Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Martin Luther King, Jr. stands at a podium with several microphones. Behind him to his left is a crowd of seated and standing people, including Dorothy Height, turned towards him.

Excluded at the March on Washington, Dorothy Height Went on to Become the ‘Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement.’ See How She Built a Movement with Women at the Center.

A woman and child stand at a shop counter facing a woman behind the register.

How Four Women Built Careers on the Financial Lessons They Learned at Home

Althea Gibson in mid-swing on a tennis court, positioned in an athletic stance with her racket extended. A large crowd of spectators fills the stadium seating in the background.

Every Coin Tells a Story: Althea Gibson’s Family Reflects on Her Legacy

A black and white photograph of Mary Church Terrell seated in profile from the waist up. The left side of her face is visible. There is a photographer's stamp embossed in the bottom left corner.

Activist and Writer Mary Church Terrell Led the Charge for Desegregation

Althea Gibson poses on a stool with two tennis rackets. Both the rackets have dark colors printed with "Althea Gibson" in white letters.

Rising Above Bias to Become the First African American Grand Slam Champion

Three images of Ella Fitzgerald, side by side. Her eyes are closed as she sings into the microphone she is holding in front of her.

An Inside Look at Smithsonian's 'Collected' Podcast Season Two: The Musical Genius of Black Women

A black and white photo of Katherine Johnson sitting at a desk in front of a typewriter and open notebook.

New Partnership Illuminates Hidden Record of NASA’s Human Computers

Portrait of Ida B. Wells from the waist up in 3/4th profile.

New Coin Celebrates the Living Legacy of Ida B. Wells

Two young people surrounded by greenery. One person has their hand outstretched towards a leafy bush in front of them.

Center for Community and Environment Educates and Inspires Youth for Innovative Change

A black-and-white photograph of Fannie Lou Hamer carrying a sign and holding an umbrella over her head.

Fannie Lou Hamer and the Fight for Voting Rights

A black-and-white photograph of seven women standing on a flight of stairs. Mae Reeves stands to the farthest right on the lowest step and wears a white hat and floral patterned handbag.

Five Women to Know for American Business Women's Day

A black-and-white image of Diane Nash at the podium with men and a woman sitting on either side of her in chairs. Nash stands in the center of the image behind the podium labeled [L.R. HALL/ AUDITORIUM] speaking into the microphone.

Excluded from National Leadership, Black Women Were the Backbone of the Civil Rights Movement

Categories
Archive