie Clark
WOCAA Artists
These are the women in the Artists chapter in the book Women of Color and Accomplishment. Click on the names below to get details on each woman. Edmonia Lewis Zora Neale Hurston Augusta Savage Ann Cole Lowe Billie Holiday Vanilla Beane Amanda Gorman
Katherine Johnson
Katherine Johnson, 1918 – 2020 Johnson was an American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights. During her 33-year career at NASA and its predecessor, she earned a reputation for mastering complex manual calculations and helped pioneer the use of computers to perform the tasks.… Continue reading Katherine Johnson
Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman, 1998 – Gorman is an American poet and activist. Her work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora. Gorman was the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate. She published the poetry book The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough in 2015. In 2021, she delivered her poem “The Hill We… Continue reading Amanda Gorman
Dot Counts
Dorothy “Dot” Counts, 1944- Dot Counts, Civil Rights activist, was one of the four first students to integrate the Harry Harding High School in 1956. The photo of her attending her first day inspired these painting. It also inspired James Baldwin who wrote in I Am Not Your Negro: “It made me furious and filled… Continue reading Dot Counts
Ann Cole Lowe
Ann Cole Lowe , 1898 – 1981 Lowe was an American fashion designer and the first African American to become a noted fashion designer. Lowe’s one-of-a-kind designs were a favorite among high society matrons from the 1920s to the 1960s. She was best known for designing the ivory silk taffeta wedding dress worn by Jacqueline Bouvier when she married John F. Kennedy in 1953. Links to… Continue reading Ann Cole Lowe