Five women to know for Women's History Month

Arielle Hines | college.usatoday.com

It kind of says it all that women's contributions are relegated to a single month of recognition, but let's not go there. Instead, let's celebrate the fact that March is indeed Women's History Month, and acknowledge five women who may not have made it into history books, but whose work paved the way not just for women's right, but for the rights of people everywhere.

1. Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651-1695)

Some people today take their educations for granted, but Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz had to fight for hers. Born to unwed parents in Mexico when it was still a Spanish territory, she become a nun and spent her life cloistered because it was the only way she'd be allowed to pursue her studies. She's bestknown for writing Respuesta a Sor Filotea, which defended a woman's right to an education, and is considered to be an early feminist manifesto.

2. Charlotte Hawkins Brown (1883–1961)

Charlotte Hawkins Brown was born next door to a plantation in Henderson, N.C., but moved to Cambridge, Mass., as a young girl. Her mother made sure that Brown received a good education, and a chance encounter with Alice Freeman Palmer, president of Wellesley College, resulted in her having an influential mentor. Brown eventually returned to North Carolina to open the innovative Palmer Memorial Institute, a prep school for African-American children. More than 1,000 students graduated from the Institute in Brown's 50-year presidency. She also spoke out against Jim Crow laws.

3. Victoria Woodhull (1838–1927)

We don't want to suggest you don't need to be in college, but Victoria Woodhull had very little schooling (she barely attended elementary school much less high school) and still managed to influence the worlds of politics, finance and more. A renowned women's libber, she was the first woman to address a congressional committee, the first female candidate for president of the United States, and one of the first women, along with her sisters, working as Wall Street brokers.

4. Nellie Bly (1864–1922)

Nellie Bly, born Elizabeth Jane Cochran was a bold and fearless investigative journalist who was among the first to go "under cover" to report her stories. Among other things she exposed corrupt lobbyists and the inhuman ways that women prisoners were being treated. She first made her name by investigating Blackwell Island, a mental asylum outside of New York City where patients suffered horrific abuse. She posed as man suffering from mental illness to gain access for 10 days. And in a time when few traveled outside of the states, she went around the world in 72 days.

5. Nanye-hi or Nancy Ward (1738-1822)

Nanye-hi was born into a powerful Cherokee Wolf clan in what is now Tennessee. Despite a childhood filled with violent encounters with both Europeans and other tribes, including battles she joined alongside her husband -- even rallying her tribe to victory after he was shot and killed -- Nanye-hi believed all people should live together in peace. At a young age she was given the name Ghighau, or Beloved Woman, by the Cherokees, and went on to have a powerful and influential position in treaty talks. She advocated for peace until her death.



Arielle Hines is a junior at Central Michigan University majoring in journalism.

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