Biographies generously sponsored by Susan D. Whiting.

Biographies

Every woman has a story.

"The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon."

-Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

Women have always played an active role in history. Explore some of the historical women and contemporary newsmakers that continue to impact the world. New biographies are added regularly, so check back to discover inspiring new stories!

Featured Biographies

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a skilled performer and woman guitarist, credited with the creation of rock and roll.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Toshiko Akiyoshi changed the face of jazz music over her 60-year career. As one of few women and Asian musicians in the jazz world, Akiyoshi infused Japanese culture, sounds, and instruments into her music.

Toshiko Akiyoshi

Often called the “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey was known for her deep-throated voice and mesmerizing stage presence that drew packed audiences and sold hit records in the early twentieth century.

Gertrude “Ma” Rainey

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María Teresa Kumar

Emmy nominated political and voting rights activist María Teresa Kumar has dedicated her career to advocating for inclusive political participation.

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Winona LaDuke

Winona LaDuke, a Native American activist, economist, and author, has devoted her life to advocating for Indigenous control of their homelands, natural resources, and cultural practices.

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Beverly LaHaye

Beverly LaHaye has been an influential voice in American conservative politics for decades and founded the Concerned Women for America.

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Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-American actress and inventor who pioneered the technology that would one day form the basis for today’s WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth communication systems

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Florence Lawrence

Motion picture star Florence Lawrence invented the turn signal and brake signal for vehicles.

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Emma Lazarus

Emma Lazarus is most famous for her poem, “The New Colossus,” that is engraved at the base of the Statue of Liberty.

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Mabel Ping-Hua Lee

In a 1912 New York Times article, Mabel Ping-Hua Lee was regarded as “the symbol of the new era, when all women will be free and unhampered.”

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Gerda Lerner

Gerda Lerner, the “godmother of women’s history,” fled Nazi-occupied Austria and became an accomplished historian and advocate for female scholars.

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Lisa Leslie

An early star of the WNBA and a four-time Olympic gold medalist, Lisa Leslie is one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

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Rachel Levine

Rachel Levine became the highest-ranking openly transgender government official in U.S. history when she was confirmed by the Senate as the 17th Assistant Secretary for Health in March 2021.

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Edmonia Lewis

Edmonia “Wildfire” Lewis is considered the first professional BIPOC sculptor in the United States and the first to achieve international acclaim.

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Edna Lewis

Chef and cookbook author Edna Lewis taught the American public to appreciate southern meals in a new way.

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Leona Woods Libby

Physicist Leona Woods Marshall Libby was one of the women who helped to create the atomic weapon.

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Maria Guadalupe Evangelina de Lopez

An educator, translator, and clubwoman, Lopez helped win the vote for Californian women with her oratory and the writings she translated into Spanish.

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Audre Lorde

Poet and author Audre Lorde used her writing to shine light on her experience of the world as a Black lesbian woman and later, as a mother and person suffering from cancer.

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Suzan-Lori Parks

Though a high school teacher discouraged her from writing because of her poor spelling, Suzan-Lori Parks went on to become one of the most successful playwrights in the United States.

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Juliette Gordon Low

Known as the founder of the Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low created the largest and most successful organisation for girls in the world.

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Autherine Lucy

Autherine Lucy was the first African American student to attend the University of Alabama

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Dolley Madison

Dolley Madison, the fourth First Lady of the United States, is widely remembered as the most lively of the early First Ladies.

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Mary Eliza Mahoney

Mary Eliza Mahoney pursued a nursing career which supported these aims. She is noted for becoming the first African American licensed nurse.