Daughter to Emmeline, sister to Christabel, Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst (English, 1882-1960) was perhaps the most reserved—though no less dedicated—member of the Women’s Social and Political Union’s founding family.  Pankhurst designed banners, posters, and other promotional materials for the militant WSPU, but eventually left, opting to provide practical help to women by instituting a daycare, a […]

María Adelina Isabel Emilia “Nina” Luna Otero was born on October 23, 1881. Her birthplace near Los Lunas, New Mexico, is about a half hour south of Albuquerque. Nina’s family were well-off, well-educated members of the Hispanos of New Mexico, which was still a U.S. territory at the time. Hispanos are New Mexicans whose ancestry traces

As pro-life feminists well know, today’s “Second Wave” of feminism, which began in the 1960s, has not uniformly promoted greater acceptance of abortion. Consider the dissent of Chicana activist Graciela Olivarez, a high school dropout who became the first woman graduate of Notre Dame Law School. Along with Feminine Mystique author Betty Friedan and 26 others, Olivarez

Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was Italy’s first female physician and a children’s education pioneer.  Montessori endured years of male hostility to finally graduate in 1896 with high honors from the University of Rome. Her work with disabled children informed her innovative approach to learning, which emphasized individuality and autonomy, sensory exploration and task-oriented play.  Montessori