Remembering Women Innovators
And empowering the future generation of women
"The most dangerous phrase in the language is, 'We've always done it this way.’”
–Grace Hopper
Women have been challenging the status quo and pushing boundaries for some time now.
The Women’s Suffrage Movement began with the Seneca Falls Convention in upstate New York in 1848 and ended with the triumphant adoption of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920. However, it was only after the Voting Rights Act was passed nearly a half-century later, on August 6, 1965, that Black women voted freely.
Today, women are still fighting for equitable pay, affordable childcare, equal opportunity, and so much more.
Women throughout history have highlighted the importance of challenging traditional ways of thinking and being open to new ideas in order to drive progress and innovation.
As we close out Women’s History Month this week, it has reminded me of the countless women who have made significant contributions to the fields of innovation, science, and technology. Women like:
Marie Curie - Curie was a physicist and chemist who made groundbreaking discoveries in the field of radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win two Nobel Prizes in different fields.
Grace Hopper - Hopper was a computer scientist, US Navy Rear Admiral, and one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer in the 1940s. She also helped develop the first compiler, which translates programming languages into machine code.
Katherine Johnson - Johnson was a mathematician and one of the "human computers" who helped NASA put the first humans on the moon. Her work was crucial to the success of the Apollo missions and she is known as one of the “Hidden Figures.” I am fortunate to call her my sorority sister! #AKA1908
Ada Lovelace - Lovelace is credited with being the world's first computer programmer for her work on Charles Babbage's analytical engine in the mid-1800s.
Wangari Maathai - Maathai was an environmental and political activist from Kenya who founded the Green Belt Movement, which focused on reforestation and community development.
Sheryl Sandberg - Sandberg is a businesswoman and the former COO of Facebook. She is also the author of the bestselling book "Lean In," which encourages women to pursue their ambitions and overcome gender biases.
Gladys West - West is an American mathematician known for her work contributing to the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS). Despite her contributions to the development of GPS, West's work went largely unrecognized until 2018 when she was inducted into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame. I am also fortunate to call her my sorority sister! #AKA1908
These are just a few examples of the many women who have made significant contributions to the fields of innovation, science, and technology. There have been so many more who have been hidden in our history books. There will also be many more to come. It all starts with empowering, mentoring, and sponsoring them.
Cheers to the future of women leaders and innovators!
Thanks for reading.
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