NATIONAL WOMEN’S HALL OF FAME
VIRTUAL INDUCTION SERIES I N A U G U R A L E V E N T T H U R S D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 0 T H , 2 0 2 0
7:30 PM EST
Mary Church Terrell • Henrietta Lacks • Barbara Hillary •Toni Morrison •Barbara Rose Johns Powell • Aretha Franklin
A new series of virtual inductions, honoring women posthumously
About the Virtual Induction Series Celebrating Extraordinary Women’s Contributions Seneca Falls, NY: On December 10, 2020 the National Women’s Hall of Fame will launch its inaugural virtual induction, the first in a new series showcasing under-represented women of achievement, posthumously. The Virtual Induction Series will serve to innovate the way the NWHF operates and reflects on the past, inducting women posthumously who were deceased prior to the establishment of NWHF or before they were able to be recognized and inducted. We begin this series of virtual posthumous inductions with six prominent Black women who have shaped our nation. To amend existing disparities in nominations and selections that have neglected historic contributions of Black, Latinx, Native American, Asian American, and LGBTQ+ women, NWHF will use the Virtual Induction Series to recognize and induct marginalized women of achievement into NWHF and to reach out to organizations and communities that can assist in identifying and nominating future candidates. The first of our Virtual Induction Series will showcase six Black women who shaped our nation. With this new series, the NWHF will continue a process of honoring diverse women of achievement throughout our nation’s history and educating the public about the women to whom we are indebted.
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EVENT PROGRAM
Table of Contents About the Virtual Induction Series.....................................ii About the National Women’s Hall of Fame.................... 2 From the President............................................................. 4 NWHF Board Members...................................................... 5 Biographies of Featured Presenters Dr. Deborah Turner: Leader of Ceremonies .............. 6 Dr. Angela Davis: NWHF Inductee Ambassador........ 7 Amanda Mena: Musical Entertainer........................... 8 Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul: Honored Guest............... 8
Order of the Program........................................................ 9 List of all NWHF Inductees............................................... 10
To register for the 2020 Virtual Induction Ceremony visit the event webpage!
Biographies of the 2020 Inductees................................. 12 Thanks to Our Sponsors.................................................... 24 How To Nominate a Candidate for Induction.............. 26 Thanks to Our Volunteers................................................. 28 Shop The Hall.................................................................... 29 The Declaration of Sentiments....................................... 30 Photo Credits.................................................................... 34 Contact Us........................................................................ 35
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Exhibit Photos: Brad Van Dusen
The high ceilings and open floor of this former knitting mill offer multiple ways to house exhibits and educate visitors.
About the National Women’s Hall of Fame The National Women’s Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 and is the nation’s first and oldest membership organization and museum dedicated to honoring and celebrating the achievements of distinguished American women. In pursuit of its mission of “Showcasing great women…Inspiring all” the National Women’s Hall of Fame honors the women of the past and present, relates the history of women’s struggles, prepares the women of the future, and serves as the voice celebrating the value of women. Situated in Seneca Falls, NY, the birthplace of women’s rights, NWHF tells women’s stories by focusing on the leadership lessons from its Inductees throughout American history. NWHF has renovated the first floor of the former Seneca Knitting Mill as its new home with the plan to create a vibrant, state-of-the-art facility serving as a leadership center and an educational venue where visitors can discover and be inspired by the stories of great American women. For information about NWHF go to: womenofthehall.org
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An inaugural exhibit tells the founding, past, and future of the NWHF.
Above: Three key organizers of the Woman’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls– Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Mary Ann M’Clintock. At right: Among the Gentlemen Signers was Frederick Douglass, who publicized the event in his Rochester paper, The North Star.
Interactive elements engage visitors and help with memory retention.
Come visit us and watch our progress as we continue to develop new ways to communicate the stories of great women. NWHF| VIRTUAL INDUCTION SERIES 1 3
who are too often victimized, overlooked, and under-appreciated. The Board of the NWHF realized that we needed to reflect on our practices, make sure our nomination pool is diverse, and find new sources of nominations from every corner of our nation. Additionally, during every induction, many deceased women who deserve to be inducted cannot be included due to the format whereby only three deceased nominees are accepted. The Virtual Induction Series is our first program that seeks to make amends. Look for additional Virtual Inductions in the future when we will recognize and posthumously induct other historically marginalized women of achievement who were overlooked, including those from the Latinx, Asian, Native American, LGBTQ+ sisterhoods, as well as additional Black women.
Thank You You are part of history today and we thank you for being a witness to the first ever virtual ceremony celebrating the 2020 National Women’s Hall of Fame Induction of six extraordinary women who have made enduring contributions, transforming our nation. We celebrate their accomplishments and we look forward to broadcasting their stories forever more. This past year was unprecedented in many ways: the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the opening of the first floor of the National Women’s Hall of Fame’s newly renovated building. With the rest of the world, we learned how to operate virtually, interacting with our community from our homes. Thank you for adapting with us as we learn how to operate in this new world! As our nation experienced the pandemic issues, thousands of people flooded the streets all across America to demand justice for our Black citizens, 4 NWHF| VIRTUAL INDUCTION SERIES 1
To our Induction Celebration Chairs, Sujatha Ramanujan and Natalie Rudd, we are grateful that you saw these disparities, imagined a program, and then worked passionately to create tonight’s event. You both saw the possibility and with your team led by Sandy Sloane of Solutions by Sloane, and help from her committee of volunteers, coordinated the efforts we are enjoying today. This program is only possible with our dedicated volunteers, Kathleen Towner, Linda Olatunde, Ben Guerrero, and Eugene Bisdikian, who offered their specialties and talents to enhance our work. To our sponsors—to the individuals, corporations, businesses, and organizations who are inspired by the Inductees and their work—we are grateful for your involvement that strengthens our reach. Inductions would not be possible without the nominations received from the general public nor without the thoughtful work of our esteemed panel of judges who rank the nominations to determine the best possible candidates. To the public nominators and the judges, we thank you. And to those who have not yet nominated, but plan to do so for future Inductions, thank you in advance.
“Showcasing great women… Inspiring all!”
Board Members President Kate Bennett Vice President Elizabeth Wayne Fantone
None of our Inductions would be possible without input from the public. Your thoughts and opinions are instrumental in helping to shape the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Thank you to the staff of the NWHF, current and past, who have worked to forward our mission. Current staff members Rebecca Petropoulos, Renee Tracy, and Olivia Takacs, you make a difference every day and we are grateful. We are appreciative that the people of the region, the State of New York, the Finger Lakes Economic Development Council, and the United States Government see the value of our work and have made extraordinary investments in helping Seneca Falls be the place where this story is told. Turn to pages 2 and 3 to see our beautifully renovated 1844 Seneca Knitting Mill building located on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal. Thank you to all – as we - and our partners - continue this journey of learning, educating, and celebrating our Inductees and their stories. We look forward to welcoming you to the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Kate Bennett President, National Women’s Hall of Fame
Secretary Audrey Johnson Treasurer Marianne O’Connor Immediate Past President Betty M. Bayer, Ph.D. Emerita Nan Johnson Judith L. Pipher, Ph.D. Marilyn P. Bero Eric S. Brandt Rita Nakashima Brock, Ph.D. Menzo D. Case Allen Connely Elizabeth Cook Virginia DeJohn Jeanne Baker Driscoll, Ph.D. Jay M. Eastman, Ph.D. Jeanne Giovannini Robert E. Kernan, Jr. Jean Kilbourne Steven R. Martin Sujatha Ramanujan, Ph.D. Vickie Saxon Roger G. Schwartz Carol E. Scott Sharon P. Stiller Deborah Tedrick
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“I believe no child should be restrained by the circumstances of their birth. The League, through our leadership in the democracy space, can make this dream a reality.” FEATURED PRESENTER
Dr. Deborah Turner, MD, JD
OB-GYN, League of Women Voters President, Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame 2013 Inductee Leader of Ceremonies Dr. Deborah Turner has served on the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) National Board from 2016-present. She served as vice president of LWV Iowa from 2011–2015 and President of LWV Des Moines Metropolitan from 2010–2015. She obtained her JD from Drake University and her MD from University of Iowa. She has been a Gynecologic Oncologist for 30 years. Dr. Turner served on the Board of Regents for the State of Iowa 1999-2006. Dr. Turner was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 2013 and received the Gertrude Rush Award from the National Bar Association in 2015. She was awarded the Louise Noun Visionary Woman of the year award from Young Women’s Resource Center Des Moines in 2018. Her most treasured award is a certificate from the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Care. She lives in Nebraska and has two grown children – a son and a niece.
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“I think the importance of doing activist work is precisely because it allows you to give back and to consider yourself not as a single individual who may have achieved whatever but to be a part of an ongoing historical movement.”
FEATURED PRESENTER
Dr. Angela Davis
Author, Activist, Scholar, NWHF 2019 Inductee NWHF Inductee Ambassador Through her activism and scholarship over many decades, Angela Y. Davis has been deeply involved in movements for social justice around the world. Her work as an educator—both at the university level and in the larger public sphere—has always emphasized the importance of building communities of struggle for economic, racial, and gender justice. Dr. Davis’ teaching career has taken her to numerous college campuses across the United States, and she has also given lectures in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America. She spent 15 years at the University of California Santa Cruz where she is now Distinguished Professor Emerita of History of Consciousness and of Feminist Studies. Like many educators, Dr. Davis is especially concerned with the general tendency to devote more resources and attention to the prison system than to educational institutions. Having helped to popularize the notion of a “prison industrial complex,” she now prompts her audiences to think seriously about the future possibility of a world without prisons and to help forge a 21st-century abolitionist movement.
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MUSICAL ENTERTAINER
Amanda Mena
Singer, America’s Got Talent semi-finalist Amanda Mena is an up and coming versatile singer, recently seen on Season 13 of America’s Got Talent. Mena was able to capture judge Mel B’s heart to earn the Golden Buzzer with her rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman” with what Howie Mandel referred to as a “supernatural talent” and Simon Cowell praised as a voice with “genuine natural soul”. No stranger to capturing audiences, the young vocalist gained international attention when she won the Spanish-language Voice singing competition, La Voz Kids, in Miami, Fl. on Telemundo in 2014 at the age of 11. Her talent has brought her to perform on Broadway, singing “I Feel the Earth Move” in the Carole King musical Beautiful with renowned actress Melissa Benoist. Shortly thereafter, Amanda was invited by leading Hollywood Producer Kenny Ortega to perform a tribute to the late Aretha Franklin at the 33rd Annual Imogen Foundation Awards (Latin Academy Awards) at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. While advancing her career, Amanda has released her first two singles and a music video, Dime Como, which have been enthusiastically received by her 116,000 followers on Instagram and Facebook. Amanda is excited at furthering her education at Berklee College of Music in Fall, 2021.
HONORED GUEST
Kathy Hochul
New York State Lieutenant Governor Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul has served in all levels of government including as a member of Congress for New York’s 26th Congressional District. Since 2015, she has served as the highest-ranking female elected official in New York State government. Lieutenant Governor Hochul championed the ‘Enough is Enough’ law to prevent sexual assault on college campuses, spearheaded the state’s Paid Family Leave program, and is continuing to work to eliminate the gender wage gap, expand access to affordable child care, and combat sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace and beyond. She serves as chair of the State’s Women’s Suffrage Commission and co-chair of the Child Care Availability Task Force.
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Order of the Program Welcome NWHF Board President, Kate Bennett Opening of the Ceremony Dr. Deborah Turner National Anthem Remarks Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul Introduction of the Virtual Induction Series Dr. Deborah Turner Presentation of the 2020 Inductees Dr. Angela Davis Mary Church Terrell Henrietta Lacks Barbara Rose Johns Powell Toni Morrison Barbara Hillary Aretha Franklin With words from our sponsors Aretha Franklin Tribute Amanda Mena Closing Sentiments Dr. Angela Davis The NWHF Nomination Process Kate Bennett, NWHF Board President Closing of the Ceremony Dr. Deborah Turner
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Inductees A Faye Glenn Abdellah Bella Abzug Abigail Adams Jane Addams Madeleine Korbel Albright Tenley Albright Louisa May Alcott Florence Ellinwood Allen Gloria Allred Linda G. Alvarado Dorothy H. Andersen Marian Anderson Ethel Percy Andrus Maya Angelou Susan B. Anthony Virginia Apgar B Ella Baker Lucille Ball Ann Bancroft Clara Barton Eleanor K. Baum Ruth Fulton Benedict Mary McLeod Bethune Antoinette Blackwell Elizabeth Blackwell Emily Blackwell Amelia Jenks Bloomer Louise Bourgeois Margaret Bourke-White Lydia Moss Bradley Myra Bradwell Mary Breckinridge Nancy Brinker Gwendolyn Brooks Pearl S. Buck Betty Bumpers Charlotte Anne Bunch C St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Mary Steichen Calderone Annie Jump Cannon Rachel Carson Rosalynn Carter Mary Ann Shadd Cary 10 NWHF| VIRTUAL INDUCTION SERIES 1
Mary Cassatt Willa Sibert Cather Carrie Chapman Catt Julia Child Lydia Maria Child Shirley Chisholm Hillary Rodham Clinton Elizabeth Jane Cochran –“Nellie Bly” Jacqueline Cochran Mildred Cohn Bessie Coleman Eileen Collins Ruth Colvin Rita Rossi Colwell Joan Ganz Cooney Mother Marianne Cope Gerty Theresa Radnitz Cori Jane Cunningham Croly Matilda Raffa Cuomo D Angela Y. Davis Paulina Wright Davis Dorothy Day Karen DeCrow Sarah Deer Marian de Forest Donna de Varona Emma Smith DeVoe Emily Dickinson Dorothea Dix Elizabeth Hanford Dole Marjory Stoneman Douglas St. Katharine Drexel Anne Dallas Dudley Mary Barret Dyer E Amelia Earhart Sylvia A. Earle Catherine East Crystal Eastman Mary Baker Eddy Marian Wright Edelman Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle Gertrude Belle Elion Dorothy Harrison Eustis Alice Evans F Geraldine Ferraro Ella Fitzgerald Jane Fonda Betty Ford Loretta C. Ford Abby Kelley Foster Helen Murray Free Betty Friedan Margaret Fuller
G Matilda Joslyn Gage Ina May Gaskin Althea Gibson Lillian Moller Gilbreth Charlotte Perkins Gilman Ruth Bader Ginsburg Maria Goeppert-Mayer Katharine Graham Martha Graham Temple Grandin Ella Grasso Marcia Greenberger Martha Wright Griffiths Sarah Grimké H Mary A. Hallaren Fannie Lou Hamer Alice Hamilton Lorraine Hansberry Martha Matilda Harper Patricia Roberts Harris Helen Hayes Dorothy Height Beatrice A. Hicks Oveta Culp Hobby Barbara Holdridge Billie Holiday Wilhelmina Cole Holladay Jeanne Holm Bertha Holt Grace Murray Hopper Julia Ward Howe Dolores Huerta Helen LaKelly Hunt Swanee Hunt Zora Neale Hurston Anne Hutchinson I Barbara Iglewski J Shirley Ann Jackson Victoria Jackson Mary Jacobi Frances Wisebart Jacobs Mae Jemison “Mother” Mary Harris Jones Barbara Jordan K Helen Keller Leontine T.C. Kelly Susan Kelly-Dreiss Frances Oldham Kelsey Nannerl O. Keohane Jean Kilbourne Billie Jean King Coretta Scott King Julie Krone
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Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Maggie Kuhn Stephanie L. Kwolek Susette La Flesche Winona LaDuke Dorothea Lange Carlotta Walls LaNier Sherry Lansing Allie B. Latimer Emma Lazarus Lilly Ledbetter Mildred Robbins Leet Maya Y. Lin Anne Morrow Lindbergh Patricia A. Locke Belva Lockwood Juliette Gordon Low Clare Boothe Luce Shannon W. Lucid Mary Lyon Mary Mahoney Nicole M.E. Malachowski Wilma Mankiller Philippa Marrack Barbara McClintock Katharine Dexter McCormick Louise McManus Margaret Mead Barbara A. Mikulski Kate Millett Patsy Takemoto Mink Maria Mitchell Constance Baker Motley Lucretia Mott Kate Mullany Aimee Mullins Carol A. Mutter Antonia Novello Annie Oakley Sandra Day O’Connor Georgia O’Keeffe Rose Cecil O’Neill Rosa Parks Ruth Patrick Alice Paul Nancy Pelosi Mary Engle Pennington Frances Perkins Rebecca Talbot Perkins Esther Peterson Judith L. Pipher Jeannette Rankin Janet Reno
Ellen Swallow Richards Ida Tarbell Linda Richards Helen Brooke Taussig Sally Ride Sojourner Truth Rozanne L. Ridgway Harriet Tubman Edith Nourse Rogers V Wilma L. Vaught Mother Mary Joseph Rogers, MM Diane von Furstenberg Eleanor Roosevelt W Florence Wald Ernestine Louise Potowski Lillian Wald Rose Elaine Roulet Madam C. J. Walker Janet D. Rowley Mary Edwards Walker Wilma Rudolph Emily Howell Warner Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin Mercy Otis Warren Mary Harriman Rumsey Alice Waters S Florence Sabin Faye Wattleton Sacagawea Annie Dodge Wauneka Bernice Resnick Sandler Angelina Grimké Weld Margaret Sanger Ida B. Wells-Barnett Katherine Siva Saubel Eudora Welty Betty Bone Schiess Edith Wharton Patricia Schroeder Sheila E. Widnall Anna Jacobson Schwartz Emma Hart Willard Felice N. Schwartz Frances E. Willard Blanche Stuart Scott Oprah Winfrey Florence B. Seibert Sarah Winnemucca Elizabeth Bayley Seton Flossie Wong-Staal Donna E. Shalala Victoria Woodhull Anna Howard Shaw Fanny Wright Catherine Filene Shouse Martha Coffin Wright Eunice Kennedy Shriver Chien-Shiung Wu Muriel Siebert Y Rosalyn S. Yalow Beverly Sills Gloria Yerkovich Louise McIntosh Slaughter Z Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias Eleanor Smeal Bessie Smith Margaret Chase Smith Sophia Smith Hannah Greenebaum Solomon Susan Solomon With this event Sonia Sotomayor we are pleased Laurie Spiegel to recognize Elizabeth Cady Stanton Gloria Steinem and welcome Helen Stephens six new inductees Nettie Stevens Lucy Stone to this group of Kate Stoneman great women. Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Strong Anne Sullivan Kathrine Switzer Henrietta Szold T Mary Burnett Talbert Maria Tallchief NWHF| VIRTUAL INDUCTION SERIES 1 11
VIS 2020 INDUCTEE
Mary Church Terrell (1863-1954)
Mary Church Terrell, born during the Civil War, was one of the most prominent activists of her era with a career that spanned well into the civil rights movements of the1950s. Terrell was one of the first Black women to earn a college degree, in Classics at Oberlin College, and one of the first to earn an MA. She taught Latin at the M Street school— the first Black public high school in the nation—in Washington, DC. In 1896, she was the first Black woman in the United States appointed to the school board of a major city, serving the District of Columbia until 1906. She was a founding member and served as the first president of the National Association of Colored Women, was a charter member of both the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Colored Women’s League of Washington. She was a founding member of the National Association of College Women. A dedicated suffragist during her Oberlin years, she continued to be active within circles in the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Terrell believed in racial uplift and equal opportunity, actively campaigning for women’s and Black women’s suffrage. She picketed the Wilson White House with members of the National Woman’s Party. As one of the few Black women allowed to attend NAWSA meetings, Terrell directly spoke out about the racism and injustices experienced within the Black community. Her association with NAWSA inspired Terrell to create a formal organized group for Black women in America to address issues of lynching, Black disenfranchisement, and education reform. Terrell wrote abundantly about Black female empowerment, including an autobiography, A Colored Woman in a White World (1940). At the age of 80, she continued to participate in picket lines, protesting the segregation of restaurants and theaters. During her senior years, Terrell successfully persuaded the local chapter of the American Association of University Women to admit Black members. She lived to see the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education, holding unconstitutional the racial segregation of public schools. Terrell died two months later at the age of 90, on July 24, 1954.
Remarks by: Dr. Alison Parker, author of Unceasing Militant: The Life of Mary Church Terrell Award accepted by: Raymond, Jean, Monique, and Kevin Langston, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren
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Henrietta Lacks (1920-1951)
Henrietta Lacks is best recognized for her immortal HeLa cells, which have been used in research that led to the development of the Polio vaccine, chemotherapy, and contributed to Parkinson’s research. In 1951, Henrietta Lacks went to Johns Hopkins Hospital for treatment for an unknown illness, a “knot” in her abdomen. After several hospital visits, she died of cervical cancer on October 4, 1951. Lacks died at the age of 31 years old, and left behind her husband and five children. After her death, a lab attendant discovered that a swab of Lacks’ cancer cells reproduced at an extremely fast rate. This was extraordinary because while most cancerous cells died within a few days, Lacks’ cells doubled every 24 hours. Research led by Dr. George Gey, marked the first instance of continuous growth of human cells outside the body. Lack’s cells were the first recorded example of cells that divided multiple times without dying, which is why her cells were coined, “immortal.” The HeLa (named for the first of letters of her first and last names) cells would go on to transform modern medicine. To date, the easy-to-grow HeLa cells have been used in more than 76,000 studies. Henrietta Lack’s case began a conversation about medical ethics, particularly the morality of using someone’s cells without their consent. It took about twenty-five years for the Lacks family to receive any knowledge about the contribution their beloved wife and mother was making to modern science. Henrietta Lacks not only left a legacy of medical research, but also a legacy of policy regarding how doctors should ethically, and morally, handle biological specimens from humans.
Remarks by: Dr. Adele Newson-Horst, professor of English and Coordinator of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Morgan State University. Founding member of The Henrietta Lacks Legacy Group. Award accepted by: Jeri Lacks, granddaughter
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© 2017 Kadir Nelson, artist, Collection of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and National Museum of African American History & Culture; gift from Kadir Nelson and the JKBN Group, LLC
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VIS 2020 INDUCTEE
Toni Morrison (1931-2019)
Toni Morrison, was a novelist, essayist, book editor, and college professor. Morrison broke barriers; she was the first Black woman to become senior fiction editor for Random House and the first Black woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. In 1967, Morrison began at Random House, where she played a vital role in bringing Black literature into the mainstream. During this period Morrison began writing fiction informally. She recalled her parents instilling a great sense of heritage and language throughout her childhood, often telling traditional African-American folktales, ghost stories, and songs. These early influences are evident in her fiction novels, which focus on the vivid portrayals of the Black female experience. Her first novel, published in 1970, The Bluest Eye, was inspired by a short story about a Black girl who longed to have blue eyes. The critically acclaimed Song of Solomon brought her national attention and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 1988, Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved. In 1998, Beloved was made into a film which was co-produced by 1994 Inductee Oprah Winfrey, who had spent ten years adapting it for the screen. Morrison indelibly demonstrated that great literature is neither bound to be written by men nor exclusively by people of European descent. She has been unapologetic about her focus on Black people’s experiences, and the power with which she has brought this focus has earned her the moniker, “The Conscience of America.” She fostered a new generation of Black writers, including poet Toni Cade Bambara, activist 2019 Inductee Angela Davis, and novelist Gayl Jones.
Remarks by: Adya Kumar, Student at Northeastern University School of Law Award accepted by: Safa Morrison, granddaughter
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Barbara Hillary (1931-2019)
Barbara Hillary had a successful career as a professional nurse and served as the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Peninsula Magazine, the first multiracial magazine published by a Black woman. She is most well known as being the first Black woman to have ever traveled to both the North and South Pole- both after the age of 75. After retiring, Hillary became fascinated with arctic travel, although she had an adventurous spirit instilled in her at a young age. Hillary grew up impoverished in Harlem, New York City, and spent much of her time reading, her favorite book being the adventure novel, Robinson Crusoe. She recalled, “there was no such thing as mental poverty in our home.” When Hillary learned that no Black woman had reached the North Pole, she was determined to become the first one to do so. She found new challenges by learning to snowmobile and dog sled in the United States and Canada. A polar expedition at the time cost around $20,000 and required her to ski, something she had never done before. Undeterred, Hillary sent letters to potential sponsors and took in donations, eventually raising over $25,000 to fund her expedition to the Arctic. To prepare for her journey she took cross-country ski lessons, and hired a personal trainer. On April 23, 2007, at the age of 75, she became one of the oldest people to set foot on the North Pole, and the first Black woman. Five years later, she became the first African-American woman on record to stand on the South Pole at age 79, on January 6, 2011. Inspired by her expeditions, Hillary took interest in the effects of climate change on the polar caps and became a fierce advocate for combating climate change. She began lecturing on the topic. Her activism took her to the Mongolian steppe to visit a community whose cultural traditions were at risk due to climate change. Hillary’s career as an inspirational speaker led her to being profiled by NBC News and CNN.com, and she gave speeches at various organizations such as the National Organization for Women (NOW).
Remarks by: Sarita Chwalek, student at Syracuse University Award accepted by: Deborah Bogosian, close friend
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Barbara Rose Johns Powell (1935-1991)
Barbara Rose Johns Powell was a young, civil rights leader and pioneer. At the age of 16, she led a student strike, for equal education, at R.R. Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia. After years of frustration with the inadequacies at her school, such as poor facilities, shabby equipment, and no science labs or gymnasium, Barbara Johns took her concerns to a teacher, who dismissed her. Although initially discouraged, she used this moment as inspiration and created a plan. On April 23, 1951, Barbara Johns and her student council members went on strike. She gave a speech to all 450 students at the school, detailing their dissatisfaction, and revealed her plans for a student strike in protest. The students were inspired and marched with her the county courthouse to state their case. Barbara Johns’s planning and persistence garnered the support of NAACP lawyers who took up her case and the cause of more equitable conditions for Moton High School. After securing NAACP legal support, the Moton students filed Davis v. Prince Edward County, the largest and only student-initiated case. In 1954, this case became one of the five cases that the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed in Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring “separate but equal” public schools unconstitutional. For her part in the integration movement, Johns was threatened, and the KKK burned a cross in her school yard. Barbara Johns’ parents, fearing for her safety, sent her to Montgomery, Alabama, to live with her uncle, Vernon Johns, a civil rights pioneer. Her commitment to equitable education moved her to become a librarian. She served in this profession until her death in 1991. Some historians believe that Johns’s contributions to the Movement are frequently overlooked because of her young age. Her actions were extraordinary given her age and the era.
Remarks by: Genavieve Koenigshofer, Chief of Staff at GenUp Award accepted by: Joan Cobbs, sister
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VIS 2020 INDUCTEE
Aretha Franklin (1942-2018)
Aretha Franklin was a singer, songwriter, actress, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her multi-octave vocal range moved millions of people around the world during an expansive career that spanned six decades. As a child, Franklin learned how to play piano by ear, and by the age of 12 her father, a prominent preacher, began managing her career. She accompanied him on the road as he traveled in his, “gospel caravan” tours where she performed at various churches. At the age of 16, Franklin went on tour with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and years later performed at his funeral. Once she turned 18, Franklin made the decision to transition from gospel to pop music and moved to New York. In 1960, she signed with Columbia records and released her first secular album, Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo. The album was a mix of diverse genres such as standards, vocal jazz, blues, doo-wop, and rhythm-and-blues. By the end of 1961, Franklin had her first international hit, “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody,” and she was named the “new-star female vocalist” by DownBeat magazine. Her career continued to skyrocket, as Aretha Franklin became a household name. By the end of the 1960s, Aretha Franklin had come to be known as the “Queen of Soul.” Many of Franklin’s songs, such as “Respect,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” became anthems of movements for social change. Throughout her life, Franklin was immersed and involved in the struggle for civil rights and women’s rights. She provided money for civil rights groups, at times covering payroll, and performed at many benefits and protests. Aretha Franklin was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She was awarded a Grammy Legend Award in 1991 and later awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. Franklin was a Kennedy Center Honoree, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, American Academy of Achievement’s Golden Plate Award, presented by Awards Council member and NWHF 2011 Inductee, Coretta Scott King. Aretha Franklin’s music has been an inspiration for many artists and her legacy is enduring.
Remarks by: Amanda Mena, singer Award accepted by: Kecalf, Grace, Victorie, and Jordan Cunningham; son, granddaughters and grandson, respectively
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Thank You to our Sponsors
for their help in making this event possible.
Diamond Sponsors
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Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
Thank You to our Donors
Shirley W. Hartley Ann and Steve Martin Matthew Moore
Joyce Nicholson Sandra D. Shreve Janice Zarro
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How to Nominate a Candidate for Induction The National Women’s Hall of Fame depends on the public, on you, to nominate women who are or have been important to defining American history. That means we depend on your nominations to identify strong women nominees to be inducted into the Hall. We hope you will be interested in nominating one or more great American women to be considered for induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Download a sample successful nomination:
Maya Ying Lin
Althea Gibson
Maya Lin, architectural designer and
Widely regarded as one of the most talented
sculptor, blazed across the consciousness
athletes in the United States, Althea Gibson
of America when, as a 21-year old
overcame extreme racism to break barriers in
architecture student at Yale University,
tennis and pave the way for talented athletes of
she won the design competition for the
all races to compete equally.
Vietnam Veterans War Memorial.
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What are our criteria? Nominees may be contemporary or historical, but must be citizens of the United States, either by birth or naturalization. A historical nominee is someone who has died prior to the date of their nomination, there is no time limit on what makes a nominee “historical.” Their contribution(s) should be of national or global importance and of enduring value. Those contributions can be in many fields including science, religion, government, philanthropy, business, and the arts.. What do you need to know to submit a nomination? Our form asks you to provide information on your nominee including her name, contact information if you have it, occupation or area of achievement, biographical information, and evidence in support of your nomination. You do not need to be an expert on the women you nominate, but you must provide a persuasive argument for why they should be included in the Hall. How do you submit a nomination? You may submit a nomination online If you have any questions about the nomination process please email us at: admin@womenofthehall.org
The Selection Process Since the first Induction Ceremony, in 1973, the National Women’s Hall of Fame has been inducting distinguished American women, both living and deceased, through a rigorous selection process. Inductees are nominated by members of the general public. Nominations are reviewed and rated by a panel of judges from leading national organizations, educational institutions, and diverse fields, based on: • The value of their contribution(s) to the development of the United States of America • The significant national or global impact of their achievement(s) • The enduring value of their achievement(s) The Board and Staff of the Hall are not involved in the selection process, other than determining the final rank ordering of nominees based on Judges’ evaluations.
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Thank You to our Volunteers Thank you to our outstanding group of volunteers and staff who have given of themselves endlessly to make the 2020 National Women’s Hall of Fame Virtual Induction festivities a success. 2020 Induction Chairs Natalie Rudd Sujatha Ramanujan Induction Marketing & PR Solutions by Sloane, Sandy Sloane Yellow Duck PR, Linda Olatunde
Board Volunteers Betsy Fantone Kate Bennett Rita Brock Sujatha Ramanujan Deborah Todrick
Education Liaison Renee Sanchez-Kazacos
NWHF Staff Rebecca Petropoulos Renee Tracy Olivia Takacs
Video Editing & Production NextCorps, Ben Guerrero and Eugene Bisdikidian
Program Design Towner Graphics, Kathleen Towner
NWHF Volunteers Maggie Carson Katie Grela Ann Martin Karen Moretti Natalie Parks Kathy Peters Joanne Swetman
Snapshots from the 2019 Induction
Photos: Natalie Sinisgalli
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Shop the Hall
Give the gift of women’s history. Find these and other great gift ideas at the NWHF Shop.
Thank You to all of the Students
who submitted essays and to our featured student readers Sophie Palladino, Mynderse Academy * Madelyn Verkey, Mynderse Academy * McKenzie Dyson, Mynderse Academy Tyler Beach, Mynderse Academy Quan Cao, Mynderse Academy Gianna Mellini, Mynderse Academy Sybil Monteiro, Burger Junior High School *
Mariah Karalunas, Mynderse Academy Stephanie Mirras, Mynderse Academy Isaac Pundt, Mynderse Academy Julia Thomas, Mynderse Academy *Featured essays NWHF| VIRTUAL INDUCTION SERIES 1 29
July 19–20, 1848 Seneca Falls, NY
Declaration of Sentiments When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one portion of the family of man to assume among the people of the earth a position different from that which they have hitherto occupied, but one to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes that impel them to such a course.
We hold these truths to be self-evident; that
all men and women
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and to insist upon the institution of a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and, accordingly, all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they were accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their duty to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this government, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled.
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Woman Suffrage Parade, March 3, 1913. View from the Willard Hotel looking toward the US Capitol.
are created equal; The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise. He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice. He has withheld from her rights which are given to the most ignorant and degraded men - both natives and foreigners. Having deprived her of this first right as a citizen, the elective franchise, thereby leaving her without representation in the halls of legislation, he has oppressed her on all sides.
He has taken from her all right in property, even to the wages she earns. He has made her morally, an irresponsible being, as she can commit many crimes with impunity, provided they be done in the presence of her husband. In the covenant of marriage, she is compelled to promise obedience to her husband, he becoming, to all intents and purposes, her master - the law giving him power to deprive her of her liberty, and to administer chastisement. He has so framed the laws of divorce, as to what shall be the proper causes of divorce, in case of separation, to whom the guardianship of the children shall be given; as to be wholly regardless of the happiness of the women - the law, in all cases, going upon a false supposition of the supremacy of man, and giving all power into his hands.
He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead. NWHF| VIRTUAL INDUCTION SERIES 1 31
Above: Civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, 1965. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited racial discrimination in voting practices.
Above: The 2020 Election- The effort to maintain voting rights is ongoing. In this year, it was further complicated by a world-wide pandemic.
After depriving her of all rights as a married woman, if single and the owner of property, he has taxed her to support a government which recognizes her only when her property can be made profitable to it.
He has endeavored, in every way that he could to destroy her confidence in her own powers, to lessen her self-respect, and to make her willing to lead a dependent and abject life.
He has monopolized nearly all the profitable employments, and from those she is permitted to follow, she receives but a scanty remuneration.
Now, in view of this entire disfranchisement of onehalf the people of this country, their social and religious degradation, - in view of the unjust laws above mentioned, and because women do feel themselves aggrieved, oppressed, and fraudulently deprived of their most sacred rights, we insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of these United States.
He closes against her all the avenues to wealth and distinction, which he considers most honorable to himself. As a teacher of theology, medicine, or law, she is not known. He has denied her the facilities for obtaining a thorough education - all colleges being closed against her. He allows her in church, as well as State, but a subordinate position, claiming Apostolic authority for her exclusion from the ministry, and, with some exceptions, from any public participation in the affairs of the Church. He has created a false public sentiment by giving to the world a different code of morals for men and women, by which moral delinquencies which exclude women from society, are not only tolerated but deemed of little account in man. He has usurped the prerogative of Jehovah himself, claiming it as his right to assign for her a sphere of action, when that belongs to her conscience and her God. 32 NWHF| VIRTUAL INDUCTION SERIES 1
In entering upon the great work before us, we anticipate no small amount of misconception, misrepresentation, and ridicule; but we shall use every instrumentality within our power to effect our object. We shall employ agents, circulate tracts, petition the State and national Legislatures, and endeavor to enlist the pulpit and the press in our behalf. We hope this Convention will be followed by a series of Conventions, embracing every part of the country. Firmly relying upon the final triumph of the Right and the True, we do this day affix our signatures to this declaration.
Signers
Lucretia Mott Harriet Cady Eaton Margaret Pryor Elizabeth Cady Stanton Eunice Newton Foote Mary Ann M’Clintock Margaret Schooley Martha C. Wright Jane C. Hunt Amy Post Catharine F. Stebbins Mary Ann Frink Lydia Mount Delia Mathews Catharine C. Paine Elizabeth W. M’Clintock Malvina Seymour Phebe Mosher Catharine Shaw Deborah Scott Sarah Hallowell Mary M’Clintock Mary Gilbert Sophrone Taylor Cynthia Davis Hannah Plant Lucy Jones Sarah Whitney Mary H. Hallowell Elizabeth Conklin Sally Pitcher Mary Conklin Susan Quinn Mary S. Mirror Phebe King Julia Ann Drake Charlotte Woodward Martha Underhill Dorothy Mathews Eunice Barker Sarah R. Woods Lydia Gild Sarah Hoffman Elizabeth Leslie Martha Ridley Rachel D. Bonnel Betsey Tewksbury Rhoda Palmer Margaret Jenkins Cynthia Fuller Mary Martin P. A. Culvert
Susan R. Doty Rebecca Race Sarah A. Mosher Mary E. Vail Lucy Spalding Lavinia Latham Sarah Smith Eliza Martin Maria E. Wilbur Elizabeth D. Smith Caroline Barker Ann Porter Experience Gibbs Antoinette E. Segur Hannah J. Latham Sarah Sisson The following are the names of the gentlemen present in favor of the movement: Richard P. Hunt Samuel D. Tillman Justin Williams Elisha Foote Frederick Douglass Henry Seymour Henry W. Seymour David Spalding William G. Barker Elias J. Doty John Jones William S. Dell James Mott William Burroughs Robert Smallbridge Jacob Mathews Charles L. Hoskins Thomas M’Clintock Saron Phillips Jacob P. Chamberlain Jonathan Metcalf Nathan J. Milliken S.E. Woodworth Edward F. Underhill George W. Pryor Joel D. Bunker Isaac Van Tassel Thomas Dell E. W. Capron Stephen Shear Henry Hatley Azaliah Schooley
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Photo Credits Images are either in the public domain or used for educational use only by permission of the owner and are not to be used for any other purposes without further permission from the owner. Cover: Mary Church Terrell: (2) photos, at protest, and seated portrait, used with the permission of Oberlin College Archives. Henrietta Lacks: portrait excerpt from painting, © 2017 Kadir Nelson, artist, Collection of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and National Museum of African American History & Culture; gift from Kadir Nelson and the JKBN Group, LLC,. Barbara Hillary: Photo used with permission of the Women’s Leadership Program, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, The George Washingon University; Arctic landscape, Photo by Nick Bondarev from Pexels, Nickbondarev.com. Toni Morrison: Toni Morrison lecture at West Point Military Academy in March, 28, 2013, Author: West Point - The U.S. Military Academy, US Army, accessed November 2020, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ToniMorrison_WestPointLecture_2013.jpg, First-edition dust jacket cover of Beloved (1987) by the American author Toni Morrison, Author-Jacket design by R. D. Scudellari. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, accessed November 2020, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beloved_(1987_1st_ed_dust_jacket_cover).jpg. Barbara Rose Johns Powell: Graduation image used with permission from the director of the Moton Museum; Supreme Court building, Washington, DC, USA. Front facade. Author: Daderot, July 2008, Accessed November 2020, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oblique_facade_1,_US_ Supreme_Court.jpg. Aretha Franklin: Aretha Franklin sings “My Country ‘Tis Of Thee’” at the U.S. Capitol during the 56th presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2009, Author: Cecilio Ricardo, U.S. Air Force, Source: http://www.defenseimagery.mil; image 090120-F-3961R-860, Accessed November 2020, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aretha_Franklin_on_January_20,_2009.jpg. Contents: P. ii: Mill image, NWHF. P.2-3: Exhibit Photos: Brad Van Dusen; Lucretia Mott: Author: F. Gutekunst, Philadelphia, Pa. (Photographer), [ca. 1870-1880], Library of Congress, Records of the National Woman’s Party, accessed November 2020, https://www.loc.gov/item/ mnwp000037; Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her daughter, Harriot--from a daguerreotype 1856, Library of Congress, Accessed November 2020 ,https://www.loc.gov/item/97500106; Mary Ann M’Clintock: NPS photo - https://www.nps.gov/ people/mary-ann-m-clintock.htm, Accessed November 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ann_M%27Clintock#/media/ File:Mary_Ann_M’Clintock.jpg; Frederick Douglass: [Frederick Douglass, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing right, ]Author: Schreiber, George Francis, 1803-1892, photographer, [Philadelphia, 26 April 1870]Library of Congress Control Number: 2004671911, Accessed November 2020, https://www.loc.gov/item/2004671911. Page 4: Kate Bennett: Sue Zeccola Photography. Page 6: Dr. Deborah Turner, used with permission. Page 7: Dr. Angela Davis, used with permission. Page 8: Amanda Mena, used with permission. Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul, Photographer, Mike Groll, © Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Page 13: Mary Church Terrell: used with the permission of Oberlin College Archives. Page 15: Henrietta Lacks: Painting, © 2017 Kadir Nelson, artist, Collection of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and National Museum of African American History & Culture; gift from Kadir Nelson and the JKBN Group, LL; Photo used with permission of the family. Page 17: Toni Morrison: Photo portrait of Toni Morrison for the first-edition back cover of her debut novel, The Bluest Eye (1970), Author: From dust jacket: “Photograph: Bert Andrews,” Accessed November 2020, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toni_Morrison_(The_Bluest_Eye_author_portrait).jpg. Page 19: Barbara Hillary: Used with permission of the Women’s Leadership Program, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, The George Washingon University. Page 21: Barbara Rose Johns Powell: Used with permission from the director of the Moton Museum. Page 23: Aretha Franklin, Publicity photo of Aretha Franklin from Billboard, 17 February 1968.From Wikipedia, sourced November 2020, https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Aretha_Franklin#/media/File:Aretha_Franklin_1968.jpg. Page 26, Maya Lin: used with permission, Viet Nam Memorial entry, Maya Lin’s original competition submission for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Architectural drawings and a one page written summary; Date 1980 or 1981; Author: Maya Lin; Source-Library of Congress; sourced November 2020, https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MayaLinsubmission.jpg. Althea Gibson: used with permission, Althea Gibson, half-length portrait, holding tennis racquet / World Telegram & Sun photo by Fred Palumbo, Date, 1956, Source Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c14745, Author: New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer: Palumbo, Fred, photographer. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, sourced November 2020, https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3c14745. Page 28: Photos of 2019 Induction, Photographer: Natalie Sinisgalli. Page 31: Full Citation: Exhibit No. 36, View of the Woman Suffrage Parade from the Willard Hotel; 3/3/1913; (Y4.D63/2:W84); Government Publications, 1861 - 1992; Publications of the U.S. Government, Record Group 287; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/parade-from-willardhotel, November 25, 2020]. Page 32: Participants, some carrying American flags, marching in the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965; Pettus, Peter, photographer; Created/Published [1999 or 2000 from a photograph taken in 1965]; Photograph, Library of Congress, Sourced November 2020, https://www.loc.gov/item/2003675345. 34 NWHF| VIRTUAL INDUCTION SERIES 1
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