women in
public service
a zine by Cรณsmica
This zine was made for a collage workshop honoring women in public service and government at Kingsborough Community College for National Womens’ Month. We chose a diverse group of women who are librarians, astronauts, judges, community activists, supreme court justices, first ladies, political activists, art curators, civil rights leaders, firefighters, and more. This zine is meant to familiarize the reader with a range of women who serve their communities. Included are snippets of these womens’ accomplisments along with some biographical information. Hopefully it will inspire the readers to learn more about these public servants and other amazing women who have been the backbone of our society since the beginning of time.
Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court Justice
Michelle Obama First Lady of the United States Lawyer & Writer
Born in The Bronx, NYC 1954
• First Latina (Puerto Rican) Supreme Court Justice of the United States • Attended Princeton and Yale and was editor of Yale Law Journal • Sotomayor overcame a lot of hurdles growing up with an alcoholic father and being diagnosed with diabetes at age 7 • Sotomayor has taught at the New York University School of Law and Columbia Law School • She is a known as an upholder of the rights of defendants and often calls for reform of the criminal justice system. She also known for dissenting on issues of race, gender and ethnic identity. • She’s also a champion of the need for diversity and sees herself as an example of the success of affirmative action policies in university admissions, saying “I am the perfect affirmative action baby.” • Sotomayor was the first Latina federal judge in New York State. She was also the first Puerto Rican woman to serve as a judge in a U.S. federal court. “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life” -Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Born outside of Chicago, Illinois 1964
• She is an advocate for poverty awareness, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating • She is the first African American First Lady of the United States • Went to Princeton and Harvard Law School • Led the ‘Let’s Move’ campaign which aimed to reduce childhood obesity • Served as the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago, where she developed the University’s Community Service Center • Worked for the University of Chicago Hospitals • In 1993 she was Executive Director for the Chicago office of Public Allies, a non-profit organization encouraging young people to work on social issues in nonprofit groups and government agencies. • She has written ‘American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and ‘Gardens Across America,’ ‘Michelle Obama: Speeches on Life, Love, and American Values,’ and ‘Belief in the Possibility’ • Obama planted the White House Kitchen Garden, the first White House vegetable organic garden since Eleanor Roosevelt served as First Lady • Obama also installed bee hives on the South Lawn of the White House • Obama was part of the #bringbackourgirls campaign to bring back school girls who had been kidnapped in Nigeria • She has become a fashion icon and even graced the cover of Vogue in 2009
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Supreme Court Justice
Born in Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY 1933
• The second female Supreme Court Justice who took office in 1993 after being appointed by President Bill Clinton • She has been an advocate for the advancement of women’s rights and has pushed through many bills to correct gender discrimination • She was a volunteer lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union • She attended Harvard Law School in 1956, where she was one of nine women in a class of about 500. • She was discriminated against and turned down for many positions because of her gender • She co-authored the first law school casebook on sex discrimination • Ginsburg consistently supports abortion rights and believes, “the government has no business making that choice for a woman.” • Ginsburg told students at Cairo University that she was “inspired” by the Egyptian revolution • Was the first Justic to officiate a same-sex wedding • In 2009 Forbes named Ginsburg among the 100 Most Powerful Women • Ginsburg has also become a pop culture icon with a tumblr that compares her to Biggie Smalls www.notoriousrbg.tumblr.com/
Emma Tenayuca Labor Leader, Union Organizer, Educator
1916-1999 Born in San Antonio, TX
• Her family was hit hard by the Depression and it opened her eyes to the suffering of low class workers • She was the founder of two international ladies’ garment workers unions and was very involved in Worker’s Alliance of America and Woman’s League for Peace and Freedom • She organized strikes and protests for the beating of Mexican migrants by United States Border Patrol agents, and the famous 37-day strike at the Southern Pecan Shelling Company-- a labor strike where she was arrested a third time • She was first arrested at 16 when she joined a picket line against Finck Cigar Company • She spoke at a communist party meeting permitted by the San Antonio mayor but a crowd of 5,000 people attacked the auditorium with bricks and rocks. After the attack she was blacklisted and forced to leave San Antonio • She went on to earn a Master’s degree in education at San Francisco State College and taught at the Harlandale School District until she retired in 1982 • The South Texas Civil Rights Project named ‘The Emma Tenayuca’ Award,’ an award given to those who protect Civil Rights “It was a combination of being a Texan, being a Mexican, and being more Indian than Spanish that propelled me to take action. I don’t think I ever thought in terms of fear.” -Emma Tenayuca
Taína Caragol Curator of Latino art at The National Portrait Gallery • Originally from Puerto Rico • Taína received her PhD from City University of New York and is an art historian by training • She helps preserve the artistic heritage and history of Latinos in the U.S. • She wants to raise the cultural visibility and help normalize the presence of U.S. Latinos. through exhibitions, acquisitions and research • She has organized an exhibition around the community activisit and UFW member Dolores Huerta • Through her role at the National Portrait Gallery she helps honor living Latinos as well as those who have passed • Shes changing who gets to be a part of the historical narrative of U.S. history • Wants Latinos to be seen as part of the fabric of U.S. History and contemporary culture, not as outsiders
Barbara Jordan Lawyer, Educator, Politician and Civil Rights leader 1936-1996 Born in Houston, Texas
• In 1966, she became the first African American state senator since 1883 and the first Black woman to serve in the Texas Senate • She was a national champion debater at Texan Southern University. • In 1972 she was elected to Congress to represent Texas as the first African-American congresswoman to come from the Deep South • She retired from politics in 1979 and became an adjunct professor teaching ethics at the University of Texas at Austin. • She helped usher bills on first minimum wage law, antidiscrimination clauses in business contracts, and the Texas Fair Employment Practices Commission • She worked on the JFK presidential campaign and helped organize a get–out–the–vote program that served Houston’s 40 African–American precincts. • In 1976 she was the first African–American keynote speaker at a Democratic National Convention
“I am neither a black politician nor a woman politician,” Jordan said in 1975. “Just a politician, a professional politician.”
Miriam Matthews Librarian & Historian of African American and California history 1905-2003 Born in Pensacola, Florida
• She was the first Black Public Librarian for the City of Los Angeles from 19271960 • She was committed to preserving Black history in California and built a research collection that documented contributions made by African Americans to California’s history and culture • She was also a pioneer for what was then called “Negro History Week” now Black History Month • She helped erect a monument at El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park listing all 44 of the original city founders by name, race, sex, and age -- 26 blacks, 16 Indians and two whites. • She was an advocate of intellectual freedom for everyone • Some of her work: “The Negro in California from 1781-1910: An Annotated Bibliography.” Among her other writings are “Race Relations on the Pacific Coast: A Select Bibliography,” “Library Activities in the Field of Race Relations” and “William Grant Still: Composer.” • An avid art collector of work by Black artists • You can access the collection guides to her research at: http://www.oac.cdlib.org/
Consulted: Miriam Matthews, 97; Pioneering L.A. Librarian Was an Expert in Black History in the LA Times
Kalpana Chawla NASA Astronaut 1962-2003 Born in Karnal, India
• She was first woman of Indian origin in space • During her first flight in the weightlessness of space she spoke the following words: “You are just your intelligence.” • She moved to the US in 1982 and earned an MS and PhD degree in aerospace engineering • She worked at the NASA Ames Research Center doing computational fluid dynamics • She had commercial pilot licenses and a certificated flight Instructor rating • She joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in March 1995 and was selected for her first flight in 1996 • Her first space mission was in 1997 with a six-astronaut crew that flew the Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-87 where she was responsible for deploying the Spartan satellite • Her second space mission was in 2003 aboard the the Space Shuttle Columbia for flight STS-107 where she conducted microgravity experiments • 16 minutes before landing on her second mission the space shuttle disintegrated during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, killing her and 6 others in the crew. • She received several awards, honors, and recognitions posthumously, including having planetariums, hostels, streets, scholarships, and an asteroid named after her
Shirley Chisolm Congresswoman, educator, and author 1924-2005 Born in Brooklyn, NY
• She was the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Congress in 1968 • She ran for president in 1972, making her the first black major-party candidate to run and the first woman ever to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination • She was known as an authority on issues regarding early education and child welfare • She was a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly where she got unemployment benefits extended to domestic workers and introduced the SEEK program to help disadvantaged students have a chance to enter college • While in congress she worked to expand the food stamps program and played a critical role in implementing WIC • She hired all women for her office, half of them being African-American • After leaving Congress she returned to education, teaching mostly undergraduate courses in politics and sociology, since they involve women and race • In 1993 President Bill Clinton nominated her to be United States Ambassador to Jamaica but she was unable to due to poor health • She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame • She published two books: ‘Unbought and Unbossed’ and ‘The Good Fight.’
Rachel Carson Marine biologist and conservationist 1907-1964 Born in Springvale, PA
• Carson’s books are credited with advancing the the global environment movement • She began writing stories (often involving animals) at age 8, and had her first story published at age 10 • She worked for 15 years doing federal service as a scientist and editor • She was Editor-in-Chief of all publications for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service • She worked at the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries to write radio copy and wrote about natural history for the Baltimore Sun • She turned her government research into lyric prose that she published as books, such as ‘Under the Sea-Wind,’ ‘The Sea Around Us,’ and ‘The Edge of the Sea’ • She changed her focus after WWII because of the use of synthetic chemical pesticides to warn the public about its long term effects • She wrote ‘Silent Spring’ in 1962 to challenge the practices of agricultural scientists and the government and called for a change in the way humankind viewed the natural world • Despite being attacked by the chemical industry and some in government, she testified before congress in 1963 to call for new policies to protect human health and the environment “The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.” - Rachel Carson
Sarinya Srisakul Firefighter
From Elmhurst Queens
• New York City Fire Department’s only Asian-American female firefighter • Dropped out of Parsons School of Design in Manhattan because she wanted to help people, so she took a job at New York City AIDS Housing Network • In 2002 a female friend who applied to become a firefighter in San Francisco urged her to take the test for the FDNY • Entered the fire academy in 2005 and started a demanding 3 month boot camp • President of United Women’s Firefighters, a fraternal organization of female firefighters in the FDNY • Works at Engine 5 in Manhattan
Fannie Lou Hamer Voting Rights Activist & Civil Rights Leader & “the lady who sings the hymns”
1917-1977 Born in Montgomery County, Mississippi
• She was a delegate for the Freedom Democrats -- a group organized with the purpose of challenging Mississippi’s all-white and anti-civil rights delegation to the Democratic National Convention • After working on a Mississipi plantation for most of her life at 43 years old, Hamer volunteered to start registering people to vote in 1962. She was quickly fired by her boss and took up activist work full time. • The year before, while having surgery to remove a tumor, Hamer was given a hysterectomy without her consent by a white doctor as part of the Mississippi’s plan to reduce the number of poor blacks in the state • Despite several horrendous attempts to keep her from organizing including a nearly fatal beating by police, she organized voter registration drives and the “Freedom Ballot Campaign” in 1963 • She was a strong motherly figure who mentored many other activists • Hamer also worked on grassroots-level Head Start programs, the Freedom Farm Cooperative in Sunflower County, and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign. • She was known for singing Christian spiritual hymns to bolster the resolve of her cohorts during campaigns “You can pray until you faint, but unless you get up and try to do something, God is not going to put it in your lap.” -Fannie Lou Hamer