ERNESTINE ECKSTEIN (1942-1992): Ernestine Eckstein was a visionary and leader in the gay rights movement in 1960s. She was an activist, who believed in the power of public protests and bringing attention to the entirety of the “homophile movement” by bringing all classes of homosexuals together. Born Ernestine Delois Eppenger in Indiana in 1942, she … Read more
LORRAINE HANSBERRY (1930-1965) Lorraine Hansberry was a playwright, feminist, and racial justice activist. She was the first African American woman to have a show produced on Broadway and win a New York Critics’ Circle award with A Raisin In The Sun. Lorraine Hansberry was born in 1930 in Chicago, IL and was the youngest of … Read more
STORME DELARVERIE (1920-2014) Stormé DeLarverie was a singer, drag performer and emcee, bouncer, and LGBTQ+ activist. She is also believed to have had a role in starting the Stonewall Uprising. Stormé DeLarverie was born in New Orleans to a Black mother and a white father. Because she was a “mixed race child” in Louisiana, she … Read more
ARETHA FRANKLIN (1942-2018) Aretha Franklin was a singer and pianist who defined the golden age of soul music in the 1960s. She was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is one of the most honored artists in Grammy history. Franklin was born in 1942 in Memphis, … Read more
DR. MARIE MAYNARD DALY (1921-2003) Dr. Marie Maynard Daly was an American biochemist whose research helped advance the fields of molecular biology, cell metabolism, and cardiovascular disease. She was the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. degree in chemistry in the United States. Marie Maynard Daly was born in Queens, NY in 1921. … Read more
MICHELLE OBAMA (b. 1964) Michelle Obama is a lawyer, writer, philanthropist, and former First Lady. As First Lady, she focused her attention on social issues such as poverty, education, and healthy living. Michelle LaVaughn Robinson was born in 1964 in Chicago, IL and has an older brother. Raised with an emphasis on education, she and … Read more
BARBARA SMITH (b. 1946) Barbara Smith is a Black lesbian feminist pioneer, scholar, activist, lecturer, author, and publisher. Smith was born in Ohio in 1946 and has a twin sister named Beverly. Their mother died when they were 9, leaving her in the care of her grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Academics and activism were … Read more