Mary circa 1900, LOC
Mary Church Terrell was born the year that the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, she died the year that U.S. schools became desegregated and she worked as a civil rights activist and suffragist in between to better the lives of African Americans. She lived such a full life (and we get to give a lot of background on the issues that she championed) we’re going to break this into two episodes. (more…)
Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870, in Chiaravalle, Italy, the only child of Alessandro and Renilde Montessori. That very same year, Italy became a unified country and her father worked in Rome with that new government. Her mother was from a wealthy family who had bucked convention and “allowed” their bright daughter to become as educated as possible. While conventional society didn’t allow Renilde to pursue a career, it didn’t stop her from raising her own bright daughter to aspire to one.
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With the new Little Women movie directed by Greta Gerwig out this Christmas, we thought that we should take a look back at our coverage of the life of its writer, Louisa May Alcott. Louisa wrote the book based on life with her sisters, but how much of that life is reflected in the pages? One way to find out: Learn about her life! (Spoiler: There are quite a few differences.)
For the shownotes for this episode, please follow this link LOUISA MAY ALCOTT SHOWNOTES.
Wilma Mankiller in her home in Tahlequah in 1996. Kelly Kerr/Tulsa World
Wilma Mankiller was an activist, an educator, an author, a mom, and the first woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She did her part to share the rich, tragic, and resilient history of her people with the world, to improve the lives of her tribe, and speak out for civil and women’s rights. To say “what didn’t kill her made her stronger” isn’t hyperbole. She’s also the most contemporary woman that we’ve ever covered. Maybe if we start by keeping the stories of these smart, brave, and determined women at the forefront they will be household names to future generations. (more…)
