Womanica

Qiu Miaojin (1969-1995) made waves in Taiwan when she published her groundbreaking novel “Notes of a Crocodile” — becoming the first ever “out” lesbian author in the country’s history. Though her career was cut short, her stories exploring queer identity and relationships have made a long-lasting impact around the world.  For Further Reading: Qiu Miaojin — Making Queer History   Life in Death, Lif...

Silvina Ocampo (1903-1993) was an Argentinian short story writer, poet, and artist. She has published poetry books, novels, and short story collections. Never having found a wide readership, she is considered “the best-kept secret of Argentine letters.”  For Further Reading: SILVINA OCAMPO’S QUEER EYE Surrealist Silvina Ocampo Shines In Two New Translations Mariana Enriquez on the Radical, Subvers...

Anita Cornwell (1923-2023) made history as the first Black woman writer to openly identify as a lesbian in her published essays. From the 1950s to the 1980s, she wrote passionately about Black power and Black lesbian identity in magazines like Negro Digest, The Ladder, and Feminist Review .  For Further Reading: Anita Cornwell, groundbreaking Black lesbian writer, dies at 99 - Philadelphia Gay New...

Barbara May Cameron (1954-2002) was an indigenous Two-Spirit activist who spent her life organizing and advocating for LGBTQIA+ Native Americans, both locally and internationally. She was the co-founder of Gay American Indians, and she wrote a number of searing essays, critiquing the racism and homophobia she saw and experienced. For Further Reading:  Gee, You Don’t Seem Like An Indian From the Re...

Rachel Pollack (1945-2023) was a transgender activist and writer who pioneered a modern, feminist understanding of tarot cards and created the first transgender superhero for DC comics. For Further Reading: Writer Rachel Pollack, who reimagined the practice of tarot, dies at 77 The Unquenchable Fire of Rachel Pollack The Power and the Passion: An Interview with Rachel Pollack “One of the Things Th...

Mary Renault (1905-1983) was a British writer best known for her historical novels set in Ancient Greece. She wrote both contemporary and historical fiction, which often featured either explicitly or implicitly queer characters.  For Further Reading: Mary Renault, the Bestselling Gay Novelist in the Age of McCarthyism MARY RENAULT, NOVELIST, IS DEAD; BASED WORKS ON HISTORY OF GREECE Forgotten Auth...

Addie L. Wyatt (1924-2012) was a civil rights activist, women’s rights activist, and one of the country’s foremost labor union leaders. As vice president of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union — the first Black woman to be elected to the position — she pushed for intersectionality in the labor movement. For Further Reading: The Indomitable Rev. Addie L. Wyatt Rev. Addie L. Wyatt Reverend Addie Wyat...

Laudelina de Campos Melo (1904-1991) was a labor organizer in Brazil. She fought for the dignity of Black domestic workers during a time when they were seen as second-class citizens and afforded little to no rights. She created the first domestic workers organization in Brazil, which is still active today.  For Further Reading: “ Who was Laudelina de Campos Melo, a pioneer in the fight for the rig...

Lusia Capetillo (1879-1922) was a Puerto Rican union organizer, reporter, and author who saw feminism and workers' rights as inseparable from one another. She fought for the intellectual and financial independence of women and encouraged education for the working class. She helped unionize workers in Puerto Rico, New York, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic and wrote three books on anarchism, femini...

Františka Plamínková (1875-1942) was a Czech teacher, organizer, and politician who dedicated her life to advancing women’s rights. She played a key role in winning women’s suffrage and served as a senator. She then opposed the Nazis, and ultimately was executed for her role in the underground resistance. For Further Reading: Czech Center: Františka Plamínková Google Doodles: Františka Plamínková...

Hiratsuka Raichō (1886-1971) was a Japanese feminist and social reformer, who founded a literary magazine by and for women. After becoming a mother, she became an advocate for working women in Japan, fighting for suffrage and better working conditions.  For Further Reading:  “In the Beginning, Woman Was the Sun: The Autobiography of a Japanese Feminist” Hiratsuka Raichō: The Japanese Feminist’s Li...

Rebecca Lukens (1794-1854) is known as the first female CEO in the United States. She ran Brandywine Iron Works and Nail Factory, successfully guiding it through a difficult economic recession and a rapidly industrializing workplace.  For Further Reading:  Rebecca Lukens: A woman of iron Rebecca Lukens Resource Center America’s First Female Industrialist Rebecca Lukens Was The Original Iron Lady T...

Lucy Parsons (c.1851-1942) was an anti-capitalist labor organizer.. She founded the Wobblies (Industrial Workers of the World) and The International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU), and advocated for the 8-hour workday.     For Further Reading: WBEZ Reporter Arionne Nettles   Book Review of Lucy's Parsons biography   25 min audio story on Lucy Parsons via WBEZ’s Curious City    Lucy Parsons a...

Clara Zetkin (1857-1933) was a prominent German Marxist theorist, activist, and advocate for women's rights. She played a pivotal role in the early socialist and communist movements, particularly in championing women's suffrage and equality. Zetkin also initiated International Women's Day, which is still celebrated globally today as a day of advocacy and solidarity for women's rights. For Further...

Florence Knoll Bassett (1917-2019) ushered in a new modern and sleek aesthetic for the American office during the postwar era. The pioneering architect and interior designer believed the design process should incorporate every element — from furniture textiles to artwork to doorknobs. Her work at Knoll Furniture brought us some of the most recognizable  furniture silhouettes from the modernist era...

Mary Macarthur (1880-1921) was a trade unionist who fought for women workers. She founded the National Federation of Women’s Workers, helped pass the 1909 Trade Boards Act, which guaranteed a minimum wage for women workers, and led multiple strikes against employers who refused to pay their workers fairly.  For Further Reading:  Mary Macarthur 1880-1921 The Working Woman's Champion The life of Mar...

Pat Schroeder (1940-2023) was a trailblazing force in American politics, known for her advocacy for women's rights and social justice. As the first woman elected to Congress from Colorado, she championed progressive causes from gender equality to reproductive rights to education throughout her 24-year tenure. For Further Reading: Patricia Schroeder, Feminist Force in Congress, Dies at 82 - The New...

Irene Fernandez (1946-2014) was a Malaysian human rights activist. She co-founded Tenaganita, a non-governmental organization that promotes the rights of migrant workers. When she raised the alarm about migrant workers’ welfare in government detentions, she became the subject of one of the longest trials in the country’s history  For Further Reading: Irene Fernandez, Champion of the Oppressed in M...

Emma Tenayuca (1916-1999)  was a Mexican-American labor organizer and civil rights activist who led a wave of strikes by women workers in Texas during the Great Depression. She is known as la pasionaria de Texas, or the Passionate One.  For Further Reading: On One of the Great Unsung Heroes of the American Labor Movement A conversation with Emma Tenayuca The Militant Passion of Emma Tenayuca This...

Maria Moreno (1920-1989) was a farmworker and labor union activist during the Farmworkers' Movement of the 1960s. She is the first woman to be hired as a union organizer. During her time with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, Maria led strikes and fought for workers’ rights.  Further Reading: You already know Cesar Chavez. What about Maria Moreno? SO SHALL YE REAP  Meet Maria Moreno:...

Sue Cowan Williams (1910-1994) was a teacher in Little Rock, Arkansas, who filed and won a lawsuit to end pay discrimination against Black teachers in the segregated South. Hher case helped shape the organization’s legal strategy for civil rights in schools across the country. Special thanks to the Central Arkansas Library System for access to their Oral History collection, 1973-2001, UALR.ORH.108...

Florence Reece (1900-1986) was a writer, musician, and poet who wrote about unions, coal miners’ rights, and her own lived experiences. Florence was a coal miner’s wife and experienced the bloody Harlan County War, which she used as inspiration for her material. She is best known for her song “Which Side Are You On”, and her poetry and labor song collection Against the Current.  For Further Readin...

Ela Bhatt (1933-2022) was an activist and organizer who founded the Self-Employed Women’s Association of India (SEWA), which serves primarily low-income women across India. She went on to become an influential figure, known internationally for her work in cooperatives, labor organizing, and microfinance. For Further reading: The New York Times: Ela Bhatt, Advocate for Women Workers in India, Dies...

Mina Miller Edison (1865-1947) was the second wife of American inventor and businessman Thomas Edison. She was an advocate for acknowledging the domestic labor required of women. She called herself a “home executive” and emphasized the importance of women’s work as actual work, not an idealized calling. For Further Reading:  Mina Miller Edison Honoring Mina Edison for Women’s History Month Mina Mi...

Florence St. John (c.1896-1970) was a General Motors factory worker who led her co-workers in a lawsuit against the company demanding equal pay for women. The win was the first significant damages payout in a discrimination case in the history of America law. For Further Reading: Florence St. John and the Unfinished Fight for Fair Employment The Little-Known Story of the Women Who Stood Up to Gene...