Literature
An award-winning poet, author, and activist known for works like "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "Phenomenal Woman"
She was also the first black woman to work as a conductor on San Francisco's cable cars.
Maya Angelou
Stand-up comedian and actress known for works such as Ice Age, Over the Hedge, and Evan Almighty.
She is known for her activism and representation as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community
She was also the first black woman to host the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Wanda Sykes
Professor, feminist, author, and political activist known for her work on race, gender, class, and prison abolition.
She was an active member in the Black Panther Party
Angela Davis
23 Grand Slam title holding tennis player who won her first major tournament at just 17 years old. She also holds 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with her older sister.
In 2012 she became the first Black woman athlete to be featured on the cover of Vogue magazine.
Serena Williams
Co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association, she is one of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century and a leader of the Chicano civil rights movement.
She helped organize the 1965 Delano strike of 5,000 grape workers and was the lead negotiator in the workers’ contract that followed.
Dolores Huerta
NYT bestselling author and winner of the first-ever Golden Globe for Best Podcast
Her works includes "The 5 Second Rule" "The High 5 Habit" and "The Let Them Theory"
Mel Robbins
Grammy and Emmy award winning rapper and actress. She also received an Oscar nomination for her role in Chicago. She has also starred in movies such as Set It Off, Last Holiday, and The Secret Life of Bees.
In 2006 she became the first hip-hop artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Queen Latifah
An award winning actress and activist. In the 60s she supported the Black Panthers.
She advocated for women's rights, climate change, and peace during the Vietnam War.
She won 2 Oscars for Best Actress for her work in Klute and Coming Home.
Jane Fonda
Retired gymnast part of the "Final Five" US Olympic team in the 2016 Summer Olympics. She took home a Silver Medal on balance beam.
She also won season 23 of Dancing With the Stars with Val Chmerkovskiy. She also made her Broadway Debut in &Juliet last week!
Laurie Hernandez
An international symbol of the fight for girls’ education after she was shot in 2012 for opposing Taliban restrictions on education for women in her home country of Pakistan.
In December 2014, she became the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate. She co-founded a fund in her name with her father to bring awareness to the social and economic impact of girls' education and to empower girls to demand change.
Malala Yousafzai
An award winning Dominican-American poet and novelist known for her works like "In the Time of Butterflies" and "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents"
Julia Alvarez
The first openly transgender person elected to a state senate in the United States, who won a seat in the Delaware Senate on November 3, 2020.
In her first term as state senator, she passed the landmark Healthy Delaware Families Act, providing paid family and medical leave to workers.
Sarah McBride
The first Black woman to be nominated to the United States Supreme Court.
She graduated from Harvard Law in 1996 and was recently nominated for a Grammy Award.
Ketanji Brown Jackson
The youngest U.S. women's figure skating champion at 13, who recently took home Olympic Gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Her free skate to "MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer surged the songs popularity, causing it to chart.
Alysa Liu
She has been a part of almost every pivotal moment in the disability rights movement and considered the "Mother" of the movement.
In 1983, she co-founded the World Institute on Disability (WID), one of the first global disability rights organizations founded and led by people with disabilities.
Judy Heumann
African-American playwright and author most known for her play "A Raisin in the Sun."
She was the first Black American woman to have her play performed on Broadway.
As a playwright, feminist, and racial justice activist, she never shied away from tough topics during her short and extraordinary life.
Lorraine Hansberry
Iconic activists, revolutionaries, and friends who fought tirelessly for LGBTQIA+ equality and rights in the 60s and 70s. They fought especially hard for transgender and LGBTQ+ POC who were often excluded from the broader movement.
Known for cofounding STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries), an organization dedicated to sheltering young transgender individuals who were shunned by their families.
Marsha P Johnson & Sylvia Rivera
An activist whose efforts were integral in establishing Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. She also co-founded the Organization of Chinese American Women (OCAW).
Jeanie Jew
WNBA Player for the Dallas Wings who recently set a WNBA rookie record for points in a game with 44 points.
She holds records at UCONN for highest scoring average and fastest player to 2,000 points. She led them to the National Championship in 2025 and was drafted #1 overall to the WNBA.
Paige Bueckers
The first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Asian-American woman to serve in Congress. She wrote bills like Title IX, the Early Childhood Education Act, and the Women's Educational Equity Act.
She was also the first Japanese-American woman to practice law in her home state of Hawaii and the first Asian-American to run for U.S. President.
Patsy Mink
NYT Best Seller and award-winning author of "The Poppy War" "Babel, or the Necessity of Violence " and "Yellowface"
R. F Kuang
A groundbreaking advocate for the transgender community and those living with HIV/AIDS. She was named the first Deputy Director of the Transgender Law Center and in 2011, she served on California’s Civil Rights Enforcement Working Group.
In 2013, she was appointed by President Barack Obama to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and has served two full term and retire from the council before the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Cecilia Chung
This Native American leader broke barriers as the first to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet, leading the Department of the Interior from 2021 to 2025 overseeing federal lands and tribal relations, and increasing national visibility of Indigenous leadership.
Deb Halaand
American sprinter who overcame polio and went win gold in Olympic track and field.
She took gold in the 100- and 200-meter dash races, as well as the 4×100-meter relay. She was given the title of Fastest Woman in the World and became the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games.
Wilma Rudolph
The woman who founded this organization over 30 years ago.
Before founding this organization, she was an English teacher for some time. After a while, she decided to study at the University of Arizona Law School full-time. She eventually joined Wilkie, Farr & Gallagher in 1976, returned to Arizona briefly, and then made her way back to Willkie in 1980. By 1986, she made partner.
After serving on the Board of a battered women's organization, her idea for In Motion blossomed. She served as our Executive Director for over 20 years and continues to serve as a senior leader even now.
Cathy Douglass