Women Making a Difference
Chipeta (1843 – 1924)
Indian Rights Advocate and Diplomat
Chipeta or White Singing Bird, was a Native American woman, and the second wife of Chief Ouray of the Uncompahgre Ute tribe. Born a Kiowa Apache, she was raised by the Utes in what is now Conejos, Colorado. Advisor and confidant of her husband, Chipeta continued as a leader of her people after his death in 1880. Chipeta was a peacemaker who did not consider all settlers to be the enemy, often giving food to starving white families. Chipeta lived 45 years on a reservation in Utah, lauded as a wise elder and advisor to other Indian chiefs and an honored guest in the homes of settler families.
Anna Julia Haywood Cooper (1858 – 1964), African American Educator and Author
Anna Julia Haywood Cooper was an American author, educator, speaker and one of the most prominent African-American scholars in United States history.
Upon receiving her PhD in history from the University of Paris-Sorbonne in 1924, Cooper became the fourth African-American woman to earn a doctoral degree. She was also a prominent member of Washington, D.C.’s African-American community. Born into slavery, she wrote “A Voice from the South,” widely considered one of the first articulations of Black feminism. Throughout her long life, Anna worked for the betterment of African American women’s lives, which she saw as the foundation for a more just society for everyone. Cooper worked at Washington D.C.’s M Street — now Dunham High School for nearly 40 years, focusing the all black high school on preparing students for higher education, successfully sending many students to prestigious universities.
Carmen Delgado Votaw (1935 – Present)
International Women’s Rights Activist
Born in Puerto Rico, Carmen Delgado Votaw is a national and international leader in the field of civil rights, particularly promoting equal opportunities for Hispanics and women. Her commitment to the advancement of women in America, especially minority women, compliments her contributions in the field of international cooperation and promoting opportunities for women around the world. She has worked for over 50 years for the betterment of women, children, Latinos, and other minorities throughout the world. In 1996, she wrote “Puerto Rican Women,” a bilingual women’s history book. She received the Veteran Feminists of America Medal of Honor in 1999.
Jaida Im (1961- Present)
Advocate for Survivors of Human Trafficking
Jaida is the Founder and Executive Director of Freedom House,
the first shelter in Northern California for adult female survivors
of human trafficking.
A visionary and inspiration in the fight against modern day slavery, Jaida is making a difference, one life at a time.. Im left her 20-year career as a health care professional to found the non-profit organization. Under her direction, the program offers holistic case management, counseling, educational resources, and job training for victims of abduction and enslavement. In fall 2013, Freedom House opened The Nest to serve girls ages 12-17. This new shelter provides a space to help girls to recapture their interrupted youth in a loving family setting.
Agatha Tiegel Hanson (1873 – 1959)
Educator, Author, and Advocate for Deaf Community
Agatha Tiegel Hanson was the first deaf woman to graduate with a four year degree Bachelor of Arts on Presentation Day at Gallaudet College (now University) in 1893. She was Valedictorian and
delivered her address, “The Intellect of Women” at the graduation commencement.
Agatha was born in Pittsburgh, PA on September 14, 1878. She became deaf due to spinal meningitis and at the same time, she had blindness with one eye at the age of 7.
After she had private school and private tutoring, she attended Western Pennsylvania Institute for the Deaf and Dumb (now Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf) at the age of 13 in 1886. At the age of 15, she was admitted to the Prep School, Gallaudet College in 1888. During her college years, she founded O.W.L.S. (now Phi Kappa Zeta) and became a first president of this sorority.
Until her graduation in 1893, she was only one woman in her graduate class as senior.
