Happy Women’s History Month from WGS!
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Author: annober
By Trinity Jones
March is Women’s History Month, a time dedicated to celebrating the existence and accomplishments of women. Women have played essential roles in history, from activism to the arts, to groundbreaking scientific discoveries women have and will continue to be there. Here are ten women who have done just that:
- Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992) was a transgender gay liberation activist and was one of the leading figures in the Stonewall uprising of 1969.
- Henrietta Lacks (1920-1951) was known for being the source of immortalized cells known as HeLa cells. Her cancer cells, taken without consent, have been used to study the effects of radiation and poison. Her cells were essential in the creation of the polio vaccine.
- Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) was an English mathematician and writer. During her lifetime, she introduced many computer concepts and is considered the first computer programmer.
- Kalpana Chawla (1961-2003) was an astronaut, engineer and was the first Indian-American woman to go to space when she flew the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997.
- Margret Hamilton (1936- ) is a computer scientist and systems engineer who led the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, and it was her code that landed astronauts on the moon in the 1960s. She also coined the phrase “software engineering.”
- Anna May Wong (1905-1961) was an actress who is considered to be the first Chinese American Hollywood movie star and the first Chinese American actress to gain international recognition. She starred in silent and sound films, television, stage, and radio.
- Patsy Mink (1927-2002) was a lawyer and politician and was the first Asian American and woman of color to be elected to the United States Congress in 1964.
- Alice Dunbar Nelson (1875-1935) was a poet, essayist, activist who was influential to the art of the Harlem Renaissance.
- Marielle Franco (1979-2018) was a Brazillian politician, feminist, and human rights, activist. She served as a city councilor of the Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro for the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) from 2017 until her death.
- Mari Copeny (2007-), also known as Little Miss Flint, is an activist who is known for raising awareness of Flint, Michigan’s ongoing water crisis, and supporting underprivileged youth across the country.
These women have all made contributions to the world that without them, the world wouldn’t be the same. There are, of course, more women that we encourage you to learn about during Women’s History Month.