In March, we’re featuring an influential woman every day in honor of Women’s History Month.
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Today we’re celebrating:

Mourning Dove

Author (c. 1882 – 1936)
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• After being forced into mission education, Mourning Dove became a writer to raise awareness of Native culture in white America
• Her novel  Cogewea, the Half-Blood: A Depiction of the Great Montana Cattle Range was one of the first by a Native woman to depict a female protagonist
• Cogewea depicts the challenges of being multiracial and Native American perspectives on religion
• Mourning Dove’s story collection Coyote Stories is a collection of what she termed Native American folklore

In March, we’re featuring an influential woman every day in honor of Women’s History Month.
​
Today we’re celebrating:

Mary Wollstonecraft

Writer, philosopher, women’s rights advocate (1759 – 1797)
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• Wrote treatises, a travel narrative, a history of the French Revolution, a conduct book, and a children's book before the age of 38
• Best known for “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman”, which challenged the popular “Rights of Man” and argued that women were subjugated to men and made to appear inferior through lack of education and resources
• Argued that men and women should be treated equally in a society based on reason
• Died giving birth to her second daughter, writer Mary Shelley

​In March, we’re featuring an influential woman every day in honor of Women’s History Month.
 
Today we’re celebrating:

Corazon Aquino

President of the Philippines (1933 – 2009)

• Eleventh president of the Philippines and first woman to hold the presidential office
• Lead a popular uprising after the assassination of her husband, Senator Benigno Aquino  
• Rose to prominence for her leadership in the “people power” revolution against the dictatorial government, which toppled the 21-year rule of President Ferdinand E. Marcos
• Oversaw the rewriting of the Constitution to limit presidential power
• Emphasized civil rights and human rights in her leadership and emphasized civil liberties and human rights in her administration
• Urged peace talks to resolve the ongoing Communist insurgency and Islamist secession movements

​In March, we’re featuring an influential woman every day in honor of Women’s History Month.
 
Today we’re celebrating:

Josephine Baker

Dancer, singer, and civil rights advocate (1906 – 1975)

• American performer and advocate for racial equity
• Danced in vaudeville houses and performed with travelling dance troupes before performing on Broadway in 1923
• Moved to Paris in 1925 and found fame as a performer that was inaccessible in the U.S.
• Known for her irreverent performance and promotional style, Baker also spoke out against racism and earned the Medal of Resistance and the Legion of Honor

In March, we’re featuring an influential woman every day in honor of Women’s History Month.
​
Today we’re celebrating:

Ethel L. Payne

Journalist (1911 – 1991)
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• Known as “First Lady of the Black Press”
• Known for straightforward observations and writing style, Payne was persistent and “asked the questions [other journalists] should have been asking”
• Confrontation with Eisenhower over plans for desegregating interstate travel became front page news
• After in-depth coverage of the Civil Rights Movement, she turned to international affairs in the 1970s and became the first black female news commentator, working for CBS

​In March, we’re featuring an influential woman every day in honor of Women’s History Month.
 
 Today we’re celebrating:

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir
 
Former president of Iceland (1930 – present)
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• President of Iceland from 1980 – 1996
• First woman elected as a constitutional head of state in recorded history, and advocated for a “parity democracy” where 50 percent of leaders are women
• Lead in conjunction with ministers, allowing her to exercise influence while remaining above politics in order to embody national unity
• Fosters cultural connections rather than political divisions 

​In March, we’re featuring an influential woman every day in honor of Women’s History Month.
 
Today we’re celebrating:

Ella Baker

Civil rights and human rights activist (1903 – 1986)
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• Organized students to participate in sit-ins across the South in 1960
• Formed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
• Helped organize voter registration projects with the SNCC, and served as director of NAACP branches, executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership, and was crucial in forming the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party
• Believed in grassroots activism that stresses the importance of ordinary people rather than individual leaders 

In March, we’re featuring an influential woman every day in honor of Women’s History Month.

Today we're celebrating:

Rachel Carson

Marine biologist, editor, and author (1907 – 1964)

• Began her career as an aquatic biologist and became a fulltime writer in 1950
• Combined her love of science and literature in her career as an editor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Her book “Silent Spring” exposed the dangers of unrestricted use of chemical pesticides and became a catalyst for environmental movements in the U.S.
• Continued to speak out for need for greater oversight of technological progress, despite the pesticide industry’s attempts to undermine her findings

Happy International Women's Day!

We're excited to see examples of creative justice all over the world and the web today in favor of equity in the workplace, in leadership, in communities, and in our homes. We're sharing a few of our favorite moments of this year's demonstrations, and catching up on the history of this day of action. 

Women all over the world have taken part in demonstrations today to demand equal pay, equal rights, and recognition for all they do. From the strike in Spain to the marches in South Korea, women are taking part in meaningful non-violent action.

Did you know that International Women's Day began as a commemoration of a march for better working conditions and higher wages for working women? Marches in New York, Germany, and Russia in the 1910s laid the foundation for the demonstrations we see today. Learn more from Teen Vogue's coverage of the fascinating history of International Women's Day. 

If you want to be energized by all of the action around the world today, follow the Guardian's coverage of worldwide demonstrations, news, and social media highlights. 

In March, we’re featuring an influential woman every day in honor of Women’s History Month.
​
Today we’re celebrating:

Frances E. W. Harper

Abolitionist, feminist, and poet (1825 – 1911)
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• Most prominent African-American poet to reach acclaim after Phyllis Wheatley
• Many of Harper’s poems capture the South during reconstruction
• Raised by an aunt and uncle who ran a school and worked in a bookstore, where she developed a love of reading
• Became a lecturer for the Anti-Slavery Society of Maine until emancipation, when she advocated for the rights of former slaves and founded the National Association of Colored Women