Women’s Day Biographies

My name is Marian Anderson. I am an opera singer. Today, in 1940, there is still segregation in the United States. I am the first African American to sing at the famous Metropolitan Opera House. Once, I wanted to sing at Constitution Hall, but an organization called “Daughters of the American Revolution” said Black women can’t sing in that important place. So we organized a concert at the Lincoln Memorial instead, and 75,000 people came to hear me sing!

1897 – 1993

My name is Nicki Minaj. I was born in 1982 in Trinidad and Tobego. I moved to New York City when I was 5 years old. Now I am the first famous woman hip-hop artist. Before, rappers were all men, and many rap songs by men are sexist. I like to dye my hair different colors and wear crazy clothing for my concerts. I am on T.V. as a judge on the show “American Idol.”

1982 – Present

My name is Etta James. I was born in 1938 and grew up in California. I am a famous singer of Jazz, Blues and Pop music. My nickname is “Peaches.” My most famous song is a romantic song called “At Last.” I influenced many famous artists today, including Beyonce.

1938 – 2012

My name is Harriet Powers. My parents and I are slaves in Georgia. I can read and write, even though slaves are not permitted to learn. I also make quilts. My quilts tell stories from the Bible and stories about the stars.

1837 – 1910

My name is Kara Walker. I was born in California in 1969. My father was an artist, and when I was a little girl I watched him work. I wanted to learn to draw. Now I am a famous artist. I make art by cutting figures out of black paper and putting them against a white background. My art is very different from anything we have seen before.

1969 – Present

My name is Augusta Savage. I was born in 1892 in Florida. I started molding figures out of clay when I was a little girl. My father told me to stop, but I continued. When I grew up I moved to New York City to make art. Now I am a famous artist and art teacher. I am the first Director of the Harlem Community Arts Center, where teenagers can take art classes.

1892 – 1962

My name is Phillis Wheatley. I was born in Africa in 1753. When I was 7 years old Europeans captured me and took me to North America. I am a slave, but I learned to read and write and now I write poetry. I am the first African American woman to write a book. I write about religion. The sun and the moon inspire me.

1753 – 1784

My name is Zora Neale Hurston. I was born in Alabama in 1891. I went to Barnard College in New York City. I was the only African-American student. I am an anthropologist and I study African-American culture. I also write novels and stories about the lives of African-Americans in the South.

1891 – 1960

My name is Madame C.J. Walker. I was born in 1867. I started my own company to sell hair and beauty products for African-American women. I am the first woman to become a millionaire in the United States! I also teach other women to start their own businesses like me.

1867 – 1919

My name is Harriet Tubman. I was born a slave in 1820 in the South. In 1849 I escaped to the North to be free. My family stayed in the South, so I returned to help them escape, too. Then I returned 13 times to help other slaves escape. My nickname is “Moses.” Later I fought in the Civil War and in the women’s movement. I believe all people can be free and vote.

1820 – 1913

My name is Wilma Rudolph. When I was born with a sickness called polio. I walked with a leg brace. I trained and practiced, and now I love to play basketball and run. I am the fastest woman in the world! I am the first American woman to win three gold medals in the Olympic Games. My nickname is “the Tornado!”

1940 – 1994

My name is Rosa Parks. I am a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. In 1955 a bus driver told me to stand up and give my seat to a White man. I said “no,” and he called the police. After they arrested me, many African-American people refused to ride bus until we could sit in the same seats as the White people.

1913 – 2005

My name is Briana Scurry. When I was young I loved basketball, but now I am a goalkeeper for the United States international women’s soccer team. In 1999 we won the FIFA World Cup. Now I help younger women on the team become great soccer players.

1971 – Present

My name is Maya Angelou. I am a writer. I have also worked as a dancer, a singer, a bus driver, a professor, and a Civil Rights leader. I wrote a book about my life called “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” This is part of a poem I wrote about freedom:

“The caged bird singswith a fearful trillof things unknownbut longed for stilland his tune is heardon the distant hillfor the caged birdsings of freedom. “

1928 – Present

My name is Sacagawea. I am a guide. I helped explore the Western part of the United States. We traveled thousands of miles from the middle of the country to the Pacific Ocean. Now all of that land is part of the United States. You can see my face on the American dollar coin!

1788 – 1812

My name is Mary Lyon. I started two universities for women. When I was a student women only learned to cook and sew. In my universities we teach women math, science and other important classes. I believe women can be teachers and professionals, not just mothers.

1837 – 1849

My name is Mary Edwards Walker. I am a surgeon. I cared for soldiers in the Civil War. The enemy captured me and accused me of being a spy. After the war I worked for the women’s movement. I want women to have the right to vote. I am the only woman to have a Medal of Honor from the U.S. Government.

1832 – 1919

My name is Antoinette Brown Blackwell. I am the first woman to become a Christian minister. When I asked to enter the school for ministers they said “no.” Later they agreed. Now I use my religion in my fight for women’s rights.

1825 – 1921

My name is Harriet Beecher Stowe. I am a writer. I write about the lives of slaves in the South. I wrote a book called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” that is very famous and popular. I believe slavery is wrong and all slaves should be free.

1811 – 1896

My name is Susan B. Anthony. I am a leader in the women’s rights movement. I believe women and African-Americans should have the right to vote and to work. I started many organizations and newspapers for women.

1820 – 1906

My name is Elizabeth Blackwell. I am the first woman to finish medical school and become a doctor. I was very lonely in school and it was difficult to find work as a doctor. Finally I started my own hospital for women. Now I help other women become doctors.

1821 – 1910

My name is Sojourner Truth. I was born a slave, but I escaped to the North when I was 29 years old. I fight for the rights of women and African-Americans. This is part of a famous speech I made:

“Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman?”

1797 – 1883

My name is Emily Dickinson. I am an important American poet. I like to be alone and spend my time in my home writing poetry. I wrote more

than 1800 poems! I write about flowers, death, religion, and my own life. Here is a part of a poem I wrote:

“Because I could not stop for Death – He kindly stopped for me – The Carriage held but just Ourselves – And Immortality.”

1830 – 1886

My name is Arabella Mansfield. I am the first woman to become a lawyer. After I became a lawyer, Iowa changed its laws so other women could become lawyers, too. I also work with Susan B. Anthony and fight for the women’s right to vote.

1846 – 1911

My name is Mother Jones. I am a dressmaker and a teacher. I help organize mine workers in unions. We do strikes and

protests to ask for better pay and working conditions. I also fight against child labor. I believe children should play and study and not work.

1837 – 1930

My name is Sarah Winnemucca. I am a Paiute Indian. The White Americans took our land and sent us far away to a reservation. The government didn’t give us food or clothing. I can speak English, so I went to Washington to tell people about the problems of the Native American people. I also wrote a book. I am the first Native American woman to write a book in English!

1844 – 1891

My name is Isadora Duncan. I am a dancer. I don’t like traditional ballet dance. I dance with

natural movements and I use dance to express my emotions. I like to dance with no shoes! I changed the way people dance in America.

1877 – 1927

My name is Ma Rainey. My nickname is the “Mother of the Blues.” I started singing when I was 12 years old. I am the first person to record Blues music, a music that is traditional in the United States, especially for African-Americans.

My name is Nampeyo. I am a Hopi Indian. I make and paint pottery in the traditional style. My ancestors inspire me. I traveled around the country to show my pottery, and many of my pots are in famous museums now.

1860 – 1942

My name is Helen Keller. I can’t see or hear. My teacher, Annie Sullivan, taught me to communicate with sign language. I worked very hard and went to University. Now I am a writer and I fight for the rights of workers and women. There is a movie about me called “The Miracle Worker.”

1880 – 1968

My name is Lettie Pate Whitehead. I was born in a wealthy family in Virginia. Now I am the director of

the Coca-Cola Company. I was the first woman to become the director of a large American company. I give my money to universities, hospitals and museums.

1872 – 1953

My name is Jeanette Rankin. When I was a child I liked to build things and work with machines – things that only boys did! Now I am the first woman to be elected to the United States Congress. I was elected twice. I believe in peace, and when the U.S. decided to join World War I and World War II, I voted “no.”

1880 – 1973

My name is Dorothea Lange. I am a famous photographer. I took pictures of people during the Great Depression, an era of great poverty in the United States. This is my famous photograph of a poor mother and her children. I also took pictures of the Japanese Americans who were put in camps during World War II. I want to tell the world about people and their problems with my photographs.

1895 – 1965

My name is Rachel Carson. I am a scientist. I learned that people used dangerous chemicals in agriculture. The chemicals destroyed nature. I wrote a book called “Silent Spring” to tell people about the bad chemicals. Now those chemicals are illegal, and many Americans are fighting to save the environment.

1907 – 1964

My name is Georgia O’Keefe. I am a painter. I paint flowers, bones, and landscapes from the desert in the state of New Mexico. I also lived in New York City, and some of my paintings are of buildings in New York. I express emotion through harmonious colors and lines.

1887 – 1986

My name is Gertrude Ederle. When I was a little girl women did not swim professionally. They couldn’t even wear bathing suits! I love to swim. I am the first woman to swim across the English Channel from France to England. When I grew older I lost my hearing. Now I teach deaf children to swim.

1905 – 2003

My name is Janis Joplin. My nickname is “Queen of Rock and Roll.” I started singing with a rock band called “Big Brother and the Holding Company.” Later I became a solo singer and sang blues and rock music. I am a rebel and I don’t like doing what other people tell me to do. I’m not afraid to be different!

1943 – 1970

My name is Billie Jean King. I love to play tennis. When I was young there was no organization for women’s tennis. I started the Women’s Tennis Association. In 1973 I played Bobby Riggs in “The Battle of the Sexes,” and I won! I believe a woman can play any sport as well as a man.

1943 – Present

My name is Shannon Eastin. I am the first woman to be a referee in the National Football League (NFL). I have been a referee for 17 years. I am also a judo fighter. When I was eleven years old they invited me to train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

1970 – Present

My name is Temple Grandin. I care about animals and I understand the way their minds work. I am making changes in animal agriculture to make the animal’s lives better. I have autism, which means I see and feel things in a different way. I help teachers understand how to work with children who have autism like me.

1947 – Present

My name is Annie Leibovitz. I am a photographer. I take photographs of famous people, and I work for famous magazines such as Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair. I have taken pictures of John Lennon, Johnny Depp, Demi Moore, Barack Obama, Rihanna, and many, many more! I don’t take pictures of people because they are famous. I take pictures of them because I respect their work.

1949 – Present

My name is Wilma Mankiller. I am Cherokee Indian. I am the first woman to become Chief of the Cherokee Nation. I helped the Cherokee community take back control of its businesses and schools from the U.S. government. Now the Cherokee Nation has a good relationship with the U.S. government.

1945 – 2010

My name is Janet Jackson. I am a famous singer and dancer. I sing soul, hip-hop and pop music. My songs are about my life, being a woman, and social injustices that I see in the world. My music is very popular, and now I am one of the richest woman artists in the world. You know my brother, Michael Jackson!

1966 – Present

My name is Sally Ride. I am the first woman to travel to outer space. I was only 32 years old! I am also the youngest American to travel in space. Afterwards I started an organization called Sally Ride Science. We give materials to school to teach math and science to boys and girls. I also like to write books for children about science.

1951 – 2012

My name is Danica Patrick. I am a NASCAR car racer. I started

racing when I was 10 years old. I win races that no woman has won before. I am also an actress on television and a model.

1982 – Present

My name is Sandra Cisneros. My family is from Mexico, and when I was a girl we lived in Mexico and the United States. Now I am a writer. I write about the lives of young Mexican-American women. My most famous book is a book for young people called “The House on Mango Street.”

1954 – Present

My name is Condoleezza Rice. I am the first woman to be National Security Advisor to the President of the United States and the second woman to be Secretary of State. I

worked with President George W. Bush. I am interested in helping the countries in the Middle East develop democracy.

1954 – Present

My name is Sonia Sotomayor. My family is from Puerto Rico and I grew up in New York City. In 2009, President Barack Obama made me a judge on the Supreme Court, the most important court in the United States. I am only the third woman and the first Latina to sit on the court.

1954 – Present