rad american women a-z

7/26/2019 Rad American Women A-Z

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RAD AMERICAN WOMEN A-Z

Afterword&

RESOURCEGUIDE

Introduction

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AngelaDavis

(1944-)

Florence

Griith-

JoyNER(1959-1998)

KATE

BORNSTEIN

(1948-)

Pai

Smith

(1946-)

UrsulaK.

LEGuin

(1929 -)

Zora

NealeHurston(1891-1960)

Biie

JeanKing

(1943-)

TheGrimkeSisters

(1792- 1873,1805-1879)

Lucy

Parsons

(1853- 1942)

QUN

BEIEcoleman(1892-1926)

Virginia

Apgar

(1909-1974)

Carol

Burne

(1933-)

Hazel

Sco

(1920-1981)

Maya

Lin

(1959-)

Rachel

Carson

(1907-1964)

WilmaMankier

(1945-2010)

Dolores

Huerta

(1930-)

Isadora

Duncan

(1877 - 1927)

Neie

Bly

(1864- 1922)

SONIASOTOMAYOR

(1954-)

Ea

Baker

(1903- 1986)

Jovita

IDAR

(1885 - 1946)

ODEA

(1930-2008)

TempleGrandin

(1947-)

Yuri

kochiyama

(1921 -2014)

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ANGELA

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Angela Davis

Angela Davis was born in 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama, into a

neighborhood known as Dynamite Hill because a group of racist

white men called the Ku Klux Klan often bombed the homes of

black families who lived there.

Schools were segregated in Alabama back then, and the education that

black children received was inferior by far. Despite those difficulties, Angela

was a smart and curious child, and her parents were thrilled when she got a

scholarship to a high school in New York City, where she could go to school

safely and pursue her passion for learning.

Angela thrived in her new school, and she and her new friends attended rallies

and protests in support of the Civil Rights movement, which demanded equal

rights for black people in America. In college she was one of only three black

students in her class. She felt isolated, but she didnt let that stop her from

learning. Angela loved philosophy and literature, and she continued her

college career in Europe, where she studied the writing of many great thinkers.

She connected their ideas with her own beliefs about the injustice that she

was witnessing.

She began speaking out against racism and sexism, and in favor of gay rights.

She criticized the U.S. government for its role in the Vietnam War. In 1969 she

was hired as a college professor, but the Governor of California had her fired

because of her political beliefs. Her students and fellow teachers were outraged,

and they rallied to support Angela. She didnt get that job back, but she went on

to teach at several other prestigious universities, and she continued to speak out

about injustice, wherever it occurred.

Today, Angela educates people about the unfair treatment of prisoners. She has

written nine books, including a book about her own life. She is a powerful and

inspiring public speaker, and people listen to Angela because she is a strong

black woman who is never afraid to tell the truth, to speak her mind, and to

demand justice and liberation for all people.

Angela DavisWho never backs down from the fight for justice

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THE Grimke sisters

Angelina and Sarah Grimke were sisters who were born 12 years

apart, but they were like twins when it came to their commitment

to ending slavery.

In the early 1800s, the Grimke family lived in Charleston, South Carolina, on afancy cotton plantation. Like most other rich white families in the South, theGrimkes owned slaves. The sisters saw their daily suffering and knew it wasntright. Even though it was against the law, Angelina secretly taught one of theirslaves to read. She and Sarah tried to convince their parents that slavery was

wrong, but Mr. and Mrs. Grimke wouldnt listen. So the girls made a hard butpowerful decision: They said goodbye to their parents, their 11 siblings, and thefancy dresses and dances. Then they moved north to Philadelphia, where theanti-slavery movement was beginning.

The Grimke sisters joined the Quakers, a religious group dedicated tononviolence, and they became abolitionists (people working to end slavery).They gave passionate speeches and wrote fiery letters in support of freedom forall people. They didnt care if people tried to punish or persecute them for their

convictions. Emancipation, Angelina wrote, is a cause worth dying for! Thepro-slavery people were furious at the sisters, and some of their fellow Quakerswere shocked that a woman should say such things. Some angry people evenburned their articles and letters!

Not everyone was upset, though. Many people admired Sarah and Angelina.They traveled to more than 67 cities, giving speeches to mixed audiences of menand women, blacks and whites together. In their lectures they explained that theequality of women was connected to the freedom of black people. Again, people

were outraged, because they had never heard white women express these kindsof ideas. Many abolitionist men failed to support equality for women, and manyearly feminists did not care about ending slavery.

In 1838 Angelina became the the first American woman to speak in front of alegislative body when she presented anti-slavery petitions signed by 20,000women to the Massachusetts Legislature. Sarah and Angelina lived and workedtogether for their entire lives, united in their belief that all human beings deservefreedom and equality.

THE Grimke sistersWho devoted their lives to the pursuit of freedom and equality for all

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Isadora Duncan

Dreamer. Rebel. Free spirit. Visionary. Isadora Duncan was all of

these, and more. With her flowing costumes, innovative ideas, and

graceful movements, Isadora invented a new style of dance.

Isadora Duncan was born into an artistic but troubled San Francisco family.After her parents divorce she moved with her mother and siblings to Oakland,California. Life was hard, and though Isadora dropped out of school at a youngage, she loved to read and learn. She spent hours at the Oakland Public Library,reading books recommended by the librarian (who happened to be a famous

poet, Ina Coolbrith.)

Isadora took ballet, but she didnt like the rigid positions and uncomfortableshoes. She preferred to make up her own dances, inspired by the world aroundher. She would go to the beach and use her body to imitate waves, flyingbirds, and wind. To earn money, Isadora and her sister taught dance classes toneighborhood children. The classesand Isadoras stylebecame increasinglypopular, and soon they taught in San Francisco, too. But Isadora, always adreamer, wanted more.

She and her family moved to Chicago, and then to New York City. Young Isadoraperformed her bold dances on many stages. Everything about her performancewas new and different, from her movements to her bare feet to the way shebreathed while she danced. While some people loved it, many Americans didnot. It was too different for them, too strange! Some people thought that hersheer, flowing costumes were inappropriate. Others werent used to seeingfemale dancers who werent ballerinas.

So the rebellious Isadora headed to Europe, where she found audiences able toappreciate her work. She quickly became a sensation. She performed in manyEuropean countries, and was able to bring her mother and siblings over to livewith her, too. She never lost her passion for teaching, and once she becamefamous she opened several dance schools for girls, where she spent her daysteaching other creative young women how to dance from their hearts andfollow their dreams, too.

Isadora DuncanWho showed us the power of imagination and originality

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