Womanica

Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011) was a Japanese-American ceramicist. Drawing from her heritage, love of travel, and a deep connection to nature and spirituality, she created closed ceramic forms that emphasized presence over function. As both an artist and teacher, she advocated for art to be a path to reflection and self-expression.

For Further Reading:

• Toshiko Takaezu, Ceramic Artist, Dies at 88
• Toshiko Takaezu...

Alfonsina Strada (1891-1959) was an Italian cyclist and the first and only woman to compete in a men’s cycling Grand Tour. In an era when women were discouraged from sports, Alfonsina took up cycling at a young age and earned the local moniker “devil in the dress” for her fervor. In 1924, she entered the prestigious Giro D’Italia under the name “Alfonsin.” She was eventually disqualified from the...

Joan Weston (1935-1996) was a California-born roller-derby athlete. She is most known for being one of the highest-paid female athlete in the 1960s, and by her nicknames: “The Blonde Bomber,” the “Golden Girl,” and “the Roller Derby Queen.”

For Further Reading: 

• The Lives They Lived: Joanie Weston; The Blond Bomber
• Joanie Weston, 62, a Big Star In t...

Lydia Delectorskaya (1910-1998) became the final muse for the celebrated French modernist painter Henri Matisse. 

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 lives, they created a more just and humane world for us today.

Mary Eliza Mahoney (1845-1926) was the first African American to complete a professional training program and work as a nurse in the United States.

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 lives, they created a more just and human...

Buffalo Bird Woman (c. 1839-1932), also known as Maxidiwiac, was a Hidatsa woman whose recollections on traditional Hidatsa culture, customs, and especially agricultural knowledge, were written down and preserved through interviews at the turn of the 20th century.

For Further Reading: 

• Buffalo Bird Woman’s Garden
• Stories Behind Objects, Maxi’diwiac
• Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, Maxidiwiac...

Miriam Lee (1926-2009) was one of the pioneering acupuncturists in America, responsible for acupuncture being legalized in California.

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 lives, they created a more just and humane world for u...

Mina Miller Edison (1865-1947) was the second wife of American inventor and businessman Thomas Edison. She was an advocate for acknowledging the domestic labor required of women. She called herself a “home executive” and emphasized the importance of women’s work as actual work, not an idealized calling.

For Further Reading: 

• Mina Miller Edison
• Honoring Mina Edison fo...

Virginia Apgar (1909-1974) was a pioneering obstetric anesthesiologist who designed a test that still saves newborns every day. She was also the first woman to become a full professor at Columbia University.

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 wo...

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...