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Women’s Hall of Fame to induct six women posthumously
Women’s Hall of Fame to induct six women posthumously
Listen to this articleThe National Women’s Hall of Fame in December will host a new program to showcase new inductees virtually.
Beginning Dec. 10, NWHF will present the “Virtual Induction Series,” honoring women posthumously who were deceased prior to the establishment of the Hall of Fame, overlooked in their lifetime or died before they were able to be inducted. The event will be free to the public.
NWHF will induct six women this year including:
• Mary Church Terrell, a suffragist and civil rights activist who died in 1954;
• Henrietta Lacks, a medical research revolutionizer who died in 1951;
• Toni Morrison, an author who died last year;
• Barbara Hillary, an adventurer, nurse and climate activist who died last year;
• Barbara Rose Johns Powell, an activist and librarian who died in 1991; and
• Aretha Franklin, a singer and activist who died in 2018.
“We begin this series of virtual posthumous inductions with six prominent Black women who have shaped our nation,” organizers said. “During the research process for this event, it became apparent that we as an organization lack diversity within our nomination pool. Noticeably, there is a lack of nominations of historic Black women and other women of color. We understand that this is a serious issue in outreach, openly acknowledge this shortcoming and are taking the steps to proactively make the necessary changes.”
The virtual induction series will begin to shed light on diverse women who have been instrumental in achieving accomplishments that continue to uplift all women, officials said. The organization’s goal is to continue to host virtual inductions of diverse groups of women who deserve recognition including Latinx, Asian, Native American, LGBTQ+ women and more Black women.
The virtual event will feature speakers such as Angela Davis, an author, activist and scholar who was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2019 and will serve as NWHF inductee ambassador; Deborah Turner M.D., an OB-GYN who serves as president of the League of Women Voters and will take on the leader of ceremonies role; and Amanda Mena, a singer and America’s Got Talent semi-finalist as musical entertainment.
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