By Mary Mack & Kaylee Walstad
In honor of the last day of Women’s History Month we wanted to share some of our favorite women who fought for equal rights and opportunities. From suffrage movements to modern-day feminism, women have continuously pushed for progress and change. Here are a few highlights of some of the most famous women in history who have pushed the bar forward for women’s rights.
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Eleanor Roosevelt
- Susan B. Anthony is perhaps one of the most well-known figures in the women’s suffrage movement. She fought tirelessly for women’s right to vote, traveling the country to deliver speeches and organize events. She founded the National Woman Suffrage Association with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and worked with other suffragettes to draft the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in the United States. Her famous quote “There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers.”
- Sojourner Truth, born into slavery in 1797 as Isabella Baumfree, would become one of the most powerful advocates for human rights in the nineteenth century. At the 1851 Women’s Rights Convention held in Akron, Ohio, Sojourner Truth delivered what is now recognized as one of the most famous abolitionist and women’s rights speeches in American history, “Ain’t I a Woman?” She continued to speak out for the rights of African Americans and women during and after the Civil War. Sojourner Truth died in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1883. Her famous quote “Religion without humanity is very poor human stuff.” Sojourner became a preacher later in her life.
- Emmeline Pankhurst was a British suffragette who founded the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1903. She and her followers were known for their militant tactics, including vandalism and hunger strikes. The WSPU was instrumental in securing women’s right to vote in the UK in 1918. Her famous quote “I would rather be a rebel than a slave.” “We have to free half of the human race, the women, so that they can help to free the other half.” “We are here, not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law-makers.”
- Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist who gained international recognition after surviving a Taliban assassination attempt for advocating for girls’ education. She became an advocate for girls’ education and founded the Malala Fund, which works to ensure every girl has access to education. Her famous quote “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” “I think realising that you’re not alone, that you are standing with millions of your sisters around the world is vital.” “When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” “Education is education.”
- Gloria Steinem is an American feminist and journalist who was instrumental in the women’s liberation movement in the 1960s and 1970s. She co-founded Ms. Magazine and was a vocal advocate for women’s rights, including reproductive rights and equal pay. Her famous quote “A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men.” “Men should think twice before making widowhood women’s only path to power.” “Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities.”
- Eleanor Roosevelt was the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and a prominent political figure in her own right. She was a champion for human rights and served as the first chairperson of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. She also fought for women’s rights, advocating for equal pay and opportunities for women in the workforce. And one of my all-time favorite quotes is by Eleanor “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
- Rosa Parks is known as the “mother of the civil rights movement” for her refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus to a white person in 1955. Her act of defiance sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped lead to the end of segregation on public transportation in the United States. Her famous quote “You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.” “Each person must live their life as a model for others.” “I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free…so other people would also be free.” “I knew someone had to take the first step and I made up my mind not to move.”
- Simone de Beauvoir was a French philosopher, writer, and feminist who is best known for her book, “The Second Sex.” In it, she argued that women have historically been defined by their relationships to men and that they must break free from this patriarchal system in order to achieve equality. Her famous quote still resonates today “Never forget that it only takes a political, economic or religious crisis for women’s rights to be called into question. These rights can never be taken for granted. You must remain vigilant throughout your life.”
- Barbara Mikulski, a former US Senator from Maryland and is one of the key figures who helped get the right for women to own their own checking account. Senator Mikulski was a young activist working for the National Organization for Women (NOW), an advocacy group for women’s rights. At the time, banks in the United States had discriminatory policies that prevented married women from opening a bank account in their own name, without their husband’s permission. Senator Mikulski was part of a grassroots movement that fought for legislation to end these discriminatory practices. She worked with other activists, lawyers, and lawmakers to push for changes in the law. In 1974, she successfully introduced an amendment to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), which prohibited discrimination in lending practices based on gender, marital status, race, and other factors. Her famous quote “Each one of us can make a difference. Together we make change.”
These are just a few of the many famous women in history who have pushed the bar forward for women’s rights. Their dedication, courage, and persistence have paved the way for future generations to continue the fight for gender equality and we are so grateful for their courage and the work they have done.
