Rachel F. Seidman

Curator, Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Stories from this author

Woman holding a sign reading “Equal positions with equal pay” during an equal pay demonstration in a city plaza, with women seated behind her.

Women Who Reshaped Financial Power and Economic Opportunity

How have women built real financial power? 'We Do Declare' shares oral histories of women who opened pathways to wealth, influence, and opportunity.

Women stand together behind a rope barrier at the Women’s March for Equality.

How Women Built Networks of Support for Economic Independence

Through oral histories, 'We Do Declare' highlights women who created networks of economic support and opened pathways to opportunity and financial independence.

A group of women law students gathered around a table in a library.

How Women Researchers Changed Our Understanding of Women’s Economic Lives

How can better data drive economic change? 'We Do Declare' uses oral histories to reveal how women collected evidence, reframed the conversation about money, and shaped lasting policy and economic opportunity.

A group of smiling women pose for a picture with their hands up in a cheer in front of the U.S. Capitol.

Women Who Changed the Laws Shaping Economic Independence

'We Do Declare' shares firsthand stories of women who organized, advocated, and passed laws to expand access to credit, work, and lasting financial independence.

Gail Winslow sits at a desk reviewing documents with another woman.

What Oral Histories Reveal About Women’s Pursuit of Economic Independence

What does independence really mean for women? Through oral histories spanning generations, 'We Do Declare' explores how access to money, credit, and opportunity shaped women’s lives and the economic freedom that makes true independence possible.

Three women pose for a photo in front of a Victorian-style house.

Exploring Clara Barton’s Legacy: A Field Trip into Women’s History Preservation

Explore Clara Barton’s legacy with Smithsonian interns at historic sites that preserve women’s history, from the Missing Soldiers Office to the Red Cross.

View from a plane’s window showing the wing as the plane flies over the ocean and shoreline.

On the Road to Independence: Field Notes From 'We Do Declare'

Go behind the scenes with curator Rachel Seidman as she interviews women for "We Do Declare: Women's Voices on Independence," our oral history and education project exploring how women have sought to increase their economic independence over the last 50 years

Candid black and white photo of people walking down the street. Two women face the camera in the foreground under an awning with the words “The First Women’s Bank” on it.

How the Equal Credit Opportunity Act Transformed Women's Economic Power

Learn about Emily Card, Jeanne Hubbard, Stephanie Lipscomb, and Rosemary Reed—four women whose stories about financial independence demonstrate the importance of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 and the phenomenon of women’s banks.