Thomas S. Wootton Media Center: March Celebrations - Women's History Month

Women’s History Month is a celebration of  contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987.  Check out our  Destiny  print and digital collection for  Women's History Month!

HER Story 

Read more about  HER story  with

• Our Women's History Collection 
• National Women's History Museum 

Patsy Mink was the first woman of color elected to the  U.S. House of Representatives   and the first Asian American woman  to serve in  Congress.   More information here 

Ava DuVernay, although she did not pick up a camera until she was thirty-two, has made history as a writer, director, and producer. She was the first African American woman to win Best Director at the Sundance Film Festival, be nominated for a Best Director Golden Globe, direct a film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, and direct a film with a budget over $100 million. Her work has made her the highest grossing Black woman director in American box office history.  More information here

Rashida Tlaib  a life-long Detroiter, and one of the first Muslim-Americans, as well as the first Palestinian-American woman, ever elected to the United States Congress. Tlaib advocates for issues that affect the working-class. Currently serving as the Democratic Representative for Michigan’s 13th District.  More information here 

New York Times bestselling author Janet Mock continues to make history as a writer, director, and advocate. In 2018, Mock became the first transgender woman of color to write and direct an episode of television. Most recently, she signed a three-year multimillion-dollar contract with Netflix, making her the first openly transgender woman of color to sign a deal with a major content company.   More information here 

Representative Cori Bush (D-MO) was civically engaged well before she entered politics. The mother of two has experienced a lot of hardships in her life and channels those experiences into her advocacy work. As one of the newest members of Congress, Bush pushes for progressive legislative goals that will benefit her constituents—people just like her.  More information here

Maya Angelou  was a poet, dancer, singer, activist, scholar, and a world-famous author . She was best known for her unique and pioneering autobiographical writing style. More information here

On January 20, 2021, Kamala D. Harris became the first woman, the first African American woman, the first Indian-American, the first person of Asian-American descent, and the first graduate of an HBCU to be sworn in as the Vice President of the United States of America.  As she said in her election acceptance speech, she “may be the first, but [she] will not be the last.” Kamala Harris has spent her life breaking glass ceilings.  More information here

The name Stacey Abrams has become synonymous with voting accessibility and turnout, making history by becoming the first woman and first African American woman to hold positions in state and national politics. Abrams is now one of the most prominent African American female politicians in the United States. Abrams rose to national prominence when she ran for governor of Georgia in 2018. While she lost that race by about 55,000 votes, her candidacy was historic in and of itself. When she won the Democratic primary in that race, she became the first African American woman to receive a major party’s nomination for governor. During her campaign, she focused on bringing new voters to the polls—an extension of the work she did with the New Georgia Project.  More information here

Amanda Blackhorse , member of the Navajo Nation, a social worker and mother of two, served as the named plaintiff in the 2006 lawsuit Blackhorse et al v. Pro-Football Inc. Blackhorse continues to fight for justice and respect for Native Americans and is one of many Native American activists who deserves credit for the proposed name change from the Washington Football Team, formerly called the “Redskins.”  More information here

At age eleven, Malala Yousafzai was already advocating for the rights of women and girls. As an outspoken proponent for girls’ right to education, Yousafzai was often in danger because of her beliefs. However, even after being shot by the Taliban, she continued her activism and founded the Malala Fund with her father. By age seventeen, Yousafzai became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her work. More information here

Suzan-Lori Parks,  although a high school teacher discouraged her from writing because of her poor spelling, went on to become one of the most successful playwrights in the United States. The first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (2002) and a pioneer of historically conscious and linguistically complex theater, her work is now taught at drama schools across the country.  More information here 

Affectionately called “R.B.G.” by her supporters, Ruth Bader Ginsburg has inspired generations of women to break gender barriers. Even after facing gender discrimination as she pursued her academic goals, Ginsburg forged ahead and became the second woman--and first Jewish woman--to serve on the Supreme Court.  More information here

Delores Huerta Co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association, Dolores Clara Fernandez Huerta is one of the most influential labor activists of the 20^th century and a leader of the Chicano civil rights movement.   More information here

Tarana Burke,  an activist, community organizer, and executive, . Known as the founder of the ‘me too’ Movement, Burke’s hashtag has been used more than 19 million times on Twitter alone. Since then, Burke has been widely recognized for her work, and was named Person of the Year by TIME Magazine in 2017.   More information here