It’s no secret that we love women around here, so this post is dedicated to “women firsts.” These trailblazing women demonstrated to the world the true power and wholeness of women. ??????????????
??Michelle Obama - First African American First Lady?
- If there is one First Lady of our generation who took their title by the reins, ran with their newfound power, and left their mark, it is Michelle Obama. Prior to becoming the First Lady, Michelle earned her Sociology and African-American studies degrees from Princeton University as well as her law degree from Harvard Law School.?
- Upon realizing that serving her community was her true calling, she decided what her main initiatives as First Lady would be to advocate for healthy families, service members and their families, higher education, and international adolescent girls' education.?
- Michelle Obama is a mother, a wife, a lawyer, an author, an advocate, and an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. She is the perfect example of what to do with the privilege and power you earn. She knew this position came with immense responsibility and she soared!
??Kathryn Bigelow - first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director
- Kathryn is an American film director known for “action films that feature protagonists struggling with inner conflict.” She became the first woman to win an Academy Award for best director for her film The Hurt Locker in 2008.?
- She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from San Francisco Art Institute in 1970, and her Master’s degree from Columbia University where she was enrolled in their graduate film program.?
- Some of her other well-known films include: Near Dark, Point Break, Strange Days, K-19: The Widowmaker, Zero Dark Thirty, and Detroit; Point Break being the movie that “solidified her place in the male-dominated world of action films.”?
??Madam C.J. Walker - First female, self-made millionaire in America
- Born to her two formerly enslaved parents, Walker became an orphan at age 7 and a wife at age 14. Upon her husband's death, she moved to St. Louis to be with her brothers and work for them at their barbershop. She began to develop a scalp condition in her young adulthood that resulted in almost complete hair loss. She went on to develop “Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower”, a scalp conditioning and healing formula.”
- To promote her product line, she went on a “tour” through the southeastern states with large black populations. Walker eventually moved to Pittsburgh and opened Lelia College to train Walker “hair culturists.” She also “built a factory, hair, and manicure salon, and a training school” in Indianapolis - the majority of her employees being black women.
- Walker is the definition of self-made. By discovering an issue that needed a solution and building this incredible empire, she became the first black, female millionaire in America. To say that it was well-earned is an understatement!
Our society is so far removed (mentally) from the time in our history where women couldn’t pursue careers, vote, get an education, or own a business. This is why it’s so important to stop and remind ourselves that it was not all that long ago.
??We are STILL breaking the barriers and reaching landmarks that would’ve been unheard of just generations ago.?
These achievements, however big, are always hard-won in a patriarchal society designed to work against us.?
These are the women that tell our stories.??
