Dear Female Friends,
As you are probably aware, March is Women’s History Month, a time when we acknowledge, as much as possible, the contributions of Women (especially American women of any race or age, even if they have passed).
I know how ardently and consistently you favor and support the continuing increase in women’s equality and rights, and recognition in our Country (all ethnicities.)
Let’s Celebrate all Exceptional Women,
Thom Shelton,
MAAS Member since 1985
Milestone Birthdays 2024
Here may I bring some birthdays (especially milestones or ages ending 0 or 5) of ICONIC American women having milestone birthdays this year? I first mention those reaching milestones this year, but others will follow.
Did you know that on Monday, March 25, 2024, journalist and feminist activist Gloria Steinem turned 90? She was born in 1934.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama, who was born in 1964, turned 60 on January 17, 2024.
Oprah Winfrey, talk show host, media proprietor, philanthropist, and author, turned 70 on January 29, 2024. She was born in 1954.
On February 9, 2024, Alice Walker, who was born in 1944, turned 80. Alice is a Georgia writer and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for The Color Purple.
On Feb 19, 2024, Jennifer Doudna, co-winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of genome editing, turned 60 this year. She was born in 1964.
Born in 1934, on April 24, 2024, Shirley MacLaine will turn 90. Shirley is an award-winning actress (Oscar & Emmy), bestselling author, and women’s rights activist.
On June 22, 2024, the following superstar actress and Democratic Senator for Massachusetts, born in 1949, will turn 75 on the same day:
- Meryl Streep has been awarded three acting Oscars and record numbers of Oscar and Golden Globe acting nominations.
- Elizabeth Warren is a current US Senator and former law professor at two Ivy League law schools.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic and the third woman to serve on the Supreme Court will turn 70 on June 25, 2024. She was born in 1954.
Born in 1964, Vice President Kamala Harris, the first female US Vice President, will turn 60 on October 20, 2024.
First female Native American Federal Judge Diane Humetewa, who was born in 1964, will be 60 on December 5, 2024. She is a member of the Hopi tribe and an Appellate Court Judge for the Hopi Tribe. She’s also a former Deputy Attorney General for the US Department of Justice.
Singer Taylor Swift, born in 1989, will turn 35 on December 13, 2024.
AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, born in 1989, is a Democratic US Congresswoman and activist representing New York’s 14th district or the Bronx. AOC will turn 35 on October 13, 2024.
Jennifer Thompson, born in 1973, holds the female world record for the number of Olympic swimming medals, specifically Gold Medals. She will be 51 in 2024.
The most accomplished female tennis player in American history, Serena Williams, was born in 1981 and will turn 43 on September 26, 2024.
Born in 1950, Jody Williams became the second American female to be awarded The Nobel Peace Prize. Jody won the 1997 Prize for her involvement in an international campaign to ban landmines. She will be 74 on October 9, 2024.
Nancy Pelosi, born in 1940, was the first female speaker of the House of Representatives. She served eight years and led Democrats for at least two decades. She turned 83 on March 26, 2024.
Women of Georgia Who Have Passed
Rosalynn Carter (August 18, 1927– November 19, 2023) Roslyn was the former First Lady of both Georgia and the USA. She was also a trail-blazing mental health advocate and recipient of The Presidential Medal of Freedom. She would have been 97 in 2024.
Flannery Connor (March 25, 1925-August 3, 1964) was an iconic gothic fiction writer from middle Georgia. She would have been celebrating her 99th birthday in 2024.
Other American Women Who Have Passed Away
The “Queen of Rock n Roll” Tina Turner (November 26, 1939- May 24, 2023) would have been 85 in 2024.
Ruth B. Ginsburg (March 15, 1933- September 18, 2020) was the second female and first Jewish female Supreme Court Justice. She would have been 91 in 2024.
Aretha Franklin (March 25, 1842-August 16, 2018) was a singer, songwriter, and pianist known as “The Queen of Soul.” She would have been 82 in 2024.
First female Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor (March 26. 1930 – December 1, 2023). She would have been 94 in 2024.
Author, poet, essayist, and activist Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928-May 28, 2014) would have been 96 in 2024.
Nobel prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison (February 18, 1931-August 5, 2019) would have been 93 in 2024.
Singer Whitney Houston (August 9, 1963-February 11, 2012) would have been 61 in 2024.
Disability rights advocate, author, and political advocate Helen Keller (June 27, 1880–June 1, 1968) would have been 144 in 2024.
First American-born female Chinese American physician Margaret Chung (October 2, 1889-January 5, 1959). Margaret founded one of the first Western medical clinics in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the 1920s, and she lobbied for the creation of the WAVES, the US Naval Women’s Reserve. She would have been 135 in 2024.
Japanese American Yuri Kochiyama (May 19, 1921 – June 1, 2014) was a civil rights activist who advocated for Black, Latinx, Native American, and Asian American communities. Yuri and her husband pushed for reparations for Japanese Americans who had been incarcerated during WW II. A formal apology from the US Government led to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Yuri would have been 103 in 2024.
Japanese American Patsy Mink (December 6, 1927 – September 28, 2002) was an attorney and the first woman of color in Congress. She served in the House of Representatives for 24 years and suffered much gender discrimination. Patsy was coauthor and co-sponsor of the Title IX Law prohibiting gender discrimination and related discrimination in legislation. She also helped pass the Early Childhood Education Act and the Women’s Educational Equity Act. She would have been 97 in 2024.
Kalpana Chawla (March 17, 1962 – February 1, 2003) became a US Citizen and the first Indian-born woman to fly in space. She flew with the crew of the Columbia Space Shuttle in 1996. During her second Columbia mission in 2003, she and all fellow crew members died. Kalpana won the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, plus several posthumous awards from NASA. She would have been 62 in 2024.
Dr Sally Ride (May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012) had a PhD in physics and was the first female astronaut. Sally was the recipient of the NASA Space Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. After her death, it became known that she had a female partner. She would have been 62 in May of 2024.
Suffragists and Early Civil Rights Leaders
Bella Abzug, nicknamed “Battling Bella” (July 24, 1902-March 31, 1998) was a US Congresswoman for New York districts, feminist, activist, and leader in the Women’s rights movement. Bella would have been 104 in 2024.
Women’s suffragist Susan Anthony (February 15, 1820-March 13, 1906) was a social reformer who was committed to social equality. Susan would have been 204 in 2024.
Ida Wells (July 16, 1862- March 25, 1931) was an investigative journalist, educator, and one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Ida would have been 262 in 2024.
Suffragist, Nobel Peace Prize co-winner (1935), and social worker Jane Addams (September 6, 1860-May 21, 1935) founded the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom in 1919. Jane would have been 160 in 2024.
Dr Alice Paul (January 11, 1885-July 9, 1977) was a suffragist and founder of the National Woman’s Party. Alice would have been 129 in 2024.
Post Script
There is not enough space or time to include many other iconic American women. So, feel free to add any you can think of in the comment section.