National Women's History Newsletter
November 2006
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"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal."
---Elizabeth Cady Stanton at the First Women's Right Convention in Seneca Falls in 1848
November Highlights in US Women's History
- Nov 1, 1848 - First medical school for women, the Boston Female Medical School, opens and eventually merges with Boston University, in 1874, to become one of the world's first coed medical schools.
- Nov 28, 1858 - The Young women's Christian Association (YWCA) is founded by 35 women
- Nov 28, 1881 - The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is founded
- Nov 14, 1889 - Journalist Elizabeth Cochran, aka Nellie Bly, sails around the world in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes, and 14 seconds, beating the fictional record set by Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days.
- Nov 14, 1903 - The women's National Trade Union League is established.
- Nov 8, 1910 - The state of Washington passes a constitutional amendment to permit woman suffrage.
- Nov 13, 1938 - Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini is beatified. She is the first American woman citizen to become a saint.
- Nov 14, 1946 - Emily Greene Balch, co-founder of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
- Nov 11, 1979 - Bethune Museum and Archives is established in Washington DC as center for African-American women's history.
- Nov 9, 1984 - Dr. Anna L. Fisher, a physician, is the first American mother, and third woman, to fly into space on the shuttle Discovery.
- Nov 11, 1993 - The Vietnam Women's Memorial by sculptor Glenna Goodacre is dedicated in Washington, DC. Conceived by former army combat nurse Diane Carlson Evans, it honors the 265,000 women who served during the Vietnam era.
November Birthdays
- Nov 5, 1857 (1944) - Ida Tarbell - investigative reporter, wrote expose on Standard Oil that led to federal investigation and break-up of the company
- Nov 6, 1897 (1980) - Dorothy Day - Social Reformer; co-founded the "Catholic Worker"
- Nov 11, 1744 (1818) - Abigail Adams - Politically influential First Lady; early advocate for women's rights
- Nov 12, 1815 (1902) - Elizabeth Cady Stanton - Feminist; Suffragist; organized Seneca Falls convention in 1848; First president of the Women's National Suffrage Assn.; "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal."
- Nov 15, 1887 (1986) - Georgia O'Keefe - Artist
- Nov 18, 1857 (1950)- Rose Knox - Recognized as one of America's foremost businesswomen. Co-founder of Knox Gelatin Co. Following her husband's death, she leads company "in a woman's way," initiating five-day workweek, two-week vacation, sick leave.
- Nov 18, 1945 - Wilma Mankiller - Chief of Cherokee Nation
- Nov 20, 1896 (1965) - Rose Pesotta - Union organizer and leader of the International Ladies Garment Worker Union (ILGWU)
- Nov 20, 1910 (1985) - Pauli Murray - Civil Rights lawyer; Episcopal priest; first black person to earn a doctorate at Yale Law School, 1965
- Nov 22, 1943 - Billie Jean King - Tennis champion; won 20 Wimbledon titles and the most Grand Slam titles for an American
- Nov 24, 1921 (1992) - Yoshiko Uchida - Author of 26 books dealing with the Japanese-American experience
- Nov 29, 1832 (1888) Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women
- Nov 30, 1924 - Shirley Chisholm - First black Congresswoman, 1969-1980; First woman and first African-American presidential Democratic nominee, receiving 151 delegate votes at the Democratic Convention in 1972.
Celebrate great women's birthdays year-round with our
"Celebrate Women!" Birthday Poster.
November Path Breakers By Margaret Zierdt
November birthday celebrants include giants of daring and originality from as early as colonial times. Abigail Adams spoke eloquently for equality. Sarah Grimke connected the political and social status of women to slavery. Elizabeth Stanton sought legal redress for wrongs imposed on women. Ida Tarbell exposed the graft and corruption in big business. Women born in November also include individuals acclaimed in every generation as authors, doctors, soldiers, nurses and other fields. Many women of achievement are listed by day of birth on the "Celebrate Women" poster. Continue November Path Breakers.
Dear Friend,
The 2007 theme, Generations of Women Moving History Forward, presents special opportunities to highlight some critically important historic events, including the 50th anniversary of the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the 30th anniversary of the National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas.
The NWHP Networking held at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock in October provided an excellent opportunity to begin planning for 2007. Visiting Central High School and meeting Minnijean Brown Tricky, who was one of the nine brave students who integrated Central High School in 1957, was beyond amazing. Minnijean and her daughter, Spirit, also participated on a panel on how generations inspire each other.
The panel on the First Women's Conference in Houston acted as an important catalyst for a discussion of how different generations experience history. We hope that the success of this panel will be replicated thousands of times next year as we recognize this conference held in Houston in 1977.
Our 2007 Women's History Resource Catalog and our website will be filled with strategies, information, and resources to help celebrate both of these historic anniversaries.
In December, we will be announcing our 2007 Honorees. We would like to thank all the Network members who nominated such remarkable women as possible 2007 Honorees. We had more nominations than every before, which made the selection of the fifteen 2007 Honorees a very difficult task. The number of nominations also demonstrated that there is an endless number of women who had made vast contributions to our society and to moving history forward.
Best wishes,
Molly Murphy MacGregor
Executive Director and Cofounder
Margaret Zierdt of Maryland is awarded the 2006 "Write Women Back Into History"
By Molly Murphy MacGregor
We are proud to announce that Margaret Zierdt is the recipient of the National Women's History Project's 2006 Writing Women Back into History Award. This Award is made annually to an individual who has shown extraordinary devotion to recognizing the history of women's accomplishments in the U.S. through research, writing, promotion, and active participation in women's history organizations. This year's award winner, retired elementary school teacher Margaret Zierdt of Maryland. Ms. Zierdt has been active as a writer, researcher, teacher and librarian and has consistently focused her attention on the role and condition of women throughout history. Read more.
In Memory of Melissa Stevenson
Melissa Stevenson, who has been part of the National Women's History Project's family for a very long time, was killed in automobile accident on October 15, 2006. Melissa was an incredibly talented and dynamic women's history performer. She last performed at the NWHP Women's Equality Day Celebration where she used her talent to morph into both Susan B. Anthony and Sojourner Truth.
Her exuberant joy, diligent energy, unquenchable compassion and positive outlook will be greatly missed. In her memory her family and friends plan to publish the Biologues: Women in History she authored as a resource to help others learn and tell the extraordinary stories of women's lives.
November is National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month
This celebration of Native American heritage has roots in efforts at the turn of the 20th century to recognize the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the United States. Starting as a day of recognition in 1916 in some states, then becoming Native Awareness Week in 1976, the celebration expanded to a month in 1990 and has been signified by Presidential Proclamation every November since 1994.
- Presidential Proclamation
- Native American Women's History Quiz
- Every Day is a Good Day: Reflections by Contemporary Indigenous Women
by Wilma Mankiller, author, activist, and former principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. 19 strong and successful women provide a rare glimpse into their lives with the hope that their voices will be heard and their message understood. $16.95 248 pages, paperback
The 2007 theme, "Generations of Women Moving History Forward"
2007 presents special opportunities to highlight some critically important historic events, including the 50th anniversary of the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the 30th anniversary of the National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas
In 1957, the integration of Central High School helped ignite the Civil Rights Movement and in 1977, the Houston Conference marked a high point in the influence of the Women's Rights Movement on the formation of government policy.
The NWHP 2007 theme, Generations of Women Moving History Forward, is an expansion of the theme of the Houston Conference, "We Are Here to Move History Forward." This theme recognizes the wisdom and tenacity of the generations of women who have come before us and those who will follow. Recognition of the historic anniversaries of 2007 presents special opportunities to acknowledge and celebrate the courage, determination, and steadfastness needed to move history forward.
A very special thank-you to Anna Boyadjieva for her amazing work with the redesign of our website. She approached NWHP with a proposal to redesign their website as part of her Senior Honors Project. Additionally, Anna is currently working on NWHP website updates. She has always had an interest in women's studies and history and has been involved in the movement since high school. Anna is currently an Interactive Designer at Staples® Corporate. She graduated from Northeastern University in 2006, with a degree in Multimedia Studies/Graphic Design. Contact Anna at nwhproject@gmail.com.