Timeline: 1951-Present

Image description: A headshot of April Ulring Larson.

April Ulring Larson

Elected by the La Crosse Area Synod in 1992, Rev. April Ulring Larson became the first female Lutheran bishop in North America and the second in the world.
Image description: A headshot of Hellen Kort.

Ellen Kort

Ellen Kort was Wisconsin’s first poet laureate.
A photo of bell hooks speaking into a microphone.

bell hooks

Best known for her work on gender, race, and class, University of Wisconsin graduate bell hooks was a prolific writer, speaker, and scholar.
Image description: A black-and-white headshot of Anita Herrera.

Anita Herrera

Anita Herrera grew up in a family of migrant farm workers and devoted her career to improving education, employment, and living conditions for People of Color in Wisconsin.
Image description: A headshot of Sarah Harder.

Sarah Harder

Sarah Harder started the women's studies program at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and built many women's coalitions in Wisconsin and nationally.
Image description: A black-and-white headshot of Camille Guérin-Gonzales

Camille Guérin-Gonzales

Historian Camille Guérin-Gonzales, who directed the UW–Madison’s Chican@ and Latin@ Studies Program, was devoted to justice for working people.
Image description: A photo of Ann D. Gordon speaking into a megaphone.

Ann D. Gordon

A student activist in the 1960s, Ann D. Gordon became a history professor and an important scholar of women’s suffrage in the U.S.
Image description: A portrait-style photo of Carie Graves.

Carie Graves

Carie Graves was a three-time Olympian and a medal winner for the U.S. women's rowing team.
Image description: A headshot of Debora Gil Casado.

Debora Gil Casado

Community activist and educator Debora Gil R. Casado cofounded the first Spanish-language immersion school in Madison, Wisconsin.
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.