Edith Green

(1910-1987)

• Helped pass the National Defense Education Act of 1958, which was designed to ensure that American students kept pace with their Soviet counterparts by improving science and math education

• In 1963, authored the Higher Education Facilities Act which allocated federal funds for the expansion and improvement of college and university libraries, classrooms, and laboratories

• In 1965, wrote the Higher Education Act which authorized the first–ever federal financial assistance for undergraduate students

• Had a significant role in the passage of the Equal Pay Act and Title IX

Constance E. Cook (1919-2009)

• Became a Republican New York Assemblywoman in 1963

• Co-authored the 1970 law that legalized abortion in New York state three years before the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Roe v. Wade

• Actively fought for a woman’s right to be ordained to the Episcopal priesthood in 1976 while serving as Vice President of Cornell University

March Fong Eu

(1922-2017)

• The first American of Asian heritage and first woman to serve on the Alameda County Board of Education

• First Asian-American woman to represent Oakland and Castro Valley in the California Assembly

• Worked on behalf of consumers, environmental protection, and the rights of women

• Elected in 1974 as California’s first female Secretary of State and first Asian-American in statewide office

Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005)

• Became the first black woman to serve in the US Congress in 1968

• Was a strong supporter of women’s rights and argued that women were capable of functioning in many professional fields

• Became the first major-party black presidential candidate in 1972 by running for the Democratic nomination

• Continued to serve in the House of Representatives after the election and co-founded the National Political Congress of Black Women

Frances Tarlton “Sissy” Farenthold (1926--)

• Was the only woman serving in the Texas House of Representatives when elected in 1968

• Co-sponsored the Equal Legal Rights Amendment to the Texas Constitution with Senator Barbara Jordan

• Was the first woman seriously considered for U.S. Vice President in 1972

• Was elected as the first national chair of the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1973

Anne Levy Wexler

(1930-2009)

• In 1968, led Senator Eugene J. McCarthy’s presidential campaign in Connecticut

• As a delegate, wrote many of the Rules Committee’s minority reports for the Democratic National Convention in 1968

• Served as top aide in President Jimmy Carter’s White House

• Became an influential Washington lobbyist and advised Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Rodham Clinton in their presidential campaigns

Geraldine Ferraro (1935-2011)

• Elected as New York Congresswoman in 1978 and urged for the passage of the ERA

• Served as U.S. Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission

• Was the first woman to run for Vice President on a major political platform

• Although running mate Walter Mondale lost the ticket, her candidacy reshaped the American political and social landscape

Barbara Jordan (1936-1996)

• Elected as the first African-American state senator in Texas

• In 1972, became one of the first African-Americans elected to the U.S. House from the Deep South since the Reconstruction Era

• Became the first African-American woman to deliver a keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 1976

• Was on a seat on the Judiciary Committee during the Watergate Scandal

Angela Davis

(1944--)

• Worked with several groups including the Black Panthers and the Che-Lumumba Club in the 1960s

• From 1975-1977, worked as lecturer of African-American studies at the Claremont College and later went on to teach women’s and ethnic studies at the San Francisco University

• In 1995, formed the African American Agenda 2000 for black feminists, challenging the exclusion of women from the event

Martha Griffiths (1912-2003)

• A member of the United States House of Representatives from 1955-1974

• Was the first woman to serve on the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means

• Was instrumental in getting the prohibition of sex discrimination added to the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964

• Also known for resurrecting the ERA and getting it passed through the House

Bella Abzug

(1920-1988)

• Dedicated to helping ethnic minorities, women’s groups, the LGBT community, and the poor

• Served in the House of Representatives for her home district in New York City from 1971 to 1977

• Introduced the first gay rights bill in Congress in 1975

• Worked to implement equal rights legislation across the board

• Was chair of New York City's Commission on the Status of Women and directed a national campaign to increase the number of women in public office

Dr. Lucy Killea

(1922-2017)

• Served on the San Diego City Council, the California State Assembly and the State Senate

• Was one of the first individuals to "recognize the importance of communication across the California-Mexico border”

• Helped found Fronteras de las Californias, a nonprofit liaison with Mexico funded by the City of San Diego, UCSD, and private corporations.

• While serving in the State Assembly, helped to create the bipartisan Women's Caucus

• Fought for years to implement a licensed midwife program, which was passed in 1993

• Pro-choice advocate, maintaining her position even in the face of strong opposition and public sanction by the Catholic Church

• Elected as State Senator in 1989

Patricia Roberts Harris

(1924-1985)

• Appointed by President John F. Kennedy to co-chair the National Women’s Committee for Civil Rights

• Became the first African-American US Ambassador to Luxembourg in 1965

• In 1969, became the first African-American woman appointed Dean to Howard Law School

• Became the first African-American Woman to head the Housing and Urban Development Department in 1977

• Was appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services

Patsy Mink

(1927-2002)

• Became the first Asian-American woman elected to the Hawaiian House in 1956

• Served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1960 to elect John F. Kennedy for President

• Elected to the U.S. Congress in 1964 and was outspoken champion of women’s rights

• Was involved in the writing and passage of Title IX in 1972 which gave considerable growth to women’s athletic programs in American schools and colleges

Yvonne Brathwaite Burke

(1932--)

• Became the first African-American woman elected to the California Assembly in 1966

• In 1972, became first African-American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives

• As a Representative, served as the first woman chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and the vice chair of the Democratic National Convention

• Was a strong voice for minority interests through her public service

Rose Elizabeth Bird (1936-1999)

• Was the first woman hired by the Santa Clara County public defender's office in Northern California

• Named Secretary of Agriculture, a post traditionally held by a grower

• Drafted a landmark farm labor bill guaranteeing workers’ rights to hold secret ballot union elections, which she shepherded through the legislature

• Became the first woman appointed Chief Justice of California in 1977

Eleanor Holmes Norton

(1937--)

• Appointed head of New York City’s Human Rights Commission and held the first hearings in the country on discrimination against women

• Represented female employees of Newsweek who had filed a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), citing Newsweek’s policy of only allowing men to be reporters. The women won, and Newsweek agreed to allow women to be reporters

• Became the first woman named Chair of the EEOC in 1977

• Released the EEOC's first set of regulations outlining what constituted sexual harassment and declared that sexual harassment was a form of sexual discrimination that violated federal civil rights laws

• In 1990, Norton was elected to the House of Representatives as the delegate from Washington, D.C.

• Is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus

Elaine Noble

(1944--)

• Was the first openly gay candidate to win a state office in Massachusetts when she was elected to the State Legislature in 1975

• Fought for LGBT rights within the women’s movement

• Refused NOW’s speaking invitation until they apologized for attempting to exclude lesbian rights from their cause