We’ve wanted to do this episode since we started the podcast. This week we are highlighting a few of America’s most groundbreaking feminists. It was hard to narrow down a list, but we chose to focus on Amelia Bloomer, Frances Perkins, Shirley Chrisholm, and Maya Angelou this time.
Amelia Bloomer (1818-1894) is most known for her association with bloomers, a more comfortable and realistic women’s dress style of loose fitting pants that cinched at the ankles underneath a knee-length skirt or tunic. She wrote about the style in The Lily, a newspaper she created, written by and for women. The Washington Post recently brought the publication back. Amelia was an activist for women’s rights, temperance, and dress reform. Her passion for temperance, a movement focused on abolishing or reducing alcohol consumption, separated her from other suffragettes. But she continued her activism until the day she died.
Frances Perkins (1880-1965) was the United States secretary of labor during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency. She witnessed the famous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and was the principal architect of The New Deal. She played a decisive role in efforts that lead the landmark Fair Labor Standards legislation. She remained in government after her time as secretary of labor and became a civil service commissioner. She lectured on problems of labor and industry until her death.
Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005) was the first African-American woman elected to US Congress. Her signature campaign slogan was “Unbought and unbossed” as she fought for higher wages for workers, more public education funding, and demanding respect for black Americans and women. She helped found the National Women’s Political Caucus, which is dedicated to increasing women’s participation in political and public life. She wrote The Good Fight describing her run for President.
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) is well-known for her long list of accomplishments, writing, and activism. The United Nations called her to write a poem for the world after her recitation of “On the Pulse of the Morning” at Bill Clinton’s inauguration. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom award in 2011 for her contributions to the world.
Listen in for the full stories of these historic women. Follow us on Instagram @holdmyumbrella