March is Women’s History Month

By: Emily King 

March is Women’s History Month and Pittsburgh certainly has many memorable women to celebrate. Our city has a rich history of female history-makers, from pioneers in healthcare and education to innovators, artists, and local leaders. 

The history of Pittsburgh is often told through the lens of industry. Andrew Carnegie’s billowing steel mills, and Henry Clay Frick’s coke oven enterprise, and their subsequent philanthropy helped shaped Pittsburgh into the city it is today. And then there’s Henry John Heinz and his famous ketchup. 

But behind and in between these stories are women, whose influence and work helped shape our region in lasting ways. 

Take for example, biologist and writer, Rachel Carson. She saw the industrialization of Pittsburgh, and its resulting pollution and made it her life’s work to educate the public about the dangers of chemical pesticides. Her writing influenced the global environmental and conservation movement, and her legacy lives on in the work of the Rachel Carson Council.

Then there’s Daisy Elizabeth Adams Lampkin and her pivotal role in the women’s suffragette movement. Daisy established the first Red Cross chapter among black women, organized local chapters of the Urban League and NAACP, and moved up the ranks from writer to vice president of the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the leading black newspapers in the U.S. at the time. In 1924, Lampkin was the lone woman to meet with President Calvin Coolidge and other black leaders on racial equality. She is credited with organizing the NAACP’s 1931 National Convention in Pittsburgh and recruited Thurgood Marshall as a member of the NAACP’s Legal Defense Committee. Marshall would go on to lead the organization to win Brown vs. The Board of Education and become a Justice of the Supreme Court.

The first American woman film maker, Lois Weber, was born and raised in Pittsburgh. She did it all: writing, directing, acting, and editing. She owned her own production company in the early 1900’s and turned out many successful titles. Weber didn’t shy away from controversy and covered contemporary social issues in a lot of her films, like drugs, gender inequality, and wage gaps. 

During women’s history month, we have the opportunity to remember these amazing women for their noteworthy accomplishments. But it also can inspire us to look more closely at the present and the women continuing their legacy in our community today. We only have to look at the schools, businesses, nonprofits, and healthcare systems to see examples of women improving our community every day. You’ll find examples of powerful women in the pages of this issue of Northern Connection, like the General Federation of Women’s League of Butler and the important work they do in the community to support the arts, preserve natural resources, promote education and more. Or the story of Candie Gagne, a Navy veteran who turned a health crisis into a platform for educating others about kidney disease and organ transplants. 

Everywhere you look, there are stories of women doing the quiet work of improving their communities, country, and the world. Take the time to recognize the women in your life and the differences they are making in the community, whether they are CEO of a corporation or a mother doing her best to raise good humans. Happy Women’s History Month!