“It isn’t where you came from; it’s you’re going that counts.” — Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald, The First Lady of Song, was the most popular jazz singer for more than half of a century. She was born on April 25, 1917, and made her first debut at the Apollo Theater in 1934. Despite being denied to sing because of her skin color, she was the African American first woman to win a Grammy award and she continued to win 13 and sold over 40 million records of her music. Her huge range and her fiery personality on and off the stage attracted many audiences that were rich and poor and from all around the world. On June 15, 1996, she died at the age of 79 in Beverly Hills, California.
“There’s no magic to achievement. It’s really about hard work, choices, and persistence.” — Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama is an attorney and author, and was the first African American first lady from 2009 to 2017. She was born in Chicago, Ill., and after leaving her tight-knit family to go to study sociology at Princeton college, she continued to study law at Harvard. She met Barack Obama at her first attorney job and they married on Oct. 3, 1992. She has written more than 10 books and has sold almost 10 million copies. She had given multiple speeches, with one famous one called “Girl up” which was about female leadership and empowerment. After she left the White House, she launched an education initiative called the Global Girls Alliance. In November 2018, she began a 10-city tour to promote her memoir called Becoming.
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen to side with the oppressors.” — RBG
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an American lawyer and an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1993 until her death in September 2020. She was born on March 15, 1933, in Brooklyn New York, and was named one of the 100 most powerful women in Forbes magazine from 2004 to 2011.
She served with Justice Clarence Thomas and launched American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Women’s Rights Project. She was the second woman to ever serve on the U.S. Supreme Court — Justice Sandra Day O’Connor served alongside her 1981-2006 — and the first Jewish woman to serve.
Ginsburg was raised by her mother who taught her independence from a young age. Before she graduated high school, her mother sadly passed away. She studied and graduated top of her class at Cornell University. She continued to study at Harvard while her husband went to war. In law school, she noticed that out of the 500 students, there were only nine other women including herself. Nevertheless, after facing multiple sexist comments from peers, she graduated and continued studies at Columbia law school and graduated top of her class (again) in 1959. She spoke up for women’s rights and equality.
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. She served there until 1993, when President Bill Clinton appointed her to the U.S. Supreme Court to fill a seat previously left by Justice Byron White. In 1999, she won the “American Bar Association’s Thurgood Marshall Award” for her contributions to gender equality and civil rights. She served as a justice until she died in September 2020, but her peers have continued to carry out her legacy.
Written by Elly Herrick, News Editor & Staff Writer
Gloria Steinem is an American journalist and an activist. She has been a passionate advocate and spokesperson for the Feminist Movement, especially through the 1960s to 1980s. After studying government at Smith College and gaining an interest in grassroots activism from studying abroad in India, she worked for multiple publications writing.
Her first well known piece was her expose uncovering the dirty truth of working as a playboy bunny. She wrote for the New York magazine, and then co-founded Ms. magazine. She supports non-sexist, multi-racial children’s education, body positivity, voter choice, empowerment for young girls, and more. Acting on her words, she continues to vouch for and act against those taken advantage of.
Written by Katlyn Marotz
Patsy Mink was the first woman of color to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first Asian American woman to serve in Congress. She served a total of 12 terms (24 years), from 1965 to 1977 and from 1990 to 2002. During those years as a legislator, she advocated for the rights of minorities, women, immigrants and children. She was a strong proponent of Title IX, legislation that brought academic and athletic equality to schools across America.
Cline was born on Dec. 6, 1927, in the territory of Hawaii, specifically Maui. She went to several different schools for her education, including University of Chicago, University of Nebraska, University of Mau’i, and more. She paved the way for many women and people of color in politics and society.
Written by Riley Werve