Womanica

Virginia Apgar (1909-1974) was a pioneering obstetric anesthesiologist who designed a test that still saves newborns every day. She was also the first woman to become a full professor at Columbia University. This month, we're bringing back some of our favorite Womanica episodes you might have missed! We'll be talking about Pink Collar Workers: women who revolutionized jobs that have traditionally...

Angélique du Coudray (1712-1794) transformed the practice of midwifery in eighteenth century France. Her work was so invaluable that the king of France himself recognized her contributions and funded her teaching.  This month, we're bringing back some of our favorite Womanica episodes you might have missed! We'll be talking about Pink Collar Workers: women who revolutionized jobs that...

Dolores Huerta (1930-present) is one of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century and a leader of the Chicano civil rights movement. She helped found the organization now known as United Farm Workers and helped organize the Delano grape strike in 1965. She is credited for coming up with the rallying cry “Sí, se puede,” which means “yes, we can” in Span...

Lillian Harris Dean, aka Pigfoot Mary (c. 1870-1929) embodies the promise of the American dream. She became one of Harlem's most successful food vendors by selling pigs' feet. This month, we're bringing back some of our favorite Womanica episodes you might have missed! We'll be talking about Pink Collar Workers: women who revolutionized jobs that have traditionally been called "women's work." Thro...

Mary Seacole (1805-1881) was a 19th century healer who was ahead of her time. This self taught nurse used her own money to sail across the world and set up shelter for wounded Crimean War soldiers. This month, we're bringing back some of our favorite Womanica episodes you might have missed! We'll be talking about Pink Collar Workers: women who revolutionized jobs that have traditionally been calle...

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 I...

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...

Sue Ko Lee (1910-1996) was a labor organizer who participated in one of the longest strikes in the history of San Francisco's Chinatown. She and other garment workers joined forces with a white-led union to win better pay and shorter hours — and a huge victory for the Chinese American workforce.  For Further Reading:  Unbound Voices by Judy Yung - University of California Press Sue...

Carrie Crawford Smith (1877-1954) placed hundreds of fellow Black women in jobs in and around Chicago through her employment agency. In an era when Black women faced intense discrimination and negative stereotyping in the workforce, Carrie made it her mission to ensure her clients were treated with dignity and respect.  For Further Reading:  Recognizing historic Black-owned businesses in...

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...

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...

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 Oppresse...

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...

Madame Nwanyeruwa (c. 1920s) organized the Aba Women's War, a revolt staged by Nigerian women against colonial taxation. Her actions helped ignite a movement that eventually led to the fight for independence in Nigeria.  For Further Reading: “Sitting on a Man”: Colonialism and the Lost Political Institutions of Igbo Women   Ogu Umunwanyi, Ekong Iban, Women's War: A story of p...

Tapputi is widely regarded as one of the first known chemists, and her name appears in a Mesopotamian cuneiform tablet dating to approximately 1200 BCE. She is believed to have worked in the Babylonian royal palace, where she held the title of “Belatekallim,” meaning a female overseer or supervisor. Tapputi is most famous for making perfumes, the descriptions of her work provide some o...

Zephyr Wright (1915-1988) served as President Lyndon B. Johnson's personal chef for nearly three decades. While her southern cooking filled stomachs and won hearts, her experiences as a Black woman in the Jim Crow South inspired Johnson's signing of the Civil Rights Act.  This month, we're bringing back some of our favorite Womanica episodes you might have missed! We'll be talking about Pink...

Dido (also known as Elissa or Elisha) was a legendary Queen of Tyre who was forced to flee the city with a loyal band of followers. Sailing west across the Mediterranean, she founded the city of Carthage c. 813 BCE.  For Further Reading: Dido: Queen of Carthage - Britannica Dido: Legendary Queen of Tyre - World History Encyclopedia Dido, Queen of Carthage - EBSCO Research Starters This month,...

Florence Chadwick (1918-1995) was an American long-distance, open-water swimmer, most famous for crossing the English Channel in record time and becoming the first woman to cross the Catalina Channel in her home state of California. For Further Reading:  Queen of the Channel A Moment in History This month, we're talking about Maritime Madams. Whether through scientific study, aquatic explorat...

Gloria Hollister (1900-1988) was a marine scientist, conservationist and explorer who made record-breaking dives in a deep-sea submersible called the Bathysphere. For Further Reading: Diving in the Deep with Gloria Hollister | Inside Adams   Gloria Hollister Anable, 87, Dies; An Explorer and Conservationist - The New York Times   Woman Plumbs Depths of Ocean | Indianapolis Times This mon...

Fog Woman is a figure of Tlingit folklore. She has the power to turn from human form into fog and conjure up salmon. In Tlingit legends, Fog Woman is the creator and ruler of salmon. Her stories explain the annual salmon run.  For Further Reading: Tlingit Women in Leadership: One Culture, Two Worlds   The Legend of the Fog Woman Tlingit Indians of Southeastern Alaska: Raven and the Fog W...

Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz (1936-2021) was a Polish naval engineer and yacht captain. In 1978, she became the first woman to ever complete a solo voyage around the world.  For Further Reading:  Meet Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz: The First Woman to Sail Around the World Solo | Article | Culture.pl Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz: 1936-2021 - Yachting Monthly The shunned Polish commun...

Else Bostelmann (1882-1961) was a German-born scientific illustrator and painter known for bringing the deep sea to life through her vivid and accurate underwater artwork. Working with naturalist William Beebe in the 1930s, she painted marine creatures based on descriptions he gave from his dives in Bermude. Her work helped the public visualize the mysterious world of the ocean's depths for the fi...

Yemaya, also known as Yemoja, is one of the most revered and powerful divine spirits in various Afro-Caribbean religions, associated with fertility and motherhood. Yemaya is the goddess of the ocean and the mother of all living things, and is revered for her nurturing and protective nature. She is the source of and controller of all waters and is seen as the quintessential mother figure. For Furth...

Mary Lacy (1740-1801) was a British sailor, shipwright and memoirist who defied 18th century gender norms by disguising herself as a man to join the Royal Navy. Her memoir, The Female Shipwright, is a great glimpse into maritime life and women's roles in naval history. For Further Reading: The History of the Female Shipwright eBook Mary Lacy: The History of The Female Shipwright by Lucy Inglis Mar...

Mary Becker Greene (1867-1949) was a steamboat pilot and captain who began her career in the late 1800s. A pilot for over 50 years, she was the only licensed female steamboat captain on the Ohio River. Along with her husband Gordon C. Greene, she also co-owned Greene Line Steamers, one of the most important steamboat companies of its time. She passed away at age 80, onboard the Delta Queen, the Gr...