National Women's Hall of Fame

National Women's Hall of Fame Ensuring the contributions of women are not overlooked, but honored and celebrated! Join our mission!
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The National Women’s Hall of Fame is the nation’s oldest membership organization dedicated to honoring and celebrating the achievements of distinguished American women. The Hall uses the stories of its Inductees as tools for inspiration, innovation and imagination. A not-for-profit educational institution, its programs include Induction Weekend, educational programs, and special exhibits and events.

Harriet Jacobs risked everything to tell the truth about slavery as she experienced it.Born into slavery in North Caroli...
09/01/2026

Harriet Jacobs risked everything to tell the truth about slavery as she experienced it.

Born into slavery in North Carolina, Jacobs spent nearly seven years hidden in a crawl space above her grandmother’s home before escaping to the North. She later published Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, becoming the first formerly enslaved African American woman to publish a full-length autobiography.

Jacobs later served as an activist and relief worker during the Civil War, supporting people who had escaped slavery and helping establish a school for newly freed children.

This September, Jacobs will join the National Women’s Hall of Fame as a historic member of the 2026 Inductee Class.

Learn more and purchase tickets: https://www.womenofthehall.org/induction-2026/

On August 31, 1962, Fannie Lou Hamer joined 17 fellow activists on a bus to the courthouse in Indianola, Mississippi, de...
08/31/2026

On August 31, 1962, Fannie Lou Hamer joined 17 fellow activists on a bus to the courthouse in Indianola, Mississippi, determined to exercise a right that had been denied to Black Americans for generations: the right to vote.

That single trip changed the course of her life. Although she was prevented from registering that day, Hamer refused to be intimidated. She became one of the nation's most influential voting rights leaders, helping organize communities, challenge systemic barriers, and inspire others to demand the rights they were promised.

Her story is a reminder that history is often shaped by ordinary people who choose to take one courageous step, even when the outcome is uncertain.

Millions of women and girls have benefited from Title IX. Edith S. Green helped make it possible.During 10 terms in the ...
08/30/2026

Millions of women and girls have benefited from Title IX. Edith S. Green helped make it possible.

During 10 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, Green became one of Congress’s most influential voices on education, earning the nickname “Mrs. Education.” She played a pivotal role in developing and passing Title IX and helped shape the National Defense Education Act, the Higher Education Act and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. She also championed equal pay, advancing opportunity for women in classrooms and workplaces alike.

Green’s legislative legacy continues to shape American education more than 50 years later. We look forward to honoring her as a historic member of the 2026 Inductee Class on September 24.

Learn more and purchase tickets for Induction 2026: womenofthehall.org/induction-2026/

08/29/2026

Temple Grandin has spent her career showing the world the value of thinking differently.

Born August 29, 1947, Grandin drew on her visual way of thinking to transform livestock handling systems, designing more humane approaches that reduce fear and stress in animals. As an author, educator and outspoken autism advocate, she has also helped broaden public understanding of neurodiversity and championed the different ways people learn, work and contribute.

In honor of the 2017 Hall inductee’s birthday, hear Grandin reflect on the experiences and ideas that have shaped her groundbreaking work.

Throughout August 1917, suffragists intensified their demand for voting rights outside the White House.On August 14, Vir...
08/28/2026

Throughout August 1917, suffragists intensified their demand for voting rights outside the White House.

On August 14, Virginia Arnold held the now-iconic “Kaiser Wilson” banner, challenging President Woodrow Wilson to reconcile his calls for democracy abroad with the disenfranchisement of 20 million American women.

Two weeks later, on August 28, 10 members of the National Woman’s Party were arrested while continuing the picket. Charged with obstructing traffic, they received sentences ranging from 15 to 30 days.

Neither hostile crowds nor imprisonment silenced the suffragists. They kept returning to the White House, forcing the nation to confront the distance between its democratic ideals and the rights afforded to women.

The Gestapo knew her as “the Limping Lady.” The Allies knew Virginia Hall Goillot as one of World War II’s most daring s...
08/27/2026

The Gestapo knew her as “the Limping Lady.” The Allies knew Virginia Hall Goillot as one of World War II’s most daring spies.

Working behind enemy lines in occupied France, Hall organized resistance networks, recruited operatives, secured safe houses and helped prisoners of war escape. Hunted by the Gestapo, she fled across the Pyrenees on foot despite having a prosthetic leg, then returned to France to continue her intelligence work. She later became one of the CIA’s first female operations officers and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for her courage and ingenuity, becoming the only civilian woman to receive the honor.

This September, she will join the National Women’s Hall of Fame as a historic member of the 2026 Inductee Class.

Learn more and purchase tickets for Induction 2026: womenofthehall.org/induction-2026/

08/26/2026

This Women’s Equality Day, hear a word of inspiration from our 2026 Inductee Class.

What’s your whisper?

Thank you VERVINEUS for supporting the National Women’s Hall of Fame and joining us in celebrating women’s voices, confidence, and impact.

Just four days before her 23rd birthday, Althea Gibson broke the color barrier in American tennis.On August 21, 1950, sh...
08/25/2026

Just four days before her 23rd birthday, Althea Gibson broke the color barrier in American tennis.

On August 21, 1950, she became the first African American accepted into the U.S. National Championships, now the US Open. One week later, she stepped onto the court and won her first match.

Gibson went on to become the first Black player to win a Grand Slam title, ultimately claiming 11 Grand Slam championships across singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Her talent, courage and determination changed tennis and opened doors for generations of athletes.

Today, on her birthday, we celebrate a champion who changed the game.

Betty Friedan called Catherine East “the midwife to the contemporary women’s movement,” recognizing the essential role s...
08/23/2026

Betty Friedan called Catherine East “the midwife to the contemporary women’s movement,” recognizing the essential role she played in turning research into organized action.

Through her federal government work, including with the President's Commission on the Status of Women, East documented the discrimination women faced nationwide and recognized the need for a powerful organization that could push for change outside government. She became a driving force behind the founding of the National Organization for Women (NOW), providing the data, connections and strategic guidance that helped shape its work.

Though less widely known than fellow Hall inductees Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem and other leaders of the modern women’s movement, East was no less influential in building its foundation and advancing its goals.

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