The Women Who Led the Way

Celebrating the Women Trailblazers of New York and Tennessee

It would probably take an entire lifetime to research and write about the lives of the many talented, accomplished, and all-around iconic women hailing from the great states of New York and Tennessee. In this article, we’re going to highlight just a few of these women who’ve pushed boundaries and left legacies of innovation and extraordinary achievement in their wakes. Although from different backgrounds and industries, they all share one thing in common: excellence in their fields, whether it be on the basketball court or the Supreme Court (and everywhere in between).

THE ENTERTAINMENT ICON – Dolly Parton (1946-present)

Dolly Parton was born in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee to a family living in a single-room cabin. Musically gifted as a child, Parton moved to Nashville after graduating high school and found success as a singer-songwriter in the country music business. As her career took off, she also began acting in both film and television. To date, Parton has composed upwards of 3,000 songs and can play 20 instruments, creating music that blends the genres of country-western, bluegrass, pop, and gospel. She has become one of the most decorated female recording artists of all time with 25 songs reaching No. 1 on the Billboard country music charts, 44 Top Ten country albums, and a slew of awards across the music industry. Her success as a businesswoman and humanitarian is also quite noteworthy. Along with owning a record label and production company, Parton’s Dollywood Company operates the successful Dollywood theme park and resort in East Tennessee. Parton has also made extensive philanthropic contributions to causes such as childhood literacy, wildlife preservation, cancer treatment, wildfire disaster relief, and COVID-19 research.

THE DISSENTER – Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020)

Ruth Bader Ginsburg—aka the Notorious R.B.G.—was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. After completing undergrad at Cornell University and graduating from Columbia Law School at the top of her class, she entered a male-dominated legal industry. Ginsburg soon became a staunch advocate for gender equality, co-founding the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union and serving as its general counsel from 1973-1980. During this time, her work helped illegalize certain gender-based inequities and sex discrimination under the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. Ginsburg was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993, becoming just the second woman to serve in this capacity. Throughout her tenure, Ginsburg authored majority opinions for landmark cases such as United States v. Virginia , which struck down a male-only college admissions policy, and Olmstead v. L.C., which upheld housing rights for people with intellectual disabilities. However, Ginsburg was perhaps best known for her influential dissenting opinions on several high-profile cases involving issues such as gender-based pay discrimination, voting rights, reproductive rights, and healthcare.

THE POET – Nikki Giovanni (1943-present)

Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Nikki Giovanni was a voracious reader as a child. While growing up primarily in Cincinnati, she frequently made visits back to her native state and went on to attend Fisk University in Nashville. As her writing talents matured, Giovanni became increasingly interested in writing about black experiences and identity. Her first poetry collection, entitled Black Feeling, Black Talk , debuted in 1968 to much acclaim and success. This kickstarted a career that would position Giovanni as a leading voice of the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s and 70s. Today, Giovanni is one of the best-known poets in the U.S. and has released dozens of poetry collections, children’s books, essay compilations, and poetry recordings. Her work strikes a balance between poignancy and accessibility, contemplating themes such as family, love, and loneliness while also tackling issues related to gender, politics, and race. Giovanni is currently a University Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech and continues to write and tour the country as an activist and speaker.

THE FIRST LADY – Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

Eleanor Roosevelt was born in Manhattan to a highly respected New York socialite family. Intelligent and independent, Roosevelt led an active public life dedicated to several humanitarian causes, such as the establishment of a minimum wage and the abolition of child labor. After marrying Franklin D. Roosevelt, she went on to serve as First Lady of the United States from 1933-1945, subsequently redefining a role that heretofore had largely consisted of domestic duties. As First Lady, Roosevelt advocated for civil rights for African Americans, Asian Americans, and women. She lobbied for asylum for political refugees and was committed to the social reforms of the New Deal. Roosevelt also heavily utilized media to promote her ideas, holding press conferences, publishing columns and articles, and hosting a weekly radio show. After FDR’s death in 1945, Roosevelt later became the first U.S. Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly and the first chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights.

THE BASKETBALL LEGEND – Pat Summitt (1952-2016)

Born in Clarksville, Tennessee, Pat Summitt was a talented basketball player in a world with few opportunities for female athletes, when Title IX had yet to be passed and women’s basketball was not yet an NCAA sport. In 1974, at the age of 22, Summitt became the head coach of the University of Tennessee’s Lady Volunteers basketball team. Over the next 40 years, Summitt would turn the UT women’s basketball program into a powerhouse, leading the Lady Vols to 8 NCAA Championship titles and 18 Final Four appearances. At the time of her death, Summitt was the winningest coach in both men’s and women’s Division I college basketball with an astonishing 1,098 victories. She was awarded NCAA Coach of the Year seven times, was named the Naismith Coach of the Century, and coached several U.S. Olympic teams. Known for her tenacious coaching style, leadership, and work ethic, Summitt also worked tirelessly for the advancement of women in sports. She successfully lobbied for better facilities, more media exposure, scholarships for female athletes, and the creation of the women’s NCAA basketball tournament.

THE QUEEN OF JAZZ – Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996)

Although born in Virginia, Ella Fitzgerald grew up primarily in New York’s Yonkers and Harlem neighborhoods. As a teenager, Fitzgerald got her first big break singing at Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in 1934. She began to perform regularly at Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom and later with the “Jazz at the Philharmonic” tour series. These performances, coupled with multiple radio hits and best-selling records, shot Fitzgerald to international stardom. She was lauded for her exceptional diction, vocal range, and intonation, along with her innovative use of bebop and scat singing. Her music career spanned six decades and featured collaborations with other jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Frank Sinatra. By the end of her life, Fitzgerald had sold over 40 million albums and had won 14 Grammys, cementing her legacy as one of the most talented jazz artists of all time. Along with her prolific music career, Fitzgerald was also a civil rights activist who routinely demanded equal treatment for performers and audience members of color at the venues where she sang.

THE SPACE TRAVELER – Margaret Rhea Seddon (1947-present)

Born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Margaret Rhea Seddon was one of the first women to go to space. After obtaining her medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and completing her general surgery residency, Seddon was selected in 1978 to be part of the very first class of female astronauts at NASA alongside five other women. During her 19 years at NASA, Seddon flew on three space shuttle flights, logging a total of 30 days spent in orbit. During her missions, she helped conduct various lab tests tracking the effects of space flight and microgravity on both human and animal physiology. Her skills as a surgeon often came in handy on the space shuttle—she once had to use a bone saw and miscellaneous ship supplies to fashion makeshift tools when a satellite malfunctioned mid-orbit. Seddon currently resides in Nashville and is an award-winning author and national speaker.