Molly Brown, activist and philanthropist
July 18, 1867-October 26, 1932
The Heroine of the Titanic by Joan W. Blos, illustrated by Tennessee Dixon (HarperCollins, 1991)
A survivor of the Titanic, Brown was responsible for saving many lives during the disaster as well as spearheading a fund to raise money for surviving passengers who needed assistance after the tragedy.
Denver’s Historic Molly Brown House has a website devoted to “accurately portray the story of Margaret Tobin Brown.” There are lots of great things to explore in the Just for Kids section.
Helen Keller, writer and activist
June 27, 1880-June 1, 1968
A Picture Book of Helen Keller by David A. Adler, illustrated by John Wallner and Alexandra Wallner (Holiday House, 1990)
While the childhood of Keller, who was born with visual and hearing impairments is the focus of this biography, her accomplishments as an adult are also highlighted.
From the American Foundation for the Blind, The Helen Keller Kids Museum Online offers a biography of Keller.
by Anne on April 10, 2009
Dolores Huerta, activist
Apr. 10, 1930-
Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy (Charlesbridge, 2005)
Co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association with Ceasar Chavez and a leader in the historic grape boycott, Huerta continues to play a pivotal role in worker rights.
Read more about Huerta at the Dolores Huerta Foundation web site.
by Anne on December 13, 2008
Ella Josephine Baker, civil rights worker
Dec. 13, 1903-Dec. 13, 1986
Women of Hope: African Americans Who Made a Difference by Joyce Hansen (Scholastic, 1998)
Baker, a civil rights worker was active in the NAACP and helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Read a biography of Baker at the North Carolina State University site.
Emily Carr, artist
Dec. 13, 1871-Mar. 2, 1945
Emily Carr: At the Edge of the World by Jo Ellen Bogart, illustrated by Maxwell Newhouse (Tundra Books, 2003)
A Canadian artist whose work focused mostly on the Native peoples of the Northwest is featured in this book about her life. From her childhood through her later years, Carr’s incredible work is reproduced alongside the narrative.
See Emily Carr at home and at work at a website devoted to her.
by Anne on November 12, 2008
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, social activist
Nov. 12, 1815-Oct. 26, 1902
Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote by Tanya Lee Stone illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon (Henry Holt & Company, 2008)
As a child, Elizabeth Cady wanted to do “anything any boy could.” And she did. As an adult, Stanton and others proposed women should have the vote. Millions of women took up the cause, and eighteen years after her death, Stanton’s dream became law.
Find the papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony at the Rutgers site dedicated to findings and publishing their work.
