Timeline: 1901-1950

Image description: A black-and-white photo of Lorraine Hansberry holding a pencil with her right hand and using her left to lean on a desk.

Lorraine Hansberry

Lorraine Hansberry's first Broadway play, A Raisin in the Sun, changed how Black people's lives were shown in American theater.
Image description: A black-and-white photo of Margaret H’Doubler standing next to a model of the human skeleton and raising her right arm.

Margaret H’Doubler

Margaret H’Doubler, “founder of American college dance,” created a dance major — the first in the U.S. — at the University of Wisconsin in 1926.
Image description: A black-and-white photo of Frances Hamerstrom holding her arm out for a raptor with its wings spread.

Frances Hamerstrom

Frances Hamerstrom, an ornithologist who helped save the prairie chicken population in Wisconsin, was the first woman in the U.S. to earn a master’s degree in wildlife management.
Image description: A portrait-style photo of Ruth Gruber sitting on a chair.

Ruth Gruber

Ruth Gruber was a journalist and humanitarian known for her work documenting the lives of refugees.
Image description: A black-and-white cameo-style photo of Zona Gale.

Zona Gale

In 1921, author and playwright Zona Gale became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, for the play MISS LULU BETT.
Image description: A black-and-white photo of Vernice Gallimore sitting with her fellow police officers.

Vernice Gallimore

Vernice Gallimore became Milwaukee's first African American policewoman in 1946.
Image description: A black-and-white photo of Angna Enters holding a framed piece of art.

Angna Enters

Angna Enters was a renowned dancer, who produced over 200 mime compositions.
Image description: A black-and-white headshot of Margaret Danhauser Brown.

Margaret Danhauser Brown

Margaret "Marnie" Danhauser Brown played first base for the Racine Belles in the All-American Professional Girls Baseball League.
Image description: A black-and-white headshot of Clara Bewick Colby.

Clara Bewick Colby

Clara Bewick Colby, a prominent suffragist, orator, and journalist, started a newspaper called the WOMAN’S TRIBUNE.
Image description: A black-and-white headshot of Ardie Clark Halyard.

Ardie Clark Halyard

Ardie Clark Halyard co-founded the first African American-owned savings and loan association (S&L) and was the first woman president of the Milwaukee NAACP chapter.