https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/blog/american-womens-history-initiative/RSS feed for American Women's History InitiativeenTue, 03 May 2022 15:59:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2022/05/03/exploring-women-innovators-with-usa-today/Learn stories of pioneering innovators and their life-changing innovations through puzzles and activities for all ages.Tue, 03 May 2022 15:59:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2022/05/03/exploring-women-innovators-with-usa-today/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2022/03/15/using-data-science-to-uncover-the-work-of-women-in-science/Scientists' personal papers often offer key insights into a scientist's goals and character. Without them, digital curator Dr. Elizabeth Harmon must act as a detective.Tue, 15 Mar 2022 20:19:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2022/03/15/using-data-science-to-uncover-the-work-of-women-in-science/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2022/01/20/because-of-her-story-interns-become-change-makers/Last summer 16 students joined the Smithsonian from home to amplify women's voices and tell a more complete American story.Thu, 20 Jan 2022 18:22:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2022/01/20/because-of-her-story-interns-become-change-makers/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2021/12/09/hearing-the-voices-of-women-leaders-on-money-power-and-policy/Patsy Mink, the first woman of color elected to Congress, she wrote the early draft of Title IX and worked to ensure the law's passage.Thu, 09 Dec 2021 21:05:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2021/12/09/hearing-the-voices-of-women-leaders-on-money-power-and-policy/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2021/08/26/meet-american-womens-history-initiative-director-dr-tey-marianna-nunn/Dr. Nunn shares what inspires her about leading work focused on women's history at the Smithsonian.Thu, 26 Aug 2021 14:48:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2021/08/26/meet-american-womens-history-initiative-director-dr-tey-marianna-nunn/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2021/05/06/hear-voices-women-leaders-science-technology-and-innovation/Ophthalmologist Dr. Patricia Bath worked to bring healthcare to underserved communities and teach girls about STEM.Thu, 06 May 2021 16:11:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2021/05/06/hear-voices-women-leaders-science-technology-and-innovation/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/08/19/because-her-story-interns-look-historical-role-models-1/As they wrapped up their Smithsonian assignments this month, interns reflected on their summer experience and individual research projects, which included studying the skeletal remains of 19th century African American women; planning a major traveling exhibition on the history of American girlhood; and writing about the women who worked on the Apollo space program.Mon, 19 Aug 2019 18:18:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/08/19/because-her-story-interns-look-historical-role-models-1/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/07/11/women-apollo/Though the "public face" of the U.S. space program in the 1960s was male, many women played essential roles in building the Apollo program and making the Moon landing a success. As we mark the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, here are a few women whose stories deserve to be celebrated.Thu, 11 Jul 2019 19:12:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/07/11/women-apollo/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/06/26/lgbtq-women-who-made-history/In celebration of Pride Month, we honor LGBTQ women who have made remarkable contributions to the nation and helped advance equality in fields as diverse as medicine and the dramatic arts. Here are a few of their stories, represented by objects in the Smithsonian collections.Wed, 26 Jun 2019 18:10:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/06/26/lgbtq-women-who-made-history/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/05/22/hawaiis-women-canoe-carvers/In Hawai'i, the art of carving outrigger canoes has traditionally been a male pursuit. Many women have captained and paddled the canoes, but few have learned to build them—an undertaking that requires carving a vessel of 25 feet or more out of a massive tree trunk. In an effort to bring a new wave of women into the trade, the Smithsonian recently organized a canoe carving workshop in Hilo, Hawai'i, as part of the annual Merrie Monarch Festival celebrating Hawaiian culture.Wed, 22 May 2019 15:46:55 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/05/22/hawaiis-women-canoe-carvers/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/05/07/conversation-effie-kapsalis/Effie Kapsalis has a cool job. As the Senior Digital Program Officer for the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative, she works with curators and researchers to uncover girls' and women's stories embedded deep within the Smithsonian and give them a new life—and long-deserved recognition—online. Recently, we talked with her about the Smithsonian's "digital-first" approach to women's history, correcting the Wikipedia gender imbalance and finding inspiration from an early 20th century museum elevator operator who became an expert on insects.Tue, 07 May 2019 16:25:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/05/07/conversation-effie-kapsalis/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/03/27/uncovering-hidden-stories/When an illustrator recently posted a blurry, black and white photo (below) of a group of scientists attending a 1971 whale biology conference, the question reverberated across Twitter. Who was the sole unidentified figure and only woman in the picture, partially hidden behind a male colleague?Wed, 27 Mar 2019 19:28:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/03/27/uncovering-hidden-stories/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/03/27/ariana-curtis-museums-and-everyday-woman/When Débora Nazareno, an Afro-Indian woman who lived in remote Ecuador in the early 20th century, sat in her hand-carved boat seat to tell stories to her grandson, little did she know the seat would be the first object donated to a new Smithsonian museum nearly a century later.Wed, 27 Mar 2019 18:49:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/03/27/ariana-curtis-museums-and-everyday-woman/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/03/27/gail-anderson-lifetime-design/In October 2018, New York-based designer, writer and educator Gail Anderson received the Lifetime Achievement National Design Award, bestowed by the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. The award recognizes Anderson’s innovative body of work and longtime leadership in the design field; her 30-plus-year career has spanned magazine covers to theatre posters and postage stamps.Wed, 27 Mar 2019 18:47:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/03/27/gail-anderson-lifetime-design/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/03/27/photographing-africa-womans-view/From the time she received a Kodak Brownie at age 10, South Africa-raised Constance Stuart Larrabee captured the world around her with an unsparing eye, ensuring her place as one of the 20th century’s foremost photojournalistsWed, 27 Mar 2019 18:46:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/american-womens-history-initiative/2019/03/27/photographing-africa-womans-view/