ALT Frances Ellen Watkins Harper in 1893, a photo that appeared in L.A. Scruggs’ book Women of Distinction: Remarkable in Works and Invincible in Character, published that same year. Harper stands as one of the most prolific, versatile and influential architects of American social reform. A century before the term “intersectionality” existed, she championed the idea that human rights are indivisible. As a lecturer, she helped galvanize public opinion against slavery and demand that newly emancipated people be guaranteed voting rights. As a gifted writer, she weaponized fiction and poetry to humanize the enslaved and combat patriarchy. Through her journalism, she challenged white supremacist violence, demanded that political leadership be held accountable and mobilized the Black community. Ultimately, Harper dedicated every gift she possessed — her voice, her pen, her education and her income — to the collective uplift of her people.

ALT Frances Mary Albrier wearing a Red Cross uniform, ca. 1942. Albrier built a towering legacy as an architect of the West Coast civil rights and labor infrastructure. Over nearly six decades, her relentless advocacy reshaped the social, economic and political landscape of the San Francisco Bay Area. She shattered professional color lines, integrated West Coast education and became a pioneering political representative. Long before the term existed, Albrier lived intersectionality, championing the rights of Black Americans, women, workers, senior citizens and global communities. Her legacy was built on a practical philosophy: She transformed ordinary taxpayers into an organized political force, proving that systemic barriers only stand until someone determines to break them. By the time she died in 1987, she had seen the East Bay transform from a highly segregated wartime hub into one of the most diverse political landscapes in America.

ALT Dorothy Vaughan in 1971, the year she retired from NASA. Vaughan was a visionary pioneer for women in STEM and a foundational architect of the U.S. space program. She broke through the dual barriers of Jim Crow segregation and gender discrimination to alter the course of aerospace history. Her calculations and FORTRAN programming laid the groundwork for America’s early aerospace achievements. By becoming NACA’s first African American supervisor in 1949, Vaughan cracked open doors that had been firmly shut to women of color. She spent her tenure as Section Head fighting for equal pay, promotions and engineering assignments for both Black and white women across the agency. When electronic computers arrived, she taught herself FORTRAN and trained her staff, saving dozens of Black women from layoffs and transitioning them into high-tech careers. Vaughan stands today as a symbol of resilience, intellectual brilliance and the indispensable power of community.

ALT Dr. Jane Goodall. Photo credit: Guerin Blask / New York Times.