Hidden Figures is a must-watch Women’s History Month movie

March is Women’s History Month! Here are 12 fact-based films about women that can spark great conversations with your kids. From a 1960s classic about Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan to new documentaries chronicling women and girls all around the world, these powerful Women’s History Month movies are an excellent way to celebrate the strong females of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

A Ballerina’s Tale
Misty Copeland was the first African-American principal dancer for New York's American Ballet Theater. Copeland's place in ballet history—and American history—comes to life in this engrossing documentary.

Recommended for ages 9 and older

Directed by Nelson George

(Sundance Selects, 2015)

Anne Frank Remembered
Through interviews with schoolmates, relatives, camp survivors, and the family's heroic protector, Miep Gies, this powerful documentary completes the story of young Anne Frank’s last days.

Recommended for ages 9 and older

Directed by Jon Blair

(Columbia Tristar, 1995)

Hidden Figures is a good Women's History Month movie

Hidden Figures
Based on the nonfiction book by Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures is the true story of three brilliant African-American women who worked for NASA in the 1950s and '60s as "human computers.”

Recommended for ages 10 and older

Starring Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughn, Janelle Monae as Mary Jackson, and Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson.

Directed by Theodore Melfi

(Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 2016)

The Miracle Worker
This outstanding classic is based on the true story of two of the great figures of American history, Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan Macy.

Recommended for ages 10 and older

Starring Patty Duke as Helen Keller and Anne Bancroft as Annie Sullivan

Directed by Arthur Penn

(MGM/UA, 1962)

RBG is a good women's history month movie

RBG
This riveting documentary chronicles the extraordinary life and career of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, highlighting the esteemed jurist's lifelong fight for gender equality.

Recommended for ages 10 and older

Directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West

(Magnolia Pictures, 2018)

Amelia
A historical biopic about the famed female pilot Amelia Earhart offers an uplifting message and a strong role model for preteen girls and boys.

Recommended for ages 11 and older

Starring Hilary Swank as Amelia Earhart

Directed by Mira Nair

(Fox Searchlight, 2009)

Betty & Coretta
This is a poignant tribute to the courage and fortitude of two lesser-known civil rights heroes: Dr. Betty Shabazz and Coretta Scott King, the widows of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Recommended for ages 11 and older

Directed by Yves Simoneau

Starring Angela Bassett as Coretta and Mary J. Blige as Betty

Directed by Yves Simoneau

(Lifetime, 2013)

Speed Sisters
Spirited, inspiring documentary teaches kids about the first all-female car racing team in the Middle East and the stark realities of Palestinian life on the West Bank. 

Recommended for ages 11 and older

Directed by Amber Fares

(Dogwoof Global Sales, 2017)

A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story
This moving documentary is about a woman who was born with a very rare congenital disease that makes her look unlike anyone else. The inspiring story is a must-see for anyone who's ever felt like they just didn't fit in, and Lizzie—who has fought tirelessly against bullying—is an amazing role model.

Recommended for ages 12 and older

Directed by Sara Hirsh Bordo

(Cinedigm, 2015)

Girl Rising
Girl Rising
is an informative, educational documentary about the lives of impoverished girls living in countries where education for girls isn't a priority. It’s the kind of stirring film that parents should watch with their mature tweens or teens and then discuss the ideas it raises—girl empowerment, education, and equality. 

Recommended for ages 12 and older

Directed by Richard Robbins

(GathrFilms, 2013)

He Named Me Malala
This inspiring and deeply affecting documentary explores the life of iconic teen Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.

Recommended for ages 12 and older

Directed by Davis Guggenheim

(Twentieth Century Fox, 2015)

on the basis of sex is a good women's history month movie

On the Basis of Sex
On the Basis of Sex is another 2018 film about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, this one a biographical drama that covers her time as one of a handful of women attending Harvard Law School in the late 1950s to her first groundbreaking gender-discrimination case in the early '70s. 

Recommended for ages 12 and older

Starring Felicity Jones as Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Directed by Mimi Leder

(Focus Features, 2018)

 

Common Sense Media
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Common Sense Media is an independent nonprofit organization offering unbiased ratings and trusted advice to help families make smart media and technology choices. Check out our ratings and recommendations at www.commonsense.org.

WalletHub’s annual report shows where working moms have the best access to childcare and professional opportunities

Women make up almost half of the U.S. workforce, and 73 percent of women with children under 18 were working in 2022. But despite the fact that being a working parent is the reality for the majority of moms in this country, it still isn’t an easy path. Working moms face discrimination, pay inequality, and other battles that should be a thing of the past, but sadly, still aren’t. Only 8.2 percent of S&P 500 companies’ chief executives are women, and women still only earn, on average, 82 percent of what men do (that’s white women, for the record—the gap is much larger for women of color). And even across the United States, the playing field isn’t equal for working moms—that’s where WalletHub’s new study comes in.

Each year, the finance site ranks U.S. states to determine which ones are the best (and worst) for working moms. Its 2023 rankings are in, and the results may surprise you. Ready to pack your bags? These 10 states are considered the best places to be a working mom:

1. Massachusetts
2. Rhode Island
3. Connecticut
4. District of Columbia
5. Wisconsin
6. Minnesota
7. Vermont
8. New Jersey
9. Maine
10. Delaware

On the flip side, these 10 states are considered the worst:

42. Arizona
43. Nevada
44. Oklahoma
45. New Mexico
46. Idaho
47. West Virginia
48. Mississippi
49. Alabama
50. South Carolina
51. Louisiana

To determine its rankings, WalletHub looks at three main factors that greatly impact the quality of life (and work) for working moms: child care, professional opportunities, and work-life balance. Each state is given scores based on things like the cost of daycare, how many pediatricians it has per capita, its gender pay gap, ratio of female-to-male executives, parental leave policies, and more.

“Working parents (not just mothers) need to be not only welcomed into, but really driving the conversations about how to rethink workplace culture, workforce expectations, and work-life negotiation,” said Jennifer L. Borda, a professor of communication at the University of New Hampshire and one of the experts consulted on the study. “There is a diverse population caring for children now, so being attuned to how different workers have different needs and how those needs may shift and evolve over time. For example, LGBTQ+ workers may have different needs than cisgender/heterosexual couples… Work should not be, can no longer be, one size fits all.”

From Biddy Mason to environmental activist Aurora Castillo, these LA women will inspire you

In honor of March being Women’s History Month, we’re taking a look back at the bold and accomplished female trailblazers who have helped shape Los Angeles. From the 1890s to today, these formidable women have broken barriers and been integral in making LA, and beyond, what it is today. Read on for a mini history less, plus major inspiration.

Biddy Mason

Born into slavery in 1818, Biddy Mason eventually ended up in California, a non-slave state, where Mason was able to fight and win her freedom in 1856. After settling in Los Angeles, she worked as a nurse and midwife, and eventually purchased an acre of land in what is not Downtown LA. She went on to buy more land and properties throughout Los Angeles, accumulating wealth, which she donated to numerous charities, and used to feed and shelter the poor. 

To learn more about Biddy Mason, visit the Biddy Mason Memorial Park, which features a memorial and timeline of her life at the site of her original homestead. 

333 Spring St.
DTLA
Online: laconservancy.org

Clara Shortridge Foltz

Public domain

If you've ever received a jury summon in LA, then the name Clara Shortridge Foltz may sound familiar. The criminal courthouse located downtown is known as The Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, named for the first female lawyer on the West Coast, a crusader for public defenders (in a time before they even existed), and California’s first female deputy district attorney. According to a piece in the California Bar Journal, Foltz also "sued for entrance into California’s only law school, tried cases in court when women were not allowed to serve on juries and played a key role in winning women’s suffrage in California 100 years ago."

Amelia Earhart

The U.S. National Archives

Although Amelia Earhart grew up mostly in the midwest, she took her first flight (as a passenger) out of Long Beach in 1920. She went on to take flying lessons near Long Beach and in 1923 receive her pilot's license, making her the 16th woman in the U.S. to do so. She famously went on to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, and subsequently wrote books and articles on flying and lectured on the subject. During the years leading up to her fateful flight, Earhart lived her husband in Toluca Lake, and often flew out of Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale and what is today's Bob Hope Airport in Burbank.

Anna May Wong

Public domain

Born in 1905 in Los Angeles, Anna May Wong went on to become the first Chinese American movie star in Hollywood. While she appeared in more than 60 films, she was mostly relegated to playing smaller, supporting parts that were based on racial stereotypes. Even when Hollywood was making The Good Earth, producers passed Wong over, instead casting a white actress to play a Chinese character. As Wong said in a 1928 interview, “There seems little for me in Hollywood, because, rather than real Chinese, producers prefer Hungarians, Mexicans, American Indians for Chinese roles.”

After spending time in Europe, she eventually returned home to Los Angeles, and in 1951, starred in her own TV show, making her television's first Chinese American leading lady. Unfortunately the groundbreaking show, The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong, only lasted a year. But, today, Wong is still celebrated for paving the way for future Asian American actors. 

Charlotta Spears Bass

Public domain

Nearly 70 years before Kamala Harris would become our first female Vice President, Charlotta Spears Bass was the first Black woman to run for vice president of the United States in 1952, on the Progressive Party ticker. In addition to working in politics, Spears owned and ran LA-based African American newspaper The California Eagle, and a civil rights activist, according to the National Women's History Museum. Over the years, Bass's paper addressed racial injustices, including discrimination in schools, housing and employment.

Dorothy Chandler

By Hbchandler

We have Dorothy Chandler to thank for the Hollywood Bowl. In 1950, the iconic venue was in a financial crisis and near closing, when Chandler took action, organizing fundraising concerts that help saved the Bowl. After her experience with the Hollywood Bowl, she set out to raise money to build a performing arts center in Los Angeles. In 1964, thanks to Chandler's unrelenting fundraising and efforts, The Los Angeles Music Center opened. The full complex was completed in 1967, with three venues: the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre. In her 1997 obituary, the Los Angeles Times noted that "many believe [the Music Center] saved a physically and culturally decaying downtown core area."

Dolores Huerta

Dolores Huerta Foundation

In 1955 Huerta began her career as an activist when she co-founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO), which led voter registration drives and fought for economic improvements for Hispanics. She also founded the Agricultural Workers Association, a precursor to what would eventually become the United Farm Worker's Union in 1965. Over the next decade, Huerta organized and fought for farm workers rights. Her efforts contributed to groundbreaking California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, which allowed farm workers to form unions and bargain for better wages and conditions. 

Today, Huerta continues to work advocating for the working poor, women, and children. As founder and president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, she travels across the country engaging in campaigns and influencing legislation that supports equality and defends civil rights. 

Aurora Castillo

Courtesy of Goldman Environmental Prize

In 1984, Aurora Castillo, then in her seventies, learned that the state of California had plans to build an eighth prison in East Los Angeles. Together with other residents of her predominantly Latino community, she helped found The Mothers of East Los Angeles (MELA). In addition to eventually prevailing against the state in the battle over the prison project, MELA went on to fight for environmental justice for their neighborhood, stopping the construction of a toxic pipeline. According to The Los Angeles Times, Castillo vowed to “fight like a lioness for the children of East Los Angeles.”

 

Wallis Annenberg

You might recognize her name from the community facilities she's helped create over the years, including the Annenberg Community Beach House, Annenberg PetSpace,  Annenberg Space for Photography and Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts. Wallis Annenberg's philanthropic work has certainly delivered some of our favorite destinations for art, culture and fun in LA. She's also responsible for the first universally accessible treehouse—the Wilson Park Annenberg Tree House in Torrance. Guided by principles of community, inclusion and compassion, Annenberg has said, "I’ve tried to focus not just on giving, but on innovating."

 

Looking for fun Christmas trivia for kids? These reindeer facts are just what you need

You know Dasher and Dancer and Comet and Vixen, but do you know that reindeer grow beards in the wintertime? We’ve rounded up some of the most fascinating, fun reindeer facts, just in time for Christmas. Looking for more trivia for kids? Check out our list here!

reindeer
Hans-Jurgen Mager via Unsplash

1. Rangifer tarandus is the scientific name for the animal we most commonly call reindeer. They are in the same family as deer, and there are more than a dozen subspecies. 

2. In the wild, some reindeer travel more than 3000 miles in a single year.

3. In North America, reindeer are also known as caribou, although the current "taxonomic jury" is out on that all species of reindeer are caribou. Most people use the terms interchangeably.

4. Reindeer like it cold! They are native to Arctic and subarctic regions as well as tundra and boreal (read: snow, snow, snow!) to northern Europe, Siberia, and North America.

5. The indigenous people of Finland, the Saami, have more than 400 words for the food, tools, and other products taken from reindeer. Their word for reindeer, raingo, may be where the common name is derived.

6. Reindeer beards? In the winter time reindeer grow their facial hair long enough to cover their mouths, which protects their muzzles when grazing in the snow.

7. Male reindeer have louder calls than females. Males use a small pouch under the skin of their throats which they inflate to blast out a loud bellow.

 

reindeer pulling sleigh
Judith Prins via Unsplash

8. Reindeer grow new antlers every year.

9. For almost all kinds of reindeer, both male and female reindeer have antlers. Females shed their antlers when they give birth in the spring.

10. The Finnish Forest Reindeer, arguably the reindeer of Santa Claus fame, is the largest reindeer species. They are over 7 ½ feet long. 

11. Finnish Forest Reindeer’s hooves have a special scoop that helps them forage through the snow for lichen and moss.

12. In warmer months, reindeer feast on grasses, mushrooms, and plants. In the winter they feast mainly on moss and lichen. Reindeer have a strong sense of smell, which helps them sniff out food underneath layers of snow.

13. In many cultures, Reindeer are used to pull sleds and sleighs. There's evidence of this dating back 7,000 years ago in Siberia!

14. Reindeer are covered in hair from their nose to the bottom of their hooves, which gives them a good grip in icy, snowy, and muddy terrain.

15. Reindeer travel in packs of 10 to several hundred. They generally follow food sources up to 1,000 miles, especially when it's tougher to find in winter.

Additional reporting by Taylor Clifton

 

As we celebrate Women’s History Month this March, we recognize local luminaries who have shaped DC’s history through the arts, politics activism and more. Scroll down for some of the most influential Washington women who have shaped our city’s deep history.

Kamala Harris

A 1986 graduate of Howard University with degrees in political science and economics, Harris was inaugurated as vice president in 2021.  She is the United States' first female vice president, the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, and the first Black and first Asian American vice president. 

Eleanor Holmes Norton

US House Office of Photography

Eleanor is a native Washingtonian who was very active in the Civil Rights movement. She is now DC’s delegate to Congress. The District’s tireless nonvoting representative serves on committees, introduces legislation, and speaks on the House floor; however, she is not permitted to vote on the final passage of any legislation, since DC is not a State.  

Muriel Bowser

Lorie Shaull

Bowser has been mayor of the District of Columbia since 2015. She is the second female mayor of the DC after Sharon Pratt, and the first woman to be reelected to that position. A lifelong Washingtonian, Bowser attended Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA for her undergraduate degree and then returned to DC to obtain a masters from American University's School of Public Affairs. Bowser is responsible for Black Lives Matter Plaza, the two-block-long section of Downtown Washington, DC. Written in striking yellow paint, the words "Black Lives Matter" run down the blocks near the White House. She is also known for her tireless work in trying to make DC the 51st State.

Clara Barton

Wikipedia

While she is mostly known as the founder of the American Red Cross, Clara also served as a clerk in the US Patent Office. This was the first time a woman had received a substantial federal clerkship and at a salary equal to what a man would earn. She was a hospital nurse in the American Civil War and is noteworthy for doing humanitarian work and civil rights advocacy at a time before women had the right to vote.

Lucy Burns

Library of Congress

One of the leaders of the National Woman’s Party in the early 1900s, Burns was arrested  six times and led a hunger strike at the Occoquan Workhouse. She is remembered for being a fervid  advocate for women’s rights. She retired from public life with the passage of the 19th amendment.

Mary McLeod Bethune

State Archives of Florida

As president of the National Association of Colored Women, Ms. Bethune purchased a property at 1318 Vermont Ave., which became the first black controlled organization to be headquartered in the District! She was also invited by Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover to lead on issues relating to children’s health. She later formed a coalition called the Federal Council of Negro Affairs which advised President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Shirley Horn

Bruno Bernard

A singer and pianist who was born in DC, Shirley teamed up with dozens of jazz greats including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Wynton Marsalis. She was nominated for nine Grammy Awards winning in 1999 for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. Encouraged by her grandmother, Horn began piano lessons at the age of four. She studied piano and composition at Howard University.

Chita Rivera

Kingkongphoto via Wikipedia

Also born in DC, Rivera is a singer, dancer and actor who starred in Broadway musicals including Anita in West Side Story,  Chicago, and the title role in Kiss of the Spider Woman. She is a three-time Tony Award recipient and is the first Hispanic woman and the first Latino American to receive a Kennedy Center Honor and is a recipient the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Denyce Graves

John Mathew Smith via Wikipedia

Famous opera singer, Denyce Graves was born in Washington, DC, and was raised by her mother on Galveston St. SW., in the Bellevue section of the District. She graduated from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts  and studied voice at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the New England Conservatory. The Mezzo Soprano is recognized worldwide as one of today's most exciting vocal stars and continues to gather unparalleled popular and critical acclaim in performances.

Helen Hayes

Wikipedia

Hayes was born in Washington, DC in 1900. She was an actress whose career spanned 80 years. She is one of a handful of people to be an EGOT (recipient of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony).  Hayes received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Ronald Reagan in 1986 and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1988. The annual Helen Hayes Awards, which have recognized excellence in professional theatre in greater Washington, DC, since 1984, are her namesake.  

Sharon Pratt

Wikipedia

A native Washingtonian, Ms. Pratt is an American attorney and politician who was the third mayor of the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1995. Most notably, she is the first African-American woman to hold that position.  

—Guiomar Ochoa and Aimee Della Bitta

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Each year, we take a moment to pause and give our appreciation to the women of the world who have made waves in life as we know it. Women all across the globe have risen to face challenges, opened their mouths to speak about equality and change, and emblazoned their nature of being an inspiring force. Portland has had numerous of its own citizens create lasting impressions on our society and culture, so this Women’s History Month, teach your children about the women who helped shape our city into the modern day wonder it is today. Take some time and spread a little knowledge amongst your family with the following female pioneers.

Beverly Cleary

Beverly Cleary

Remember Ramona Quimby? I sure do. The genius story-teller behind this widely successful series grew up in Portland, Oregon and has scattered her books with pieces of the city. Whether or not you’ve walked down Klickitat or Tillamook street, live in the Grant Park neighborhood, or even attended Beverly Cleary School, it is well worth your while to spend an afternoon exploring! Grab a copy of Ramona Quimby and herd the kids to Grant Park for an afternoon spent living in the imagined reality of Ramona by Beverly herself. Don't forget to visit the statue of Ramona Quimby while in Grant Park.

Lucille Beck

Lucille (Lou) Beck was born in Portland, Oregon in 1925 and lived out the extent of her life in this wonderful city. After graduating from Stanford in 1947, she moved back to Portland and established a life with a husband and four children. On top of her duties as a parent and an active member of PTA, Lou fell into an interest in community service and the stars aligned. With help from her partner-in-crime, Jean Siddall, they lobbied the public and political support to induct Tryon Creek Nature Preserve as Oregon’s first urban state park! They established a board of people to be involved in park programming, known then and today as Friends of Tryon Creek, and Lou remained involved in oversight of the park for 35 years. Subsequently, she was asked to join the State Parks Commission and will go down in history as the first woman to serve in such a role. Honoring Lou this month is best done by honoring Portland’s parks, so take your children out to Tryon Creek and spend the afternoon appreciating her dedication to preserving such a beautiful space.

Oregon Historical Society

Hattie Redmond

Born in Missouri, Hattie Redmond and her family moved to Oregon in 1886 on a sponsorship from a white family. She and her siblings attended Portland Colored School in southwest Portland, and as she got older, she began accompanying her father, Reuben, to meetings for the Portland Colored Immigration Society where he was secretary. This fueled Hattie’s inclination to advocate for black women’s right to vote. Beginning in the early 1900s, Hattie held suffrage meetings in her southwest neighborhood and eventually became president of the Colored Women’s Equal Suffrage Association, a pivotal piece of the Black Civil Rights movement. Did you vote this year? You can thank Hattie: she and her counterparts were instrumental in the passing of Oregon Measure 1, the Women’s Suffrage Amendment, in 1912. You may visit her grave at the Lone Fir Cemetery in SE Portland.

Tawna Sanchez

Tawna Sanchez

Tawna Sanchez is nothing short of a pioneer: her position in the Oregon legislature is preceded by only one other Native American, and Tawna is the first to represent the city of Portland. Her work as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives centers on human rights issues, targeting child welfare and foster care systems. She founded Healing Circles, a nationally recognized program whose mission stands to prevent and disrupt domestic violence situations. Tawna is a force doing great work on behalf of Portland’s children. And she walks the talk, too – Tawna Sanchez has raised eighteen foster children!

Oregon Historical Society

Mercedes Deiz

Mercedes Deiz grew up poor, the eldest of 10 children. While working during the day, she attended law school in the evenings, becoming the first Black woman admitted to the Oregon Bar, as well as the first Black woman to serve as a district court judge, and the first to be elected as a county circuit court judge. Mrs. Deiz served 22 years as a Multnomah County judge and was well known in the Albina Neighborhood for her civic action in the Urban League of Portland and the NAACP Portland.

Oregon Historical Society

Leah Hing

Leah Hing was the first Chinese American woman to earn her pilot's license, later becoming an instrument mechanic during World War II at the Portland Air Base.

Ms. Hing was a lifelong resident of the Ladd's Addition neighborhood. Ms. Hing served as president of the Portland Chinese Girls' Club and founded the Portland Chinese Girls' Orchestra, as well as serving as the general manager of the Chung Wah Hoopers, Portland’s female basketball team. She also played the saxophone and performed internationally as part of The Honorable Wu's Vaudeville Troupe.

Ms. Hing is shown in a mural of female Oregon aviators at the Portland International Airport, and her first plane is on display in the Pearson Air Museum.

Israel Bayer

Gretchen Kafoury

Being involved in the community is second nature for this history-paving woman. Gretchen served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1977-1982, the Multnomah County Commission from 1985-1991, and on the Portland City Council from 1991-1998. She was always knee-deep in the going-ons of the city she called home. Further, Kafoury helped found the Oregon division of the National Organization for Women in 1970, as well as the Oregon Women’s Political Caucus in 1971. She spent her entire professional career advocating for the rights of women in the state of Oregon, and in 1999 joined Portland State University’s (PSU) faculty teaching courses regarding community development and houselessness. Accomplished enough? Not for Gretchen – she received her Masters in Public Administration from PSU in 2008. 

Gretchen Kafoury Commons, a nine-story apartment community, is located downtown near Portland State University. Gretchen Kafoury is also part of the Women Making History mural, located on the exterior of the building at 2335 North Clark Avenue.

Oregon Historical Society

Beatrice Morrow Cannady

Beatrice Morrow Cannady was the co-founder and vice president of the Portland chapter of the NAACP. Mrs. Cannady was also editor and owner of The Advocate, a Portland-based newspaper that reported on issues relating to racial minorities in the 1920s and 30s. Mrs. Cannady worked to remove racist, exclusionary language from Oregon's constitution and advocated for the passage of civil rights bills. Mrs. Cannady attended Northwestern College of Law and became the first Black woman to graduate from law school in Oregon and the first Black woman to practice law in Oregon.

The Beatrice Morrow apartment building, named after Beatrice Morrow Cannady can be found on NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd in the Eliot neighborhood.

Oregon Historical Society

Lola Baldwin

Does your child want to be a police officer? So did Aurora (Lola) Baldwin. She pushed back on convention and challenged gender norms by becoming America’s first female police officer on April 1st, 1908. She commanded space within the Portland Vice Commission, Portland’s Domestic Relations Court, and was named a Special Agent of the state. Her entire career was motivated by her ambition to provide equal treatment for women, in the force or behind bars. When she retired from her law enforcement duties in 1922, she continued to participate on the Oregon Board of Parole and the National Board of Prisons and Prison Labor. Want to be a police officer? Follow Lola’s lead and do whatever it takes!

Oregon Women Lawyers

Mary Gysin Leonard

Mary Gysin Leonard immigrated alone from Switzerland to Portland in her twenties. She studied law and passed the bar exam, however, the Oregon Supreme Court denied her application to the Oregon Bar because she was a woman. Mrs. Leonard persevered, and, after 10+ years of petitioning and legislative action, was finally admitted to the Oregon Bar in 1886. She was a successful attorney in Portland for decades, offering free legal advice women to help them be successful, too.

Cathy Cheney

Kim Stegeman

Kim "Rocket Mean" Stegeman is the founder and Executive Director of the Rose City Rollers, a women's flat track roller derby league and 501(c)3 non-profit. The Rose City Rollers has trained thousands of skaters from around the world and hosted hundreds of skating competitions. Rose City Rollers has over 400 members participating in recreational programs, and adult and junior skating programs with skaters ranging in age from 7 to 60 years old. Rose City's all-star travel team has won the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Championships four times. Rose City Rollers continues to train athletes, host events, and offer pop-up roller skating activities throughout Portland.

Vera Katz

Does power always have to be masculine? Vera Katz thought not, as one of her go-to slogans was “feminization of power”. And boy, did she mean it! As dominating force of the feminist movement in Oregon, she excelled through the ranks of the state legislature, elected first in 1972 and serving as mayor of Portland from 1993-2005. She was one of two women in the nation to hold the position of speaker for the Oregon House of Representatives, but was the first female to be elected presiding officer in the state of Oregon. Vera used her massive intellect and zeal for connecting with the community to push agendas for gun control and rights of minority groups. She advocated for women and gay rights, and urged progressive urban planning in the city of Oregon. Vera was instrumental in Oregon’s history; she is survived by her son Jesse Katz. 

—Hannah Judge

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Boston is known as a place of innovation, creativity and activism, thanks in part to many of the ceiling-shattering women that called the Boston home. We’re celebrating Women’s History Month by highlighting the accomplishments of 15 of these pioneering women. Read on to inspire the next generation.

Isabella Stewart Gardner

famous inspiring boston women
Wikimedia Commons

Art collector and philanthropist: 1840-1924

This unconventional socialite some called "Isabella of Boston" is known as the eclectic curator of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum that opened in 1903. But you can tell the kids she almost caused a panic when she wore a hat that read, "Oh, you Red Sox" to a Boston Symphony Orchestra concert in 1912.

Mindy Kaling

Wikimedia Commons

Actor, writer and producer: 1979-

At the age of 24, this Cambridge-born actor was the only female on an eight-person writing team for The Office. She wrote 26 of the shows episodes (the most of any writer), and went on to win multiple Emmys for her work. She continues to break ground with shows she created like Champions and Never Have I Ever. 

Ayanna Pressley

famous boston women inspiriational
Wikimedia Commons

Politician: 1974-

In 2010, Ayanna Pressley became the first Black woman elected as an at-large member of the Boston City Council. In 2019 she became the first Black woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts. She has represented the state as the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district since then. 

Susan B. Anthony

Wikimedia Commons

Social reformer and women's rights activist: 1820-1906

Born in Adams, MA into a Quaker family committed to social equality, Susan B. Anthony began her passion by collecting anti-slavery petitions at the age of 17. She went on to champion the rights of women and enslaved people with other like-minded women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton. 

Jessie "Little Doe" Baird

Algonquin Couple, an 18th-century watercolor by an unknown artist. Courtesy of the City of Montreal Records Management & Archives, Montreal, Canada.

Linguist

Jessie "Little Doe" Baird is a linguist who helped revive the Algonquian language of her ancestors that had not been spoken for more than 150 years. She has been the co-founder and director of the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project in Mashpee, MA, since 1993. As a citizen of the Mashpee Tribe of the Wampanoag Nation, she started to create a dictionary in 1996 chronicling the tribe’s ancestral language as part of a research fellowship with MIT. The dictionary holds more than 11,000 words.

Clara Barton

Wikimedia Commons

Pioneering Nurse: 1821-1912

Born in North Oxford, MA, Clara Barton was a pioneering American nurse who founded the American Red Cross. She was self taught and provided nursing care during the Civil War. During a time when women did not have the right to vote, Clara Barton was known for her humanitarian work and civil rights advocacy. 

Callie Crossley

famous boston women callie crossley
Wikimedia Commons

Media commentator and radio show host: 1951-

Callie Crossley is a Boston-based radio and tv host, commentator and public speaker. In 2013 she began hosting radio program Under the Radar with Callie Crossley and continues to contribute to WGBH Radio's "Boston Public Radio".

Amelia Earhart

Wikimedia Commons

Aviation pioneer: 1897-disapppeared 1937, declared dead 1939

Amelia Earhart is perhaps most well known as the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set a number of other records during her lifetime and wrote books documenting her flying experiences. During an attempt to be the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in 1937, Earhart's plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. She and navigator Fred Noonan were declared dead over a year later, but significant interest in their disappearance still exists today. 

Gwen Ifill

Wikimedia Commons

Journalist and Television Newscaster: 1955-2016

In 1999, Gwen Ifill became the first Black person and first woman to moderate a major television news-analysis show, Washington Week in Review. She was a journalist, newscaster and author, and became co-anchor of the PBS NewsHour in 2013 until her death in 2016, part of the first all-female team to anchor a national nightly news program.

Margaret H. Marshall

Wikimedia Commons

Chief Justice: 1944-

Margaret H. Marshall was the first female chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. In 2003 she wrote the ground-breaking decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that declared that the Massachusetts constitution does not permit the state to deny citizens the right to same-sex marriage.

Maria Mitchell

Wikimedia Commons

Astronomer: 1818-1889

Originally from Nantucket, Maria Mitchell became the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1848, a year after discovering "Miss Mitchell's Comet," which made her famous and helped her become the first professional female astronomer

Dr. Elizabeth G. Nabel

famous boston women inspiring
Wikimedia Commons

Physician

Elizabeth Nabel is an American cardiologist and the current President of Brigham Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital, a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and the Chief Health and Medical Adviser to the National Football League. Her work has produced 17 patents and more than 250 scientific publications. 

Phillis Wheatley Peters

Wikimedia Commons

Poet: 1753-1784

Born in West Africa, Phillis Wheatley Peters was sold into slavery at the age of seven or eight and transported to North America. She was enslaved by the Wheatley family of Boston. After she learned to read and write, they encouraged her poetry when they saw her talent. On a trip to London with her master's son, she was able to secure the patrons needed to publish her collection of poems: Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral on September 1, 1773. She was the first African-American author of a published book of poetry. 

Ann Hobson Pilot

Ann Hobson Pilot

Harpist: 1943-

Ann Hobson Pilot began studying the harp at age 14 and received her bachelor's degree in music from the Cleveland Institute of Music. In 1966 she became the first Black member of the National Symphony Orchestra. She became the first Black woman to join the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1969. After 40 years with the BSO, Ms. Pilot retired at the end of the 2009 season. 

Doris Yaffe

Style icon: 1929-

You'll easily recognize Doris Yaffe with her eclectic collection of sunglasses and feather boas and for that she's known as Boston's Grande Dame. 

—Allison Sutcliffe & Kate Loweth

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Why Working Moms Rock 

In the US, the assumption from the day my child was born has felt like I’d either a) surrender years of costly education and hard work to her and my partner OR b) essentially pay a nanny to be a third parent so I can ignore our home life and burn myself out at work. Both are incredibly disempowering.

“But isn’t option A what you want, you Housewife?” No, because I’m not a Housewife.

“But isn’t option B what you want, you Career Woman?” No, because I’m not a Career Woman.

I’m a human being, with accomplishments, goals, dreams, and aspirations. I’m a child of a Head Start pre-K teacher. She and my father both worked hard to afford private elementary school, a choice they felt was best for me at the time. I got into Bard, Bennington, and most of the other fancy “alternative” colleges, but my family couldn’t afford to send me there. So instead I worked my butt off in high school to earn myself a full ride at a public liberal arts college in Florida. When I wanted to pursue grad school to learn more about technology and move out of Florida, I took out a massive student loan that crippled me financially for the next 12 years. I finally paid it off, partly by doubling my salary within five years through grit, determination, and a real need to get out of that hole on my own. (And by my own, it also included a heaping cup of white privilege and marrying a cis white male partner, which in so doing doubled my income yet again.) I do not want to throw all of that away. 

I also do not want to ignore my child in favor of a job at which I am ultimately disposable, like all other “at-will” employees in this country. It is hard to describe how deeply I longed to have a child and hold her in my arms for years and years. The reality of parenthood is much harsher than the rosy image I had of it, sure, but I still cherish every moment and love her to the moon and back. Parenthood is an opportunity to me, not a burden. I’m not outsourcing one of the most joyful aspects of my life that I have planned and yearned for.

“Geez, you sound angry.” Yes, I am angry, as I should be. (Female anger is not something to be feared, by the way. Anger is an emotion like all of the others, and one that all mothers in this country are currently very much entitled to feel.)

Yet again we are dealing with a complete failure of our government to provide even a modicum of financial and emotional support for women. The underlying message? “Your life is not worth more than your output.” As Jill Filipovic wrote about much better than I could, “Free Female Labor is The Plan.”

When I heard about the “glass ceiling” in my 20s, I always imagined it was something that I would slowly rise up to and softly bump into. That has not been my experience. Instead it’s a heavy glass pane that gets slammed into your head, knocking you out, dizzying you. It’s been three years since my daugther was born and I’m still looking around in a daze and unsure of what the hell happened.

So what am I doing about all of this? Well, I started a community called Seattle Parents Club. It’s a free, open, and supportive space for parents of all genders and families of all shapes to join together online and off. We now have more than 60 wonderful members, and I hope you will join us if you live in the Seattle area.

I’m also doing my best to not go for option A or option B, but rather forge my own path away from both, towards Other, Not Pictured Here, etc… I want my daughter to see that the format of her life is not a few decades of achievements and infinite opportunities followed by a sudden narrowing of her choices, none of which fit. That’s not what any child should see when they look at the roadmap ahead of them. Watch this space, I suppose, in terms of what that “Other” really looks like. Again, I’m only human. I’m just figuring it out.

By the way, if this post seems hurried, it’s because it is. I formulated most of this in my head while taking a shower, as my husband rushed out the door to drop off our daughter at daycare. I’m writing and publishing these words in the approximately 15 minutes of free time I have between getting ready and starting work. Is that the ideal way our family’s mornings would be? No, but like I said, I’m still forging the path.

Heather Merrick

 

This post originally appeared on heathermerrick.com.

Heather Merrick lives in Seattle with her husband, daughter, and a tailless cat. She leads customer support teams for startups by day and manages the Seattle Parents Club by night (or, to be more accurate, very early in the mornings). She loves podcasts, gardening, photography, and toddler crafts.

We love the competition of the Olympic Games, but we might love the backstories even more! Just in time for the upcoming Games, Rebel Girls is releasing a new book of short stories featuring 25 phenomenal women in sports. It’s part of the award-winning Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls series and includes Simone Biles, Megan Rapinoe, Chloe Kim and many more!

Rebel Girls Champions: 25 Tales of Unstoppable Athletes is available to pre-order now on Amazon. The short stories are perfect for the young readers in your life and feature colorful, full-page portraits created by female artists worldwide. It will be updated with new stories right after the Games and officially go on sale September 7.

 

You’ll find a mix of stories on past champions like Lisa Leslie and Michelle Kwan, as well as brand new stories on exceptional female athletes competing in this year’s Olympics. At 64 pages long, your bedtime stories just got a gold-medal touch. Pre-order the collection now for $8.99 on Amazon.

—Sarah Shebek

Featured image courtesy of Rebel Girls

 

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Once upon a time, I was one of the youngest employees at any given place I worked. A sweet little baby ready to change the world! Ugh, my goodness, someone go back and talk some sense into her. But I digress…

My point is, I’ve worked with a lot of mamas throughout the years. My career in nonprofit management means that I’ve worked with a lot of women because the nonprofit deck is stacked to be mostly female. And while it goes without saying these working mamas were absolute badasses, there was a lot I didn’t realize until I became a working mom myself.

I saw working moms come in flustered at 8 a.m. and didn’t realize the battles they’d already fought that day to get kids fed, dressed, and off to school on time.

I watched working moms hang up silly artwork their kids made without realizing that a little human at home had said, “I made this for your office mama,” and that it was actually the most beautiful piece of art they’d ever seen.

I watched working moms go to meetings that could’ve been handled in an email, work through projects that coworkers were taking way too long on, and read through intolerable memos with the grace and patience of a queen. They knew something I didn’t: Nothing that happens at the office is anywhere near as important as what happens in their life at home.

I watched working moms count down until 5 p.m. and race out the door like their pants were on fire. I had no idea they were just getting started on the second part of their day. No idea that they were analyzing if they were going to make it to daycare or aftercare on time before late pickup fees started. I didn’t realize they’d get in traffic and start calculating how long until they got there, how many minutes until they got home to make dinner, do homework, do the bath, and bedtime. I didn’t realize that drive might be the only alone time they’d have for the day and they’d have to be actively shutting off from work mode and into mommy mode.

I didn’t know that she’d feel guilty for wanting to have a career, for not caring about her career anymore, or for being fine where she was because a promotion could tip her rocking boat right over.

I watched working moms smile at me when I was impossibly rude and couldn’t bother to remember their kids’ names even though we worked together for years. I politely smiled at her cute little stories but didn’t realize how full her heart was from those special moments.

I didn’t realize that for working moms a ‘perk’ was getting to go to the bathroom alone with the door closed.

I watched working moms call (and later email and text) to say their kid was sick and they’d be out. And could I cover this? Or could someone call to reschedule that? I had no idea the guilt she’d wrestled with, how exhausted she was from being up all night, and sometimes how relieved she was to just be home for a day. Even if it meant cleaning up puke.

I invited working moms to parties my friends and I were hosting that started insanely late at night. I laughed along when they said they couldn’t come and told them they’d be missing out.  I had no idea they weren’t.

I didn’t realize that a call from the school could send her into a panic and that most of those calls actually start with someone saying, ‘Your child is okay but…’ and then go on to explain any number of incidents that occurred she’ll have to deal with later.

I didn’t know that some days, work was a break from a hard night at home. And some days, work took her away from the best night at home.

I didn’t know that she had no idea how great she was doing. That most days she rocked work and went home and rocked motherhood. And that she wouldn’t ever think that. And she’d spend the night wondering how she could do better the next day.

This post originally appeared on Momlando.

Dana Nichols is a mama in Orlando where's she's raising Violet & Simon with her husband Reid. They are always on the hunt for the best donut and are obsessed with painting murals on the walls outside their house. Dana runs Momlando which aims to inspire and unite moms in Central Florida.