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Mary was a revolutionary advocate for a woman's right to obtain an education. In 1792 she published a radical book for the time, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, that proposed a national education system that included mixed sex schools and argued that women are suffering immensely without access to education." Taught from their infancy that beauty is woman's scepter, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison."
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With 300 attendees, the Seneca Falls Convention was a landmark event that inspired decades of activism leading to the passage of the 19th Amendment, allowing women to vote, and countless other achievements. One of their core resolutions in the first Declaration of Sentiments is that women be granted access to all educational programs and institutions that men are.
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Graduating from Geneva Medical College in 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in the United States to obtain a medical degree. Not only did she become a physician but she surpassed all her male classmates and earned the highest grades in her entire class. Persevering through horrible disdain and prejudice she opened an affordable clinic for all in NYC and went on to open her own medical college with her sister. -
In 1922, Lucy Diggs Slowe became the first Black woman to serve as Dean of Women at Howard University. Her stellar reputation as principal of Washington D.C.'s first junior school, which she created, lead to this honor. Not only a remarkable educator, Slowe was also an incredible athlete and was the first Black woman to win a major sports title. Slowe inspired so many and represented to the American public the fierce power Black women hold. -
Mary McLeod Bethune, famously known as "The First Lady of the Struggle" due to her steadfast commitment to providing education to Black youth in America. In 1904, Bethune opened a boarding school for Black girls which in 1929 she merged with another all-male school to become Bethune-Cookman College where graduates proved to American society the importance of providing equal education to all people regardless of race.
Mary's Historic Statue -
An exceptional teacher, author, and activist for Black women's rights in education, Cooper wielded her fierce determination and ambition to create a better future for Black children. After obtaining a PhD from the prestigious Sorbonne, she went on to become President of Frelinghuysen University in 1930, which is among the first universities established for Black women and men. Throughout her long life she never ceased fighting for equal education. -
In 1969 Princeton and Yale became the first Ivy League institutions to allow women to attend. At that point women had been able to attend higher level education in the United States for well over a century. The Ivy League's sexism and misogyny barred women from hundreds of years of rightful opportunities." What is all this nonsense about admitting women to Princeton? A good old-fashioned whore-house would be considerably more efficient, and much, much cheaper."
- Princeton University alum -
In June of 1972 President Nixon signed into law, Title IX, an Educational Amendment that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education and activities. This amendment was a huge win for gender equality and has allowed women to receive better educations and be safer against sexual harassment. While there is still a long way to go it is an essential piece to equality among all people. -
In 2014 Malala became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize at just 17 for her noble fight to help all children receive the right to an education. After the Taliban took over her town in Pakistan, outlawing girls' ability to attend school, she spoke up publicly for a girl's right to learn and at 15 was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman. Once she recovered she launched the Malala Fund, a charity for equal education.
Malala's Speech