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Links updated in July 2003 by James Romesburg.
Black, Clementina (1850's-1923). Social reformer and writer. Born in England. Worked to improve social and industrial conditions for women and girls in England through militant unionism. Wrote `Sweated Labor and the Minimum Wage' (1907) and `Married Women's Work' (1915)
Bloomer, Amelia Jencks (1818-94). Social reformer. Born in Homer, N.Y. Active as speaker and writer for women's rights. Editor of the Lily, which was believed to be the first newspaper edited entirely by a woman. Involved in dress reform through her defense of pantaloons, which came to be called "bloomers."
Casgrain, Marie Therese Forget (1896-1981) A canadian feminist who led the fight to obtain full sufferage for women, she was also the president of Quebec League for Women's Rights from 1929-1948.
Chicago, Judy (born 1939). Artist. Born Judy Cohen in Chicago, IL. She helped found the Feminist Studio Workshop in Los Angeles. Most famous for the unusual, large exhibition called `The Dinner Party' in the late 1970s.
Chopin, Kate (1851-1904). Writer. Born in St. Louis, Mo. Regular contributor of feminist short stories to literary journals. Her novel `The Awakening' (1899) shocked many people with its portrayal of a young woman's sexual and artistic longings.
Collins, Martha Layne (born 1963) Kentucky's first female governor and first woman to chair the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors.
Friedan, Betty (born 1921) Born in the U.S., a famous author and known feminist. She wrote the best-seller, "The Feminine Mystique" and challenged traditional roles of women. Cofounder and president of the National Organization for Women (from 1966-1977). She cofounded the First Women's Bank and convened International Feminist Congress in 1973.
Gilman, Charlotte (1860-1935) U.S. writer famous for her writings on feminism and labor. ("His Religion and Hers", "The Crux")
Ginsburg, Ruth (born 1933) Director of Women's Rights project of the American Civil Liberties Union and argued many cases before the Supreme Court. Was appointed ot the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1993.
Murphy, Emily (1886-1933). A Canadian lawyer and writer. In 1916 helped establish the Women's Court to hear women's evidence in such cases as divorce or sexual assault. Became first woman magistrate in the British Empire.
O'Reily, Leonora (1870-1927) U.S. labor leader and reformer, born in the U.S. She led and organized factory reforms and unionized female factory garmet workers; founding member of NAACP; active in civil rights and women's sufferage movements.
Pankhurst, Emmeline (1858-1928). Suffragist. Born in England. Militant worker for women's suffrage in Manchester and London. In 1903 she and daughter formed the Women's Social and Political Union.
Parsons, Elsie Worthington Clews (1875-1941) Born in the U.S.; sociologist and anthropologist. Her early writing concerned women's rights and she later became an advocate of human rights. She was the first woman elected president of American Anthropological Association.
Steinem, Gloria (born 1934). Writer and editor. Born in Toledo, Ohio. During the 1960s she appeared as a leader in the women's movement in the United States. In 1970 cofounded Ms., which grew to be a leading feminist magazine.
Wollstonecraft, Mary (1759-97). Writer. Born in England. Work includes `Thoughts on the Education of Daughters' (1787), `The Female Reader' (1789), and `A Historical and Moral View of the Origins and Progress of the French Revolution' (1794). `A Vindication of the Rights of Women' (1792), which challenged Rousseau's ideas of female inferiority, is a classic of liberal feminism.
Links updated in July 2003 by James Romesburg.