It’s a little overwhelming to singlehandedly compile a list of fearless, inspiring local women who have paved the way for future generations.
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And, thankfully, you responded. Here are just a few of those wonderful replies — the full list is available in this Twitter thread:
“Hazel Johnson, the mother of environmental justice is an interesting and groundbreaking woman.” — @TimTouhy
“I think Judge (Joan) Lefkow who rose above adversity and the senseless murder of her husband and mom and still kept her humanity.” — @TaraJacobsen1
“Anna Langford. First Black female alderman. Great body of civil rights work, as well, while she and family faced discrimination.” — @englewoodelaine
“Myra Bradwell. Retroactively declared the nation’s first female lawyer, helped free Mary Todd Lincoln from an asylum, ran the ONLY newspaper to make deadline after the Great Chicago Fire.” — @LuigiDNapla
“Sophonisba Breckinridge earned her PhD (1901) and JD (1904) at UChicago and co-founded @UChicagoCrown, formerly School of Social Service Administration, in 1920. She championed women’s rights, social welfare, civil rights, immigrant welfare, and world peace.” — @anya_jabour
“Rose Barraco George. Owner of Vito and Nick’s. She puts out the best pizza in Chicago.” — @rich_howley
“Jennifer Hudson. Because she put herself out there and went after her dreams.” — @lisabarnesfilm
“Frances Willard, beyond the prism of the (Women’s Christian Temperance Union), fostered the dialogue and participation that propelled women thereafter into the world of public policy and public life by the motto ‘Do Everything’ like the title of her book ‘How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle.'” — @bobvbh
“Irene Hernandez, ‘She didn’t necessarily love politics, but she loved people and she loved helping people.'” — @AdelanteConAida
“Brenetta Howell Barrett is a champion of civil & economic rights & the proud mother of 4 grown children! She is a highly decorated social justice hero in Chicago — often recognized for her early stances on the HIV/AIDS crisis and the inclusion of the LGBTQIA community in support services.” — @misstindal25
We highlight below a sampling of women with Chicago ties who impress you — and us (that’s my colleague Marianne Mather and myself). And though it is Women’s History Month, we hope to continue to highlight the contributions of strong female leaders as often as possible in this newsletter.
We look forward to collaborating with you more in future editions of this newsletter. Trust us – we’ll be reaching out for your suggestions again soon.
Until then, check out @vintagetribune on Instagram and give us a follow @vintagetribune on Twitter.
If you like what you’re reading here, then support my Tribune colleagues — a digital subscription is just one penny a day for six months of stories, photos and insights.
See you next week!
— Kori Rumore, visual reporter
Chicago history | More newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Today’s eNewspaper edition
Ida B. Wells
Activist and journalist who was awarded a Pulitzer Prize 89 years after her death.
Jane Addams
Social worker, Hull House co-founder and the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Florence Scala
Took on City Hall in attempt to preserve Little Italy and Hull House.
Gale Cincotta
Mother of six sons fought discrimination on the housing front.
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Anita Villarreal
Little Village advocate and a former commissioner of the Women’s Council for the Chicago Commission on Human Relations.
Margaret Burroughs
An artist, educator and Chicago Park District commissioner, she and her husband, Charles, founded the DuSable Museum of African American History in the living room of their South Side home in 1961.
Oprah Winfrey
Host of Chicago-based, nationally syndicated daytime talk show for 25 years.
Jane Byrne
Chicago’s first female mayor.
Kate Warne
The first female detective in the United States, she foiled the Baltimore Plot to assassinate then-President-elect Abraham Lincoln.
Barbara Proctor
Founded the first advertising agency in Chicago that was solely owned by an African-American woman, Proctor & Gardner Advertising.
Floy Clements
First Black female lawmaker in Illinois.
Lottie O’Neill
Illinois’ first female state legislator, decided a woman’s place was also in Springfield.
Lauren Howard
Chicago’s first female firefighter — hired in 1980 — who later became its first female captain.
Ella Flagg Young
Spent decades as a teacher of teachers before becoming Chicago school superintendent in 1909, the first female to do so.
Vivian Harsh
Chicago’s first Black librarian.
Bessie Abramowitz Hillman
Led a massive garment workers’ strike in 1910, and founded the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.
Sue Gin
Career path took her from Playboy bunny to real estate investor, from acclaimed restaurateur to international airline caterer.
Helen Cirese
In 1921, she became the youngest woman to receive a law license in Illinois.
Virginia Brooks
The Chicago area’s own ‘Joan of Arc.’
Bessie Coleman
First Black female pilot in America.
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Amelia Earhart
The Hyde Park High School graduate was an aviation pioneer and the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Gwendolyn Brooks
First Black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize and Illinois poet laureate for more than 30 years.
Maurine Dallas Watkins
Tribune reporter wrote the hit play ‘Chicago’ after covering Cook County murder trials.
Edith Rockefeller McCormick
Donated large sums of money and time to social causes, but has largely been overlooked and forgotten as one of the visionaries of Chicago.
Michelle Obama
First Black First Lady of the United States.
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