Celebrating Women In History

Women's history in the United States has been full of trailblazers and pioneers: women who fought for their rights, worked hard to be treated equally, and made great strides in fields like science, politics, sports, literature, and art. 

We asked our staff to spotlight women in history who inspire them.

Helen Keller

Helen Keller said, "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." Becoming blind and deaf at 19 months of age, her unprecedented accomplishments in overcoming her disabilities made her a hero and a celebrity at an early age. As much as I believe that I learn from happy and easy experiences, in reality, I have learned and grown exponentially from the challenges I have faced and the hardships I have overcome. I am better for them. No other woman, no other person, exemplifies this more than Helen Keller. - Leigh, Red Barn Mercantile

Mary

The biblical figure of Mary, Mother of Jesus, served as a role model in my adult life for strength, motherhood, and humility. - Cecilia, Red Barn Mercantile

Rachel Held Evans

A woman who was impactful to me was Rachel Held Evans, a young author who died much too soon. Her writing and example encouraged me to examine and challenge the faith in which I was brought up. This deepened some friendships and strained others, but most importantly, it gave me a healthier framework for parenting my children. Only time will tell if I swung the pendulum too far in the opposite direction. I credit the start of my evolution to her and her contemporaries (all younger than me, so… is that history? I clearly don't understand the assignment). - Kelley, Red Barn Mercantile + Penny Post

Ida B. Wells

Ida B. Wells was fearless in the face of the constant threat to her own life from southern racial violence. She reported lynchings to bring awareness to the nation about this widespread problem. She was also at the forefront of the Women's Suffrage movement until a leadership split along racial lines. - Karen, Penny Post

Pauli Murray

Pauli Murray was one of the best legal minds of the 20th century, working with civil, women's, and human rights luminaries Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. They also had an ongoing correspondence and friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt. Pauli attended Howard University Law School and was the only woman in their class and was the first black woman to receive a JD from Yale Law. Before the end of their life, they were also ordained the first African American female priest. Pauli struggled with gender identification their entire life, and there has been a continued debate about their pronouns. - Karen, Penny Post

Fannie Lou Hamer

Fannie Lou Hamer was a civil and women's rights titan and an activist against poverty. She was beaten by police and endured ongoing mistreatment in her quest for voting rights and rights due to every American citizen. - Karen, Penny Post

All three, Ida B. Wells, Pauli Murray, and Fannie Lou Hamer, remind me that I stand on the shoulders of the women who struggled generations before me. I never miss a chance to vote because these people saw to it that as a woman, and specifically a black woman, we expect the same rights as every other citizen of the United States. - Karen, Penny Post

Tarana Burke

Tarana Burke is important to me because she used her voice to help other women use theirs. As the founder of the #metoo movement, she has given courage to so many women to share their stories. She continues to fight specifically for the voices of black girls to get the same attention as white women and girls. - Phaedra, Penny Post

Maria Hinojosa

Maria Hinojosa is a Latina award-winning journalist and podcast host who focuses on issues that the media often overlooks. She is a champion of immigrants, sovereignty for colonized nations, true criminal justice, and other human rights abuses. She is bold, unapologetic, and I'm obsessed with her. I have learned so much about the expansive Latinx experience in the United States since listening to her podcasts, Latino USA and In The Thick, and reading her book, Once I Was You. - Carly, Penny Post

Nina Simone

Nina Simone was a pianist, singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her voice is unmistakable. Her music defied genres and was pivotal in the United States civil rights movement. She used her remarkable talent to create a legacy of liberation, empowerment, passion, and love through her art. She sang to share her truth, and her work still resonates with so much emotion and power to this day. She's an icon, and I'm just so moved by her music and what she and it represents. - Lisa, Red Barn Mercantile + Penny Post

Heather Booth

It's so hard to pick one woman to admire. There really are so many. If I had to pick one, though, it would be Heather Booth. While not a household name like Gloria or Ruth, Heather is no less important to women's history. At least to me. As a civil rights activist, she joined the Freedom Summer project to register black voters in Shaw, Mississippi, and helped to create Freedom Schools in Chicago. While at the University of Chicago, she formed the Jane Collective, an underground group of people who referred women to safe and reputable abortion providers during a time when abortion was illegal.

She started the Midwest Academy, a training organization that taught grassroots community organizing methods. I had the chance to work with her in 1998 on the New York City Democrats' Get Out the Vote campaign, which was one of many such efforts she spearheaded. She has organized for labor rights, immigration reform, reproductive freedom, financial reform, and many more progressive issues. Her entire life has been about the betterment of others, and for that, she has my eternal admiration and undying gratitude. - Amy

We are so grateful for the women who came before us, who raised us, who inspire us and motivate us to do better, stand up for ourselves, and live our lives in honor of their hard work, creativity, fierce determination, and courage. Spending a little bit of time this month learning more about women's history and the organizations that are dedicated to lifting women up feels like a good way to honor them. 

Remember that Red Barn Mercantile and Penny Post are continuing with our Good. Works. Wednesday program this month. Both stores will be giving 20 percent of our (non-custom) sales every Wednesday in March to an organization that specifically supports and empowers women. We hope you'll take the time to learn a bit more about the work they're doing, and don't forget to shop on Wednesdays!