Here at Facing History, we see awareness months as opportunities to deepen our knowledge of and attention to the histories and contemporary experiences of historically marginalized communities. However, the focus on celebrating these communities over one particular month can further marginalize the very experiences we are hoping to elevate. With this in mind, what follows is an invitation to engage with important themes raised by Women’s History Month this March and throughout all of the months of the year.
This Women’s History Month, we invite teachers to take a deeper dive into the histories and experiences of women around the nation in work with their students. One powerful way to do this is to learn more about individual women’s lives both past and present.
Below are 10 Facing History profiles and interviews capturing a number of key figures from women’s history and contemporary life:
Daisy Bates
![Daisy Bates black & white photo](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/styles/scale_480/public/2022-04/daisy_bates_b%26w.png?itok=e0UVqFvX)
Daisy Bates
(1914-1999)
Journalist, civil rights activist, mentor to the Little Rock Nine, and speaker at the March on Washington.
For more, see “Celebrating Daisy Bates: Black Female Orator at the March on Washington”.
Grace Lee Boggs
![Color photo of Grace Lee Boggs](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/styles/scale_480/public/2022-04/Grace_lee_boggs_photo.png?itok=5NH2818g)
Grace Lee Boggs
(1915-2015)
Chinese American philosopher and radical activist known for groundbreaking, ongoing collaboration with African American activists in Detroit, Michigan.
Fannie Lou Hamer
![Fannie Lou Hamer black & white photo](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/styles/scale_480/public/2022-04/Fannie_lou_hamer_photo.jpeg?itok=b5TRaMA0)
Fannie Lou Hamer
(1917-1977)
Political activist, celebrated orator, co-founder of the Freedom Democratic Party, and co-organizer of Freedom Summer.
For more, see “Fannie Lou Hamer: Unsung Woman of the Civil Rights Movement”.
bell hooks
![bell hooks standing on stage and speaking while holding a microphone.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/styles/scale_480/public/2022-08/bellhooks.jpeg?itok=35sKYVf4)
bell hooks
(1952-2021)
Influential scholar, professor, and public intellectual in domains including race, feminism, and education.
For more, see “bell hooks Taught Us to Transgress”.
Dolores Huerta
![Photo of Dolores Huerta](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/styles/scale_480/public/2022-04/Dolores_Huerta_photo.png?itok=vpfxKVyq)
Dolores Huerta
(1930 - )
Legendary Chicana activist with an emphasis on labor and civil rights; cofounder of the National Farmworkers Association.
For more, see "Dolores Huerta's Life of Indefatigable Resistance".
Audre Lorde
![Audre Lorde Headshot Photo](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/styles/scale_480/public/2022-04/Audre_Lorde_headshot_photo.jpeg?itok=2kuKUazm)
Audre Lorde
(1934-1992)
Lesbian writer, activist, and pioneer in intersectional thought.
Toni Morrison
![Headshot photo of Toni Morrison](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/styles/scale_480/public/2022-04/Toni_Morrison_headshot_photo.jpeg?itok=7Vt_Uozs)
Toni Morrison
(1931-2019)
Acclaimed novelist, poet, playwright, and essayist.
Lucy Schwob
![Lucy Schwob black & white headshot photo](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/styles/scale_480/public/2022-04/lucy_schwob_b%26w_headshot_photo.jpeg?itok=U2RxzaGK)
Lucy Schwob
(1894 - 1954)
French lesbian photographer, writer, and activist known in artistic circles as “Claude Cahun”; resisted the Nazis with partner Suzanne Malherbe a.k.a. Marcel Moore.
Mary Church Terrell
![Mary Church Terrell in chair black and white photo](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/styles/scale_480/public/2022-04/Mary_Church_Terrell_chair_b%26w_photo_1.png?itok=IlNT0v95)
Mary Church Terrell
(1863-1954)
One of the first Black women to earn a college degree; suffrage and civil rights activist; cofounder of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs.
Helen Zia
![Helen Zia Headshot Photo](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/styles/scale_480/public/2022-04/Helen_Zia_headshot_photo.png?itok=b0WHDpQc)
Helen Zia
(1952 - )
Chinese American journalist, author, and leading activist in Asian American struggles for the last 40 years; recipient of honorary doctorates from the University of San Francisco and CUNY Law School for her significant social contributions.
Don't miss out!
- download classroom materials
- view on-demand professional learning
- and more...