National Women's History Project Announces 2003 National Women's History Month Honorees
There are, of course, many women to possibly select from our history and present times, many whose names and stories you have suggested, and still many unsung women who make great yet unacknowledged contributions to our society. In celebrating National Women's History Month, we honor all women who have touched this nation's history and our own personal history, women who contribute to the people and ideals of this great country.
This year, as we strive to do every year, the NWHP has selected women exemplary of the many women who inspire us. We are honored to introduce these women who serve as role models in pioneering our future by wholeheartedly meeting challenges in their present.
Complete biographies and photographs will be available in the NWHP Learning Place shortly. For further information, go to our website: www.nwhp.org
Rebecca Adamson (b. 1950)
Native American Advocate
A member of the Cherokee nation, she has worked directly with grassroots tribal communities and as a national advocate of local tribal issues for over 25 years. She is the founder and president of First Nations Development Institute, a project that enables Native Americans and other indigenous peoples to become economically self-sufficient while maintaining their cultural values.
Rachel Carson (1907 - 1964)
Scientist and Environmentalist
One of America's greatest nature writers, she published Silent Spring (1962) which focused international attention on controversial use of pesticides and became the foundation of the modern environmental movement, leading to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency
Linda Chavez-Thompson (b. 1944)
Labor Leader
The daughter of sharecroppers, she worked as an agricultural laborer before joining the labor union, eventually rising through the ranks of the AFL-CIO to become Executive Vice President - the first person of color, and first woman, to serve on the executive council.
Mae Jemison (b. 1956)
Scientist, Educator, and Former Astronaut
Currently the director of the Jemison Institute, an organization she founded to advance the use of technology in developing countries, she holds degrees in chemical engineering, Afro-American studies, and is a medical doctor, and, as a former astronaut, was the first woman of color in space.
Yuri Kochiyama ( b. 1922)
Civil Rights Advocate
Having been interned in a Japanese relocation center during the Second World War, she moved to an ethnically diverse neighborhood in New York and began her life long campaign for social justice, focusing on building bridges between people of diverse cultural backgrounds.
Tania Leon (b.1943)
Composer and Conductor
An internationally renowned musical composer and conductor who brings the influence of her Chinese, Nigerian, French, and Spanish ethnic background to her compositions, she is also highly regarded for her accomplishments as an educator and advisor to arts organizations.
Robin Roberts (b.1960)
Broadcast Journalist
One of the most versatile broadcast journalist of our time, her ground-breaking and award-winning work in the field of sports commentary challenged long held assumptions about the authenticity of women as sports broadcasters
Harilyn Rousso (b. 1946)
Disability Rights Activist and Psychotherapist
For over 20 years, she has worked as an educator, social worker, psychotherapist and pioneering activist in the disability rights field, with an emphasis on issues of women and girls with disabilities.
Margaret Chase Smith (1897 - 1995)
Congressional Representative and Senator
The first woman elected to both houses of Congress, serving 8 years in the House of Representatives and 24 in the US Senate, she courageously challenged Senator Joseph McCarthy's brutal tactics and anti-communist crusade on the floor of the Senate on June 1, 1950, becoming the first senator to do so.
Wilma Vaught (b. 1930)
Brigadier General, USAF, Retired
One of the most decorated military women in US history and the Air Force's first female general, she was the driving force behind the building and dedication of the Women In Military Service for America Memorial in Washington, DC - honoring all military women from the American Revolutionary War through the present and future.
Rebecca Walker (b.1969)
Youth Organizer and Writer
Founder of the Third Wave Direct Action Corporation, which is now the Third Wave Foundation, an organization empowering young women to be at the forefront of social change movements. As an author she gave voice to the struggle for self-identity of children of mixed cultural backgrounds.
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