Women's History Archives

How History Got the Rosa Parks Story Wrong

Article. By Jeanne Theoharis. The Washington Post. 2015.
The radical life history of Rosa Parks, before and after the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Biddy Mason Speaks Up

Book — Non-fiction. By Arisa White and Laura Atkins. 2019. 112 pages.
An illustrated children's book tells the story of real-life champion for civil rights Bridget "Biddy" Mason.

She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman

Book — Non-fiction. By Erica Armstrong Dunbar. 2019. 176 pages.
This book blends traditional biography with illustrations, photos, and engaging sidebars that illuminate the life of Harriet Tubman.

A New Lesson on Rosa Parks

Bill Bigelow wrote a lesson about Rosa Parks' long life of activism, inspired by Jeanne Theoharis's stories in the People's Historians Online series.

Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision

Book — Non-fiction. By Barbara Ransby. 2005. 495 pages.
This biography chronicles Baker's long and rich political career as an organizer, an intellectual, and a teacher, from her early experiences in depression-era Harlem to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson

Book — Non-fiction. By Barbara Ransby. 2013. 373 pages.
This biography of cosmopolitan anthropologist Eslanda Cardozo Goode Robeson explores her influence on her husband's early career, their open marriage, and her life as a prolific journalist, a tireless advocate of women's rights, and an outspoken anti-colonial and antiracist activist.

Tigerbelle: The Wyomia Tyus Story

Book — Non-fiction. By Wyomia Tyus and Elizabeth Terzakis. 2018. 288 pages.
A young adult sports history that chronicles the life of Wyomia Tyus, the daughter of a tenant dairy farmer, who became the first person to win gold medals in the 100-meter sprint in two consecutive Olympic Games.

A Black Women’s History of the United States

Book — Non-fiction. By Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross. 2020. 288 pages.
A history that emphasizes the perspectives and stories of African American women to show how they are — and have always been — instrumental in shaping our country.

Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All

Book — Non-fiction. By Martha S. Jones. 2021. 368 pages.
This book excavates the lives and work of Black women from the earliest days of the republic to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and beyond.

People’s History of Fourth of July: Beyond 1776 - On July 4, 1876, suffragists crash the Centennial Celebration at Independence Hall to present the “Declaration of the Rights of Women” | Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History

July 4, 1876: Suffragists Crash Centennial Celebration at Independence Hall

Members of the National Woman Suffrage Association crashed the Centennial Celebration at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to present the “Declaration of the Rights of Women.”

Edna Griffin served in the Women’s Army Corps at Fort Des Moines during WWII.

July 7, 1948: Katz Drug Store Denies Service to Edna Griffin

When WWII veteran Edna Griffin was denied service at a Des Moines drug store, she took the company to court and the lawsuit became a test case.

Dec. 26, 1907: New York City Rent Strike

Months of organizing work by 16-year-old Pauline Newman culminated in the start of the largest rent strike in New York City’s history.

9to5: The Story of a Movement

Film. Directed and produced by Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar. Working Women Documentary Project LLC. 2021.
While Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" song is well known, this documentary captures the real-life 9-to-5 organizing to address issues of working women in the early 1970s that led to a union.

March 13, 2020: Breonna Taylor Killed by Louisville Police

Louisville police officers opened fire in the home of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, shooting and killing her.

Feb. 12, 1938: Ellen Harris Refuses to Move for White Passenger

Ellen Harris told the bus driver she would accept a refund and get off the bus, but the driver refused to accept her terms and had her arrested for breaking segregation law.

To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women’s Lives and Labors After the Civil War

Book — Non-fiction. By Tera W. Hunter. 1998.
An examination of post-Civil War lives of African American women, focusing on their labor organizing, leisure, hope, and struggle.

Feb. 8, 1868: Kate Brown Blocked from Seat in Ladies’ Car and Assaulted

An employee of the U.S. Senate, Kate Brown found political support from Sen. Charles Sumner and others in Congress when she was violently removed from the ladies' car, which was segregated illegally.

March 30, 1952: Charlotta Bass Accepts U.S. VP Nomination

California newspaper owner and anti-Klan activist Charlotta Spears Bass became the first African American nominated to be a U.S. political party's vice-presidential candidate.

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts

Book — Non-fiction. By Rebecca Hall. Illustrated by Hugo Martinez. 2021.
Rebecca Hall documents the process of her own research — and what she learned — about women who organized to challenge slavery. In graphic novel format.

The Truth About Helen Keller (Lesson) | Zinn Education Project

Who Stole Helen Keller?

By Ruth Shagoury

In these times of vast economic disparities and ecological crisis, children need examples of people throughout history who committed their lives to justice — to bringing more equality and fairness to the world. Helen Keller, whose birthday we celebrate this month — June 27th — could be one of those role models. Instead, textbooks and children’s literature distort her life’s work, and miss key opportunities to inspire young people to make a difference in the world.

Fasanella - The Great Strike | Zinn Education Project

One Hundred Years After the Singing Strike

By Norm Diamond

Today’s Occupy movement is a reminder that throughout U.S. history a major engine of change has been grassroots organizing and solidarity. As an old Industrial Workers of the World song goes:

An injury to one, we say’s an injury to all, United we’re unbeatable, divided we must fall. —“Dublin Dan” Liston, The Portland Revolution

Major history textbooks, however, downplay the role of ordinary people in shaping events, especially those who formed labor unions and used the strike to assert their rights. One of the most significant strikes in U.S. history occurred exactly 100 years ago, in the Lawrence, Mass. textile mills, and yet it merits barely a mention in the most widely used U.S. history textbooks.

Berta Cáceres: Environmental Organizer

Profile. Overview and related resources about Honduran environmental activist Berta Cáceres.

Theme: Women's History

How History Got the Rosa Parks Story Wrong

Biddy Mason Speaks Up

She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman

A New Lesson on Rosa Parks

Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision

Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson

Tigerbelle: The Wyomia Tyus Story

A Black Women’s History of the United States

Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All

July 4, 1876: Suffragists Crash Centennial Celebration at Independence Hall

July 7, 1948: Katz Drug Store Denies Service to Edna Griffin

Dec. 26, 1907: New York City Rent Strike

March 13, 2020: Breonna Taylor Killed by Louisville Police

Feb. 12, 1938: Ellen Harris Refuses to Move for White Passenger

To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women’s Lives and Labors After the Civil War

Feb. 8, 1868: Kate Brown Blocked from Seat in Ladies’ Car and Assaulted

March 30, 1952: Charlotta Bass Accepts U.S. VP Nomination

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts

July 16, 1944: Irene Morgan Refuses to Change Seats on Bus

July 21, 1656: Elizabeth Key Wins Her Freedom

The Truth About Helen Keller

Berta Cáceres: Environmental Organizer

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