Womanica

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 have traditionally been...

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 Spanish.

For Further Reading: 

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." Through their l...

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 called "women's work." Throu...

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 ...

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 at 89
...

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 Ko Lee (U.S. National P...

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: 

• Recogni...

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 Raic...

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 Reading:

• Cl...

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 Oppress...

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 righ...

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’...

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 of the earliest documented evidence ...

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 Collar Work...

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 mont...

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 ...

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 | In...

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 A...