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Civil rights activist Frances Harriet Williams (1899-1992) was born in Danville, Kentucky and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. A sociology major and graduate of Mt. Holyoke College, Williams graduated in 1919. That same year she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and received a fellowship which enabled her to pursue a master’s degree at the New York School of Social Work. Following graduation in 1921, Williams began a long and productive career at the YWCA and played an active role within the NAACP. She later served in the administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. For additional information see the Biographical files of the Black Women Oral History Project: http://id.lib.harvard.edu/alma/990075988020203941/catalog

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From Doris Stevens Papers MC546-PD.40-2

Remembering the legacy of Ella “Fundi” Baker (1903-1986). Today marks the birthday of Ella Baker, a highly influential leader and unsung hero of the civil rights movement. She initially worked for the NAACP as a field secretary and directed the activities of several branch offices. In 1957 she helped launch Martin Luther King’s newly formed Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in Atlanta. Several years later, Baker became aware of growing student activism which used sit-ins to protest segregated practices in Mississippi. With her support and counsel, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was formed in 1960 and she continued to coordinate sit-ins to draw national attention to civil rights issues. Baker also helped SNCC organize the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party as an alternative to the state’s Democratic Party, whose concerted efforts suppressed the black vote. Ella Baker died on her 83rd birthday, but her civil rights legacy continues to inspire and inform new generations. This photograph, taken in 1980, is part of the Bettye Lane Photograph Collection. https://hollisarchives.lib.harvard.edu/repositories/8/…/5035

Remembering Marie Curie, physicist, chemist and Nobel Prize winner. In June of 1903 she successfully defended her doctoral thesis on radioactivity at the University of Sorbonne in Paris and became the first woman in France to earn doctoral degree. She remained a life-long advocate for equality in education.  This poster, which pays tribute to her achievements, is by Lucy Picco Simpson and is part of Schlesinger Library's Poster Collection. The finding aid is available online at Harvard University's OASIS website: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:RAD.SCHL:sch01208

Remembering Patricia Harris. Born May 31, 1924, Harris was a trailblazing lawyer and civil rights activist.  During the Johnson administration, she was the first African American women to serve as an ambassador to Luxembourg. In this 1965 group portrait Harris, seated on the far right, celebrates this accomplishment.  In 1969 she became the first African American woman to head the Howard University Law School and a decade later was the first to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under the Carter administration. For further information see the online finding aid for The Esther Peterson Papers: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:RAD.SCHL:sch00029

Remembering Fannie Lou Hamer, civil rights leader.  Born in Montgomery County, Mississippi on October 6, 1917, Fannie Lou Hamer dedicated her life to achieving voting rights.  In 1964 she helped form the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. This poster, which pays tribute to her achievements, is by Lucy Picco Simpson and is part of Schlesinger Library's Poster Collection. The finding aid is available online at Harvard University's OASIS website: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:RAD.SCHL:sch01208