This month our Kickass Woman is Audre Lorde, poet, librarian, and activist who is famous but not as famous as perhaps she should be. I recently read her book Zami: A Biomythography and knew I had to feature this amazing woman in our column. Audre Lorde was born “Audrey” in 1934 but as a child she dropped the ‘y’ because she liked the way ‘Audre’ looked on a page. Her parents came to New York … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Audre Lorde
Thanks to a recommendation from Dennis, we have Fannie Sellins as this month’s Kickass Woman in History. Sellins was a labor rights activist who lived from 1872 to 1919. She was murdered while fighting for the rights of miners in Pennsylvania. For much of her life, Sellins (born Fannie Mooney) lived a typical urban working-class life. Sellins was born in Cincinnati, but her family soon moved to St. Louis. Her father was a house painter … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Fannie Sellins
This month’s Kickass Women in History doubles as a book review. Jill Heinerth is a cave diver who recently published Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver. Heinerth specializes in exploring new underwater caves. She is also a writer, photographer, and filmmaker. Heinerth grew up in Canada, near Toronto. She learned to dive recreationally while working as a graphic artist. She loved diving so much that she left her lucrative business to become … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Jill Heinerth
This month’s Kickass Women features Zelda Jackson (Jackie) Ormes, the first Black woman to be a professional cartoonist. Her cartoon strips discussed racism and sexism as well as fashion, dating, and family. Ormes was born in Pittsburgh in 1911. Her father died when she was six and she was raised by an aunt and uncle and, later, by her mother and stepfather. She launched her professional career as a sports reporter, proofreader and freelance news … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Jackie Ormes
Dorothy Parker is famous for her poetry and her wit, but not so much for being kickass. In fact, her public and private persona depended on her being perceived as permanently heartbroken, a romantic and creative underdog. However, Dorothy became involved in activism as the 1920s drew to a close, and deserves to be remembered for her activism as well as her wisecracks. Dorothy was born in 1893. Her mother died when she was five, … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Dorothy Parker
This month in Kickass Women, we raise a glass to Dolores Huerta, the labor and civil rights leader who became nationally known for her work with the United Farm Workers in the 1960s and who continues to kick ass today. It was Dolores who coined the slogan “Si se puede,” (loosely translated as “Yes we can” or “Yes you can”) a phrase often misattributed to Cesar Chavez and later adopted by Barack Obama during his … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Dolores Huerta
Welcome to Kickass Women in History! This month I’m sifting through a lot of internet info trying to sort out myth from fact with regard to Tomoe Gozen, Samurai. This woman fought in the Genpei War and won fame for her feats at the Battle of Awazu in 1184 in Japan. Tomoe was born sometime around 1157 and married Minamoto no Yoshinaka. He was a general and a samurai, and he appointed Tomoe Gozen as … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Tomoe Gozen
In this month’s Kickass Women in History, we take a trip to the Ashanti Empire, where reigned Yaa Asantewaa, Queen Mother during the War of the Golden Stool. Born around 1840, she was instrumental in the fight against British Colonialism. The Asante Confederacy (also referred to as the Ashanti Empire) was located in what is now Ghana. It lasted from approximately 1670 to 1902 (when it officially became a British protectorate). Today it is recognized … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Yaa Asantewaa
One of the best books I read in 2018 was Little, Edward Carey’s fictional book based on the early life of Anna Maria Grosholtz, who was later known as Madame Tussaud. This book details the life of Tussaud as a child through the French Revolution. I had no idea who Tussaud was other than the fact that her name is on wax museum signs. I was thrilled to find out what a kickass woman she … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Madame Tussaud
This month’s Kickass Women is brought to you by Hilda Matheson, a woman who essentially invented talk radio. Hilda was a charismatic British woman who is best known for her work with the then-brand new British Broadcasting Company (BBC). As the Director of Talks, she developed the BBC’s first news section and increased radio’s style and prestige. Matheson was born in 1888. Like many women, Matheson’s employment prospects rose with the start of WWI. She … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Hilda Matheson
Pamela Colman Smith was an amazing artist, and her illustrations of the Rider-Waite tarot deck are not only iconic but also transformed the ways people thought about the cards. She may or may not have been multiracial, and may or may not have been a lesbian. She was an ardent suffragette. She never had children. She started her own press. And few of her contemppraries knew what to make of her. Smith was born in … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Pamela Colman Smith
