womenwonder: Amy Poehler

“As you navigate through the rest of your life, 

be open to collaboration. 

Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, 

spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”

Amy Poehler

Besides being a phenom in the entertainment world, she is a passionate and leader in empowering women and girls, and spearheading and supporting many social and political causes.  She is a serious womanwonder.

As much is known of her contributions to TV and film, I have featured her social and political achievements here: 

Amy Meredith Poehler  is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and director. 

In September 2008, Poehler and Meredith Walker and Amy Miles. founded Smart Girls at the Party, an online community and digital web series aimed at empowering girls.^[6][130] The first season premiered online on November 17, 2008, with Mattel's Barbie signed on as the lead sponsor.^[131] Smart Girls at the Party returned in 2012 as part of the YouTube Original Channel Initiative that focused upon the creation of new content. The new Smart Girls at the Party YouTube Channel went live on July 2, 2012, including new episodes of the series along with additional shows by Poehler, Walker and Miles.^[132]

Four years after the launch of Smart Girls at the Party, digital network company Legendary Entertainment acquired ownership of the project. Poehler said in a statement, "We at Smart Girls are excited to be working with Legendary and look forward to providing funny and inspirational content for all of the goofballs out there."^[133] By the time of the deal, over five million views were registered on its YouTube channel and over 550,000 fans had liked the initiative on Facebook.^[133] On the Smart Girls YouTube channel, viewers have the opportunity to ask for life advice from Poehler in segments called Ask Amy.^[134] Smart Girls celebrated its 10th Anniversary in 2018.^[135]

Poehler has also publicly championed a number of social and political causes.^[5] In 2012, she collaborated with the National Domestic Workers Alliance to film a public service announcement (PSA) to draw attention to the proposed California Domestic Worker Bill of Rights.^[136][137] The law, providing overtime pay to domestic workers, was signed into law the following year.^[138] Poehler also supported One Fair Wage, a campaign to require New York businesses to pay tipped workers the general minimum wage.^[139] Poehler has served as a celebrity ambassador for Worldwide Orphans Foundation, traveling to Haiti in 2013.^[5] The following year, Poehler joined Michelle Obama in Miami to celebrate the four year anniversary of her Let's Move! youth health initiative.^[140]

Poehler's memoir, Yes Please, was published on October 28, 2014.^[141] She explained in a promotional interview with National Public Radio (NPR) that she was "used to writing in characters and not really writing about myself ... it was easier to share the early parts of my life rather than my own current events." Topics covered in the book include body image, parenthood, and learning about the limitations of physical appearance.^[142] The book debuted at number one on The New York Times Best-Seller list.^[2]

In 2011, Poehler was included on Time's "100 most influential people in the world".^[143] She also delivered the Class Day address to Harvard University's class of 2011.^[144] The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited Poehler to become a member as part of its 2017 class.^[145]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Poehler

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womenwonder: Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett GBE

On August 18, 1920 the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified here the United States, giving women the right to vote, to add their opinion, voice and wisdom to our country's democratic process.  There were many brave women here and in Britain that fought for this right and as it is the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote and the year of a most crucial presidential election I intend to highlight many of these #womenwonders this month.  

"Courage calls to courage everywhere, and

 its voice cannot be denied."

Millicent Fawcett

As the United States entered World War I in 1917, the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) encouraged its supporters to join in the war effort. The organization argued women deserved the vote because they were patriots, caregivers, and mothers. Women’s expertise in maintaining the home and family would improve politics and society.

The Nineteenth Amendment states: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” Congress passed the amendment in June 1919. The NAWSA and NWP suffragists lobbied local and state representatives to ensure its subsequent ratification by the states.

After the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment on August 18, 1920, female activists continued to use politics to reform society. NAWSA became the League of Women Voters.

http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment

Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett GBE** (11 June 1847 – 5 August 1929) was an English political leader, activist, writer and feminist icon. Known as a campaigner for women's suffrage via legislative change, from 1897 until 1919 she led Britain's largest women's rights organisation, the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).[1] She would write: "I cannot say I became a suffragist. I always was one, from the time I was old enough to think at all about the principles of Representative Government."[2] Fawcett also tried to improve women's chances of higher education, serving as a governor of Bedford College, London (now Royal Holloway), and a co-founder of Newnham College, Cambridge, in 1875.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millicent_Fawcett

** The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service

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woman wonder: Elizabeth Blackwell

Elizabeth Blackwell:

Pioneer in medical and feminist history.

First woman in American to earn her medical degree.

Born near Bristol, England on February 3, 1821, Blackwell was the third of nine children of Hannah Lane and Samuel Blackwell, a sugar refiner, Quaker, and anti-slavery activist. Blackwell’s famous relatives included brother Henry, a well-known abolitionist and women’s suffrage supporter who married women’s rights activist Lucy Stone; Emily Blackwell, who followed her sister into medicine; and sister-in-law Antoinette Brown Blackwell, the first ordained female minister in a mainstream Protestant denomination. 

In 1832, the Blackwell family moved to America, settling in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1838, Samuel Blackwell died, leaving the family penniless during a national financial crisis. Elizabeth, her mother, and two older sisters worked in the predominantly female profession of teaching. 

Blackwell was inspired to pursue medicine by a dying friend who said her ordeal would have been better had she had a female physician. Most male physicians trained as apprentices to experienced doctors; there were few medical colleges and none that accepted women, though a few women also apprenticed and became unlicensed physicians. 

While teaching, Blackwell boarded with the families of two southern physicians who mentored her. In 1847, she returned to Philadelphia, hoping that Quaker friends could assist her entrance into medical school. Rejected everywhere she applied, she was ultimately admitted to Geneva College in rural New York, however, her acceptance letter was intended as a practical joke. 

Blackwell faced discrimination and obstacles in college: professors forced her to sit separately at lectures and often excluded her from labs; local townspeople shunned her as a “bad” woman for defying her gender role. Blackwell eventually earned the respect of professors and classmates, graduating first in her class in 1849. She continued her training at London and Paris hospitals, though doctors there relegated her to midwifery or nursing.  She began to emphasize preventative care and personal hygiene, recognizing that male doctors often caused epidemics by failing to wash their hands between patients.

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/elizabeth-blackwell

“It is not easy to be a pioneer - but oh, 

it is fascinating! 

I would not trade one moment, 

even the worst moment, 

for all the riches in the world.”

Elizabeth Blackwell

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May this dress remind us of our inner guts and grit ... from woman wonder: Nellie Bly

Nellie Bly:

American journalist, daredevil, feminist, trailblazer, pioneer in the field of investigative journalism. Made a record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days. 

Pen name of Elizabeth Cochran Seaman

A definite #womenwonder 

26/100

Nellie Bly was the pen name of pioneer female journalist Elizabeth Jane Cochran. She remains notable for two feats: a record-breaking trip around the world in emulation of Jules Verne's character Phileas Fogg (Bly completed the trip in seventy-two days), and an exposé in which she faked insanity to study a mental institution from within. In addition to her writing, she was also an industrialist and charity worker. Bly died of pneumonia at St. Mark's Hospital in New York City in 1922 aged 57. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4372012.Nellie_Bly

Elizabeth Cochran Seaman[1] (May 5, 1864[2] – January 27, 1922), better known by her pen name, Nellie Bly, was an American journalist. She was a pioneer in her field and launched a new kind of investigative journalism.[4] Bly was also a writer, inventor, and industrialist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_Bly

“I said I could and I would. And I did.” 

Nellie Bly, Ten Days in a Mad-House

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May this dress remind us of our inner strength ... from woman wonder: Mary McCarthy

Mary McCarthy:

American novelist, satirist, critic, political activist, teacher and literary exectutor of the works of her close friend, Hannah Arendt.
A graduate of Vassar College, she was a vibrant member of intellectual New York City.  Counted as part of the Partisan Review circle and as a contributor to The Nation, The New Republic, Harper's Magazine, and The New York Review of Books, McCarthy honed her reputation as a shrewd critic.

An award winning author, penning essays, articles and fiction, McCarthy is best known for her novel, 'TheGroup'. "Written with a trenchant, sardonic edge, The Group is a dazzlingly outspoken novel and a captivating look at the social history of America between two world wars." says Amazon.

Published in 1963 'The Group', it made it onto the New York Times Best Sellers List the same year and remained there for nearly two years, even though it came under much criticism for the topics that the characters dealt with and discussed.  McCarthy's talent as a writer also came under attack, "Norman Mailer, a man whose own writing did not shy away from graphic depictions of the sexual act, dismissed The Group in the New York Review of Books as "a trivial lady writer's novel"
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/nov/29/the-group-mary-mccarthy

"The Group" tells the stories of 8 women who graduate from Vassar College in 1933 and how this group of intellectual women deal with the still limiting roles of women.  "the Group" has influenced generations of women since it's publication (myself included). It has also influenced many women writers as shown below:

Its continuing relevance is one of the book's most extraordinary attributes. When Candace Bushnell was advised by an editor in the early 1990s to write "the modern-day version of The Group", she responded with Sex and the City, a collection of confessional essays about a group of female friends that spawned a multimillion-dollar TV series and film. "The Group reminds us that not much has really changed," writes Bushnell in the foreword to the new edition. "It's a book I prize, not only for its blistering satire, but for its technical elements, including McCarthy's brilliant use of the soliloquy, her pacing and razor-sharp descriptions."
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/nov/29/the-group-mary-mccarthy

I would recommend reading "The Group" if you can, or read anything by this woman wonder: Mary McCarthy

“We are the hero of our own story.” Mary McCarthy

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May this dress remind us to go on living ... from woman wonder: Hannah Arendt

Hannah Arendt:

Forefront political philosopher of the 20th century.  Born in Germany in 1906, she was an early critic of the rising Nazi party.  When Hilter took power  and she was imprisoned by the Gestapo for 8 days Arendt knew she had to leave her homeland.  First she settled in Paris where she helped young Jews emigrate to Palestine.  But when Germay invaded France Arendt again had to flee and she eventually landed in New York City, arriving May 22, 1941.
 
Once in the US the need to learn English was paramount, so Arendt spent 2 months in Winchester, MA with an Ameican family through the program, Self-Help for Refugees.

Portrait of Hannah Arendt with Mary McCarthy

When she returned to New York, Arendt resumed her writing, her political and social activism and eventually teaching. During her teaching career she consistantly declined tenure positions to guard her independence.  In 1950 Arendt became a US citizen.

Much of her work addressed totalitarianism, allure of power and evil, direct democracy, andauthority. She is famous for her phrase, "the banality of evil" which she introduced while reporting on Adolf Eichmann's trial for The New Yorker.  She is recognized as one of the all time great political thinkers and philosophers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Arendt


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May this dress remind us to care for our small and fragile planet ... happy earth day!

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova 

(born 6 March 1937) is a retired Soviet cosmonaut, engineer, and current member of the Russian State Duma. She is the first woman to have flown in space with a solo mission on the Vostok 6 on 16 June 1963. Tereshkova also became the first civilian to fly in space as she was only honorarily inducted into the Soviet Air Force in order to join the Cosmonaut Corps.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentina_Tereshkova

Once you've been in space, 

you appreciate how small and fragile 

the Earth is. 

Valentina Tereshkova

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Today let us celebrate new beginnings .... Happy Easter

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Mary Shelley (née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, often known as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley) was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, travel writer, and editor of the works of her husband, Romantic poet, and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. She was the daughter of the political philosopher William Godwin and the writer, philosopher, and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11139.Mary_Wollstonecraft_Shelley

“The beginning is always today.” 

Mary Shelley

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May this dress give us the courage to change what we can not accept ...

a short bio and link to read more about:

Angela Yvonne Davis: 

American communist, political activist, academic, and writer who advocates for the oppressed

Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944)  emerged as a prominent counterculture activist in the 1960s working with the Communist Party USA, of which she was a member until 1991, and was briefly involved in the Black Panther Party during the Civil Rights Movement.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Davis

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. 

I am changing the things I cannot accept.” 

Angela Y. Davis

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May this dress remind us not to worry ....

a short bio and link to read more about:

Corrie ten Boom: Writer, watchmaker, shero*, lifesaver

Cornelia Arnolda Johanna "Corrie" ten Boom (15 April 1892 – 15 April 1983) was a Dutch watchmaker and later a writer who worked with her father Casper ten Boom, her sister Betsie ten Boom and other family members to help many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War IIby hiding them in her home. They were caught and she was arrested and sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp. Her most famous book, The Hiding Place, is a biography that recounts the story of her family's efforts and how ten Boom found hope while imprisoned at the concentration camp.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrie_ten_Boom

*shero: a woman regarded as a herohttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shero

Worry does not empty 

tomorrow of its sorrow. 

It empties today of its strength. 

Corrie Ten Boom

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May this dress encourage us to do that which hasn't been done!

Today, two of my world's are colliding; 

my #femininewordsofwisdom and my #100dayproject.

 In the world of social media, starting in April there is a 'challenge' called the #100dayproject. It is open to anyone who wants to participate, and all one needs to do is to set a project for themselves to do for 100 days straight and then do it.  Part of the challenge is posting each day's creation on social media, creating accountability. 

The array of #100dayprojects is spectacular and inspiring.  One year I did #100daysofvirginiacreates and this year I had planned to present 100 days of patterns, however, 

today that changes. 

In March, on this blog,  I featured quotes by women, #femininewordsofwisdom, in honor of  Women's History Month, during which I found so many wonderful quotes and interesting women that I planned to continue.  

I feel very strongly that works and words of and by women need to be celebrated and shared.  As anyone who follows this blog knows, I am a quote-junkie. I am constantly on the lookout for quotes; unique quotes, new quotes, profound quotes, and different quotes. 

 I have also accrued a healthy collection of books of quotes.  And as I venture through these landscapes of quotes I am painfully aware of the dearth of quotes by women.  This trend is changing in the past few years but there is a lot more work that needs to be done.  

So I am changing my #100dayproject to #100daysofwomenwonders where I will share women's quotes, achievements, and accomplishments, with a variety of artistic additions - be it a dress?!? an illustration?!? a pattern or two or maybe a hand-lettered quote, 

time will tell.  

And as I have been doing with the past #femininewordsofwisdom posts, I plan to put at least one or two links to biographical information about the day's featured woman.  

So I am following the advice of Toni Morrison and creating a 'book' (blog) full of the women wonders, celebrating the well-known women and the not so well known women.  It is a book that I wish I had read when I was a little girl and one that I want my daughters to be able to read.

So let the fun begin ...

below is a short bio and links to read more:

Toni Morrison

Morrison grew up in the American Midwest in a family that possessed an intense love of and appreciation for black culture. Storytelling, songs, and folktales were a deeply formative part of her childhood. She attended Howard University (B.A., 1953) and Cornell University (M.A., 1955). After teaching at Texas Southern University for two years, she taught at Howard from 1957 to 1964. In 1965 Morrison became a fiction editor at Random House, where she worked for a number of years. In 1984 she began teaching writing at the State University of New York at Albany, which she left in 1989 to join the faculty of Princeton University; she retired in 2006.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Toni-Morrison

If there is a book that you want to read, 

but it hasn't been written yet, 

you must be the one to write it. 

Toni Morrison

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May this dress remind us of our common sense ...

below is a short bio and link to read more:

Coretta Scott King

Coretta Scott King was one of the most influential women leaders in our world. Prepared by her family, education, and personality for a life committed to social justice and peace, she entered the world stage in 1955 as wife of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and as a leading participant in the American Civil Rights Movement. Her remarkable partnership with Dr. King resulted not only in four children, who became dedicated to carrying forward their parent’s work, but also in a life devoted to the highest values of human dignity in service to social change. Mrs. King traveled throughout the world speaking out on behalf of racial and economic justice, women’s and children’s rights, gay and lesbian dignity, religious freedom, the needs of the poor and homeless, full-employment, health care, educational opportunities, nuclear disarmament and environmental justice. She lent her support to pro-democracy movements world-wide and consulted with many world leaders, including Corazon Aquino, Kenneth Kaunda, and Nelson Mandela.

http://thekingcenter.org/about-mrs-king/

The failure to invest in youth reflects a lack of compassion and 

a colossal failure of common sense. 

Coretta Scott King

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May this dress remind us of our super powers!!!

below is a short bio and links to read more:
Merle Dandridge
Merle Dandridge (born May 31, 1975)^[1] is an Japanese-born American actress and singer who performed in a number of stage productions, including Broadway musicals Jesus Christ Superstar, Spamalot, and Rent. She is widely known for her role as Alyx Vance in Half-Life 2. Dandridge is also known for her recurring role on television series such as Sons of Anarchy and The Night Shift. In 2016, she began starring as Grace Greenleaf in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series, Greenleaf. She played Papa Ge in the 2017 revival of Once on this Island, until January 8, 2018, so she could shoot her television show Greenleaf.^[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merle_Dandridge

As women, we have super powers. 

We are sisters. 

We are healers. We are mothers. 

We are goddess warriors. 

Merle Dandridge

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may this dress remind us to be brilliant

below is a short bio and links to read more:

Marianne Williamson

Marianne Williamson is an internationally acclaimed lecturer, activist and author of four #1 New York times bestselling books. She has been one of America’s most well known public voices for more than three decades. Seven of her twelve published books have been New York Times best sellers and Marianne has been a popular guest on television programs such as Oprah, Good Morning America, and Bill Maher. A quote from the mega best seller A Return to Love, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…” is considered an anthem for a contemporary generation of seekers.

Marianne is a native of Houston, Texas. In 1989, she founded Project Angel Food, a meals-on-wheels program that serves homebound people with AIDS in the Los Angeles area. To date, Project Angel Food has served over 11 million meals. Marianne also co-founded the Peace Alliance.

https://marianne.com

and she is running for president, adding meaning and spiritual dialogue to the political rhetoric.

Marianne Williamson adds ‘meaning’ to Democratic presidential field with quixotic ‘inner’ campaign; her rivals are noticing

By Douglas Perry | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Williamson is a thoughtful and engaging speaker -- and she’s offering an overarching message that many Americans seem eager to embrace.

“We need a moral and spiritual awakening in this country,” the 66-year-old Texas native told The Oregonian. “That’s how we change our political dysfunction. It’s not about going to the left or to the right. It’s about going higher.”

“The crisis we’re facing,” she added, “is a crisis of meaning.”

https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2019/03/marianne-williamson-adds-meaning-to-democratic-presidential-field-with-quixotic-inner-campaign-her-rivals-are-noticing.html

Marianne Deborah Williamson (born July 8, 1952)^[1] is an American spiritual teacher, author, lecturer, entrepreneur, and activist. She has written 13 books,^[2] including four New York Times number one bestsellers.^[3] She is the founder of Project Angel Food, a volunteer food delivery program that serves home-bound people with AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses.^[4] She is also the co-founder of The Peace Alliance, a nonprofit grassroots education and advocacy organization supporting peace-building projects.^[5]

In 2014, as an Independent, Williamson ran unsuccessfully for the seat of California's 33rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives elections in California. On January 29, 2019, she announced her campaign to seek the Democratic nomination for the 2020 United States presidential election.^[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne_Williamson

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” 

― Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles"

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may this dress remind us to own our lives! our imagination, our creativity and our curiosity!!

below is a short bio and links to read more:
Dr. Mae Jemison

Mae Carol Jemison (born October 17, 1956) is an American engineer, physician and NASA astronaut. She became the first black woman to travel in space when she served as an astronaut aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. After graduating medical school and a brief general practice, Jemison served in the Peace Corps from 1985 until 1987. In 1987 her application to become an astronaut was accepted by NASA and on September 12, 1992 she was a mission specialist aboard STS-47. In 1993 she resigned from NASA and founded a company researching the application of technology to daily life. She has appeared on television several times, including as an actress in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She is a dancer and holds nine honorary doctorates in science, engineering, letters, and the humanities. She is the current principal of the 100 Year Starship organization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_Jemison

First African-American Woman Astronaut

On June 4, 1987, Mae C. Jemison became the first African-American woman to be admitted into the NASA astronaut training program. After more than a year of training, she became the first African-American woman astronaut, earning the title of science mission specialist — a job that would make her responsible for conducting crew-related scientific experiments on the space shuttle.

When Jemison finally flew into space on September 12, 1992, with six other astronauts aboard the Endeavour on mission STS47, she became the first African-American woman in space. 

During her eight days in space, Jemison conducted experiments on weightlessness and motion sickness on the crew and herself. In all, she spent more than 190 hours in space before returning to Earth on September 20, 1992. Following her historic flight, Jemison noted that society should recognize how much both women and members of other minority groups can contribute if given the opportunity.

https://www.biography.com/people/mae-c-jemison-9542378

Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination,
 your creativity, or your curiosity. 

It's your place in the world; it's your life.

Dr. Mae Jemison, engineer, physician, and NASA astronaut

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may this dress remind us to stand tall and live our lives ...

below is a short bio and links to read more:
bell hooks, a.k.a. Gloria Jean Watkins

Gloria Jean Watkins (born September 25, 1952), better known by her pen name bell hooks,^[1] is an American author, professor, feminist, and social activist. The name "bell hooks" is borrowed from her maternal great-grandmother, Bell Blair Hooks.^[2]

The focus of hooks' writing has been the intersectionality of race, capitalism, and gender, and what she describes as their ability to produce and perpetuate systems of oppression and class domination. She has published over 30 books and numerous scholarly articles, appeared in documentary films, and participated in public lectures. She has addressed race, class, and gender in education, art, history, sexuality, mass media, and feminism.^[3] In 2014, she founded the bell hooks Institute at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky.^[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_hooks

Born: September 25, 1952 
Hopkinsville, Kentucky 
African American activist, educator, and writer

Writer, professor, and social critic, bell hooks is undeniably one of the most successful "cross-over" academics of the late twentieth century. Her books look at the function of race and gender in today's culture.

https://www.notablebiographies.com/He-Ho/Hooks-Bell.html#ixzz5jPhANR7D

the life and work of acclaimed intellectual, feminist theorist, cultural critic, artist, and writer bell hooks. The Institute strives to promote the cause of ending domination through understanding the ways systems of exploitation and oppression intersect through critical thinking, teaching, events, and conversation. 
http://www.bellhooksinstitute.com

I will not have my life narrowed down. 

I will not bow down to somebody else's whim or 

to someone else's ignorance.

bell hooks, American author and activist

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