Communication in History

Biography

Anne Spencer

Harlem Renaissance poet Anne Spencer lived her entire life in Virginia, where she tended her garden, worked as a librarian and teacher, hosted luminaries of Black intellectual and cultural life, and fought for equal rights for African Americans.

Biography

Gertrude “Ma” Rainey

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.

Biography

Hazel Scott

Jazz pianist and singer Hazel Scott was not only the first African-American woman to host her own television show, but she also bravely stood up to the House Un-American Activities Committee and the Hollywood studio machine.

Biography

Audrey Faye Hendricks

On May 2, 1963, 9 year old Audrey Faye Hendricks became the youngest known person arrested during the Civil Rights Movement.

Biography

Betsy Wade

As the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against the New York Times in 1974, Wade transformed the industry and newsrooms across the nation.

Biography

Joyce Parrish O'Neal

Joyce Parrish O'Neal is a Civil Rights activist, social worker, and the first African American elected to the Alabama State Personnel Board.

Biography

Lillian Wald

Lillian D. Wald helped to bring health care to the residents of New York’s Lower East Side at the turn of the twentieth century.

Biography

Rashida Tlaib

As a life-long Detroiter, and one of the first Muslim-Americans, as well as the first Palestinian-American woman, ever elected to the United States Congress, Tlaib advocates for issues that affect the working-class.

Exhibit

Representación con Guión: Latinas en la Lucha por el Sufragio Femenino

Una historia del compromiso y la experiencia política bicultural de las latinas en los Estados Unidos

Biography

Kamala Harris

Kamala D. Harris became the first woman, the first Black woman, and the first person of Asian-American descent to become the Vice-President Elect of the United States of America.

Biography

Amanda Blackhorse

Amanda Blackhorse is a member of the Navajo, a social worker, and the plaintiff in Blackhorse et al v. Pro-Football Inc.

Biography

Louisa Ann Swain

In 1870, 70-year-old Louisa Ann Swain became the first woman to legally cast a ballot in a general election since 1807.

Biography

Lyda Conley

Considered the Guardian of Heron Indian Cemetery, her appearance made her the third woman, and the first Native American, to argue a case in front of the Supreme Court.

Biography

Susette La Flesche Tibbles (“Bright Eyes”)

Susette La Flesche Tibbles, an Omaha woman, spent her entire life tirelessly campaigning for Native American rights as a speaker, activist, interpreter, and writer.

Lesson Plan

Red Power Prevails : The Activism, Spirit, and Resistance of Native American Women

Explore the contributions of Native American women in the formation and activism of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and Women of All Red Nations (WARN)

Lesson Plan

Feminist Philosophers of the 20th Century

Students will explore the life and core philosophic contributions of three female philosophers: Simone De Beauvoir, Hannah Arendt, and Judith Butler. Students will grapple with the core questions and feminist-theoretical perspectives of each philosopher.

Lesson Plan