Hattie Canty rose from an Alabama girl to a maid to an African-American labor activist. She was the maid who fought back, the maid who eventually ensured that Las Vegas workers in the hospitality business made a living wage. Early Life Hattie Canty was born in 1934 in St. Stephens, Alabama. She graduated high school…… Continue reading The Maid Who Fought Back
Tag: strong women
She Refused to be Silenced
Lucy Parsons (1853-1942) is a woman of history in my ongoing examination of “Strong Women.” Parsons, the “Queen of Anarchy,” was a woman of contradictions. The Chicago police department considered her “more dangerous than 1000 rioters.” surveilled her, arrested her, and fined her over and over. Yet, she refused to be silenced. By August Braunach…… Continue reading She Refused to be Silenced
The First Asian-American Woman in the Navy
December 7, 1941, the day they bombed Pearl Harbor, is a date many of you learned in school. You’ve also heard of the anti-Asian sentiment of the time and the horrible Japanese internment camps. But have you heard of the first Asian-American Woman in the Navy? Meet Lieutenant Susan Ahn Cuddy. Lieutenant Ahn Cuddy joined…… Continue reading The First Asian-American Woman in the Navy
The First to Discover the Sex Chromosomes
When women rarely went to high school, Nettie Maria Stevens (1861-1912) wanted to be a research scientist. We don’t know a lot about her personal life, but she became a biologist. And though she received little credit for it during her lifetime, she was the first to discover the sex chromosomes. The Incubator (courtesy of…… Continue reading The First to Discover the Sex Chromosomes
Revolutionary War Hero Margaret Corbin
It’s July and fitting that this month’s history posts be about Margaret Cochran Corbin, born November 12, 1751 in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. A U.S. Revolutionary War Hero Margaret Corbin was the first woman paid a soldier’s pension by the Continental Congress. Early Life Born to Robert Cochran, an Irish immigrant, and his wife Sarah, Margaret…… Continue reading Revolutionary War Hero Margaret Corbin