Raising Up Ohio's Women

Margarita De Leon has dedicated her life and work to opening doors for the Latinx community and improving the lives of women.

Jerrie Mock made history when she became the first woman to fly solo around the world in 1964.

Katie Smith is a retired professional basketball player and current lead assistant coach for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Halle Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2001, making her the first Black woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress and she remains the only Black woman to do so.

Ruby Dee is an American actress, poet, playwright and civil rights activist from Cleveland, Ohio.

Maya Ying Lin is a sculptor and designer who designed the highly acclaimed Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. Lin’s work asks viewers to think, to react and respond in their own way.

Berenice Abbott was a part of the straight photography movement, which stressed the importance of photographs being unmanipulated in subject matter and development.

Toledoan Gloria Steinem became the face and leader of the second-wave feminist movement during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Jennie Hwang shattered the glass ceiling while excelling in the male dominated fields of engineering and technology.

Paige Palmer, or better known as the First Lady of Fitness, brought fitness-oriented television into the homes of American women.

Virginia Hamilton has written over 41 books including “The House of Dies Drear” and “M.C. Higgins, the Great.” Her influential books have earned her every major award in youth literature.

Florence Wang is a community leader and educator dedicated to the arts and preserving culture. Her community involvement spans over 30 years of service in the Youngstown area.

Faye Wattleton was a women’s rights activist and educator dedicated to improving the lives of women everywhere. She was the first woman, first African American woman and the youngest person to serve as President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Charity Edna Adams Earley was the first Black commissioned officer in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps and the commanding officer of the first battalion of African American women to serve overseas during World War II.

Betty Montgomery made history when she became Ohio’s first woman Attorney General in 1995.

Annie Oakley is an American sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and made history as one of America's only woman sharpshooters.

Maude Charles Collins made history in 1925 when she became Ohio’s first woman sheriff.

Nancy Lusk Zimpher is an American educator, state university leader and former Chancellor of the State University of New York from Gallipolis, Ohio, who shattered the glass ceiling throughout her momentous career in education.

Patricia Louise Fletcher set a precedent for the future generations of Ohio women as the 25th president of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs and Youth Affiliates by embodying the motto, “Lifting as we climb.”

Raquel Diaz-Sprague is a scientist and advocate for humane work environments, located in Columbus, Ohio.

Sarah Deal Burrow made history as she became the first female Marine pilot in the over 220-year history of the Marine Corps.

Dr. Ruth Ratner Miller, a civic leader, businesswoman and philanthropist from Cleveland, Ohio. She was the first woman health director for Cleveland and developed many successful health awareness programs.

Tella Kitchen is considered one of America’s top folk art painters, bringing the rural landscapes of Ohio and Indiana to life.

Stephanie Tubbs Jones, from Cleveland, Ohio made history as she became the first African American woman from Ohio to be elected to the United States House of Representatives.

Toni Morrison is an American novelist from Lorain, Ohio whose work concentrated on expressive depictions of Black America and rural Afro-American communities. She captivates audiences through her poetic style and her rich intertwining of the mythic.

Rita Francis Dove, from Akron, Ohio is an American poet, author and professor at the University of Virginia who made history by becoming the first African American and youngest person to be appointed to the position of Poet Laureate by the Library of Congress in 1993.