Women’s History Month commemorates women’s groundbreaking contributions to society and culture. Listen to and share the stories of women who have loved hard, worked hard, and broken down barriers. Honor the everlasting impact they have made in their industries, families, communities, and more.
Let’s record more voices to build a more complete archive of women’s history in our country. We want to hear the stories and voices of the women in your life. Show your loved ones that their stories matter by connecting with them for a StoryCorps conversation and preserve their narratives for generations to come.You can record in person using the StoryCorps App, or remotely using StoryCorps Connect.
Trailblazers: Achieving the Extraordinary
Remembering The Mother of the Disability Rights Movement
Judith E. Heumann, known as the “Mother of the Disability Rights Movement,” who passed away at the age of 75 on March 4, 2023. Join us in honoring her legacy by listening to a conversation she recorded with her friend, April Coughlin, about the landmark legal case that would define her career. Read the full Transcript.
Turning to the Clouds
Wally Funk grew up wanting to fly, hoping to reach the ultimate destination: outer space. In 1961 she nearly got the chance. Read the full Transcript.
Remembering One Tough Veteran
Susan Ahn Cuddy was a loving mother, the first Asian American woman in the Navy, and the first woman gunnery officer teaching air combat tactics. Read the full transcript here.
Sign me up
Jeanine Menze became the first Black female pilot in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard. Two years later, La’Shanda Holmes followed in her footsteps. The two reflect on their extraordinary achievements. Read the full transcript here.
The Women behind the Men
As a kid growing up in the late 1950s, Sandra Bears and Martha High decided they wanted to start a singing group. The girls started performing out across the country, and they eventually were invited to a one week show for up and coming artists at the Apollo Theater. Every night they got a standing ovation, but one special night changed the course of their lives. Sandra and Martha came to StoryCorps in 2022, to look back on that time, their life choices, and their lasting friendship. Read the full transcript here.
Nurturing a Generation
A Mother And Son Remember “Grandma Chief”
To the world, Wilma Mankiller was the first woman to lead the Cherokee Nation, but to her family, she was the supportive mother and grandmother who knew how to have a great time. Wilma’s daughter Gina Olaya and grandson Kellen Quinton came to StoryCorps to remember her as the trailblazer who inspired women everywhere, as well as the fun-loving grandmother who celebrated the little wins with her family. Read the full transcript.
“You Are Seriously Fearless.”
After an unexpected event took place, Menaja Obinali became blind, changing the course of her life. While this posed many new challenges for her, she persisted and eventually became a fierce role model to her niece, Jarie Bradley. Menaja and Jarie came to StoryCorps to reflect on their time together and talked about the life lessons they imparted on each other. Read the full transcript.
Mama Sug
Affectionately known as “Sug,” Cora Lee Collins captured the hearts of all. At StoryCorps, Sug’s daughter and granddaughter, Penelope Simmons and Suzanne Wayne, come together to reminisce about the wild, fun, and loving household Penelope grew up in and the endearing qualities that made her Mama Sug so cherished by everyone. Read the full transcript.
Lola’s Work
To Crescenciana Tan, family meant everything. A hardworking woman, she worked in rice fields and as a servant, survived the Japanese Occupation, and left school to make money for her family. After years of labor in the Philippines, she came to California to help raise her grandkids, who called her Lola. Read the full transcript.
Leading by Example
Untangling the Code
By the time Hadiyah-Nicole Green was 4 years old, she had lost her mother and her grandparents. Hadiyah-Nicole and her brothers went to live with her Auntie Ora Lee Smith and Uncle Gen Lee in St Louis, Missouri. When she was in her early 20s, both Hadiyah-Nicole’s aunt and uncle were diagnosed with different forms of cancer. At 22 years old, she became the primary caregiver to the couple that had raised her. She came to StoryCorps with her cousin, Tenika Floyd, to reflect on her aunt and uncle, and the impact that their lives had on her. Read the full transcript.
A Passion to Help Others
Angelina McCall graduated from nursing school at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. After leaving her first nursing job at a Tucson emergency room, she began to question if she was cut out for the profession. At StoryCorps, Angelina shares a decision that reconnected her with her passion to help. Read the full transcript.
Brick by Brick
Barbara Moore was only 21 years old when she became the first woman to join her local bricklayers union. At StoryCorps, she told her daughter how she first got into the trade. Read the full transcript.
Providing Life-Saving aid at the border
Maria Ochoa is a 70-year-old grandmother who has walked the Arizona desert well over 100 times providing water and aid to migrants who have crossed the border from Mexico. She came to StoryCorps in Tucson with her friend and fellow volunteer, Alma Schlor, to share her connection to the work. Read the full transcript.
An Electric Career
In 1991, Monica Harwell became the first woman to climb electric utility poles for ConEdison in New York. As a line constructor, her job was to install power lines dozens of feet in the air. At StoryCorps, Monica tells her daughter, Andrea Cleveland—who now also works for ConEdison—that many of them never thought she’d make it. Read the full transcript.
Two Army Nurses Reflect On Serving At The Front Lines
Army veterans Diane Evans and Edie Meeks arrived in Plaiku, Vietnam on the same day in February of 1969. Both were from Minnesota, and they built an almost instant friendship. And they were “hooch” neighbors, so bunked right next to each other. They came to StoryCorps to share their story of service. Read the full transcript.
Threads of Heritage
The Door she Opened
In 2018, at the age of 63, Dee Westenhauser came out as a transgender woman. But growing up in El Paso, Texas in the 1950s she remembers having a hard time fitting in. One weekend, her parents decided to take her to her aunt Yaya’s house. Aunt Yaya saw a kindred spirit in Dee, and gave her an opportunity that no one else would: a safe, loving space to be herself. Read the full transcript.
A Teen Asks Her Mom: ‘When Can I Wear The Hijab?’
Dana Aljubouri, a devout Muslim living in Jacksonville, FL, is eager to don the hijab. However, her mother, Basma Alawee, worries about the experiences this decision to cover her hair might bring. At StoryCorps, Dana and Basma sit down to discuss the responsibilities that come with a hijab. Read the full transcript.
Remembering Shoshone Elder Lillian Pabawena Pubigee
Gwen Timbimboo Davis tells her daughter, Heather Timbimboo Jorgensen, about visiting the Shoshone Reservation as a kid, and remembers her grandmother, Lillian. Read the full transcript.
Two Alaska Native Women Make Their Mark
In 2016, Grete Bergman decided to embrace a tradition that was once a banned practice for indigenous women–she received facial markings from her friend Sarah Whalen-Lunn. Initially, Grete intended to set an example for her seven-year-old daughter. However, she inspired Sarah, along with many other indigenous women. Grete and Sarah came to StoryCorps to discuss how that decision to embrace Gwich’in traditions changed both of their lives. Read the full transcript.
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