Voices to Celebrate Women’s History Month
Click the stories below to hear the voices of many women who have challenged gender norms, advanced their fields, and left a lasting legacy.
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The Door She Opened
Dee Westenhauser remembers how her Aunt Yaya gave her a safe, loving space to be herself.
No More Questions!
Strong-willed Kay Wang allows her son and granddaughter to ask her a few brief questions about her adventures in life.
Silvia’s Legacy
Ellaraino honors a priceless piece of her family’s history: the stories of her great-grandmother Silvia, who had lived through the Civil War.
The Tubby Rule
In the 1950s, Kay Johnston signed up to play in her local Little League under the name “Tubby” Johnston. At the time it was unthinkable for a girl to play on an official team.
Read the full transcript here.
Remembering One Tough Veteran: Lieutenant Susan Ahn Cuddy
Susan Ahn Cuddy was a loving mother, the first Asian American woman in the Navy, and the first woman gunnery officer teaching air combat tactics.
Read the full transcript here.
Studying the Impacts of Climate Change and Motherhood
Dr. Lora Koenig and Dr. Zoe Courville became friends while studying the impact of climate change in some of the most remote corners of the world. Through the years, they’ve helped each other navigate the challenges of balancing their work and personal lives.
Read the full transcript here.
Thrills and Spills
When Kittie Weston-Knauer began competing in BMX competitions, she was often the only woman on the track. Now at nearly 70 years old, Kittie is the oldest female BMX racer in the U.S. with no plans of retiring any time soon.
Read the full transcript here.
On the Basis of Sex
Sharron Cohen was represented by a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the 1973 Supreme Court case Frontiero v. Richardson, which would become one of the first sucessful sex discrimination cases in U.S. history.
Read the full transcript here.
Mi Abuela Panchita
Panchita Espitia was a formidable woman, not afraid of rattlesnakes underfoot on the Texas ranches of her youth or of death itself.
Turning to the Clouds
Wally Funk grew up wanting to fly, hoping to reach the ultimate destination – outer space. In 1961 she nearly got the chance.
Read the full transcript here.
An Artist’s Heart
Amy Sherald, known for her portrait of Michelle Obama, warns that being an artist is not for the faint-hearted.
Read the full transcript here.
Mama the Tax Collector
Despite the odds being against her, Marie Sayenega ran for tax collector in the borough of Bethel, won the election, and went on to hold the position for 24 years. Her son Bill Sayenega shares memories of his mother.
Read the full transcript here.
A Multigenerational Passion for Medicine
Jenna Lester comes from a long line of women who have dedicated their lives to medicine: her grandmother was one of the first African American women to become a nurse practitioner in New York.
Read the full transcript here.
The Icing on the Cake
Blanca Alvarez took a huge risk when she crossed the border from Mexico to the United States. She ended up inspiring her daughter to follow her dreams.
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Celebrating Love
Love comes in many forms — great loves, unexpected loves, old loves. In the following collection of stories, people discuss the love they have known in their lives — and the many surprising shapes and places in which it comes.
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Listening to Love
Taking a Risk on Love
Eddie Chang sits down with his youngest daughter, Tria, to remember the risk that started his four decade long romance with his late wife E.F. and all that he still loves about her.
Originally aired February 14, 2020, on NPR’s Weekend Edition., on NPR’s Morning Edition. Read the full transcript here.
“There Was No Hanky Panky”
A few months before their 70th wedding anniversary, Joel and Julia Helfman discuss how their childhood friendship blossomed into a love story that had stood the test of time.
Originally broadcast July 26, 2019, on NPR’s Morning Edition. Read the full transcript here.
For Better Or For Worse
Nearly 45 years after marriage, Claudia and Bill Dewane reflect on their marriage, their love, and what “for better, or for worse” means to them.
Originally broadcast February 10, 2017, on NPR’s Morning Edition. Read the full transcript here.
To Protect Our Love
Despite the legal restrictions on same-sex marriage in the 1970s, civil rights leader Bayard Rustin and his partner Walter Naegle found an unconventional way to legalize their relationship. Walter Naegle remembers their love nearly 33 years after Rustin’s passing.
Originally aired June 28, 2015, on NPR’s Weekend Edition., on NPR’s Morning Edition. Read the full transcript here.
Loving, Despite Judgement
Sandra Sowder and Marcia Sutton discuss the judgement and social estrangement they face in pursuing their love for each other.
Originally aired September 21, 2014, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday. Read the full transcript here.
Really, Truly?
At 10 years old, Kaitlyn imagines her future family, while speaking to her mother Lynne Lande about love and parenthood.
Originally broadcast May 7, 2004 on NPR’s Morning Edition. Read the full transcript here.
A Teenage Romance, Rekindled After Three Decades
As teenagers, Lori Daigle and Liz Barnes shared a kiss that left them with a feeling of “crazy, chaotic excitement.” After 30 years apart, they found their way back to each other.
Originally aired March 8, 2019, on NPR’s Morning Edition. Read the full transcript here.
Animations about Love
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Reflections for the 150th Anniversary of the 15th Amendment
Celebrate Black History Month by listening to stories of black identity, struggles, and excellence in America.
As a bonus, because February 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment, we’ve put together a special collection featuring themes of representation, universal suffrage, and Civil Rights. The 15th Amendment, one of the cornerstones of civil rights, granted men of all races the right to vote in 1870.
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The 150th Anniversary of the 15th Amendment
Dion Diamond: Reflections on 60 Years of Civil Rights Activism
Dion Diamond recalls his activism and resistance, that began at the young age of 15. He shares how he got started challenging a segregated society while growing up in the 1950’s and 1960’s, through sit ins and peaceful protests.
Originally aired January 12, 2019, on NPR’s Morning Edition. Read the full transcript here.
A Civil-Rights Swim-In
JT Johnson and Al Lingo were two of the several protesters who jumped into a “whites only” pool at the Monson Motor Lodge in St. Augustine, Florida. The protest escalated quickly, and is often remembered as a tipping point that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
Originally aired January 18, 2019, on NPR’s Morning Edition. Read the full transcript here.
Remembering the Assassination of Civil Rights Leader Edwin Pratt
Miriam Pratt recalls the assassination of her father Edwin Pratt, the head of the Seattle Urban League, who dedicated his life to fighting against employment, housing, and education discrimination.
Originally aired March 22, 2019, on NPR’s Morning Edition. Read the full transcript here.
Remembering the KKK Killing of a Voting Rights Activist
During the 1960’s Vernon Dahmer dedicated his life to ensuring that African American persons had the right to vote, making him the target of many Ku Klux Klan hate crimes. Ellie and Bettie Dahmer reflect on the traumatic incident that resulted in the death of husband, father and Civil Rights Leader Vernon Dahmer.
Originally aired January 13, 2017, on NPR’s Morning Edition. Read the full transcript here.
A More Perfect Union
Theresa Borroughs reflects on her relentless efforts to become a registered voter, despite being of age, during the Jim Crow era in the rural South.
More Voices
Olivia J. Hooker, Pioneer and First Black Woman in the Coast Guard
Amongst her other achievements, Dr. Olivia J. Hooker was part of the first class of African American women in the Coast Guard in 1944 during WWII, as part of the SPARS program.
Read the full transcript here.
Memories from an Air Force Test Volunteer
In the mid-1950s, before NASA existed, Alton Yates was part of a small group of Air Force volunteers who tested the effects of high speeds on the body. His contribution aided the process of sending Americans into space.
Originally aired August 29, 2014, on NPR’s Morning Edition. Read the full transcript here.
Driven
Wendell Scott, the first African American person to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, began his career in 1952, during the end of Jim Crow era. Despite not having the recognition, fame, or resources of his competitors, he won countless races, serving as an embodiment of perseverance and passion.
The Leesburg Stockade Girls
“When all the parents leave, it goes crazy…”
“All I wanted to do was get revenge.”
“My grandmother used to take my brother and myself to the south every summer…”
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