Local (Michigan)

Title

Local (Michigan)

Description

Local role models provide us with people to look to as we aspire to fulfill our dreams. Sometimes, they might inspire us to achieve goals that we had never thought could be accomplished. The local collection honors those women in Michigan who dared to be different. Some of these women integrated male-dominated fields, like firefighting, while others dared to change law, lead businesses, forward higher education, or fight for social justice. These women help shape our dreams and give Michiganians someone local to provide inspiration.

Collection Items

Anne Davidow
Michigan attorney who worked for labor and women's rights

Sister Ardeth Platte
Humanitarian who has spent her adult life working for social justice

Cora Reynolds Anderson
First woman elected to Michigan's House of Representatives

Cora Mae Brown
Michigan's first female African-American state senator

Ruth Ellis
African-American woman known for her activism for LGBT rights in the early 20th century

Sarah Emma Edmonds
Woman who fought in the United States Civil War

Deborah Stephens
First female firefighter in Saginaw, Michigan

Some female "firsts" in Saginaw
Some women who were the first to integrate male-dominated fields

Agnes Wells
Taught mathematics and astronomy at the university level in the 1910s

Aleda Lutz
First American woman to be killed in action during WWII
View all 18 items