Rosa Parks 

     If you don’t know who Rosa Parks is you must be living under a rock. If it weren’t for the courage and the perseverance that she presented, many of the members of the African American community wouldn’t be able to have the rights they do now. Rosa Parks made history December 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her seat because of the color of her skin. Her courageous act brought forward many civil rights activists and pushed them to continue to fight for equality and better lifestyles for the black community. Parks was also a long-time member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which she joined in 1943, according to History. Her fearless act was so impactful that even after her death she continued to make history. When Parks died at age 92 on October 24, 2005, she became the first woman to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol. When her body was brought to the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, more than 30,000 people attended to pay their respects, according to History.

Rosalind Franklin

     Rosalind Franklin was able to get two sets of high-resolution photos of crystallized DNA fibers. From this, she was able to see the basic dimensions of DNA, and observe helical structure of the DNA strand, according to DNA from the Beginning. Yet even with her fascinating discovery, Franklin never got the praise nor credit she deserved. Instead in 1962, just years later after Franklin made her discovery, James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for solving the structure of DNA. James Watson even admitted to ignoring Franklin when she presented him with the discovery she had made. Franklin made such an important discovery that has led professionals in the medical field to study in-depth and gain more knowledge about DNA and its importance. Without her, our knowledge of the structure of DNA wouldn’t be as advanced as it is now. 

Mother Teresa

     Mother Teresa of Calcutta dedicated her entire life to helping the poor, the sick, the elderly, the homeless, children, and anyone who was in need. She always put other’s needs before her own. According to Mother Teresa, she experienced “a call within the call” where she “was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them.” She made so many sacrifices and essentially gave up her life to help those in need. She described this “call” as order and many times said that “to fail would have been to break the faith.” which is why in 1948 she began missionary work with the poor. Her love for those in need was so great that she voluntarily lived among them and took over their poverty. She even received basic medical training before she began taking care of the poor, according to Newtonic.

     As if that isn’t enough she established the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation in 1950. Even now it continues to look after refugees, former prostitutes, the mentally ill, sick children, abandoned children, lepers, people with AIDS, the aged and convalescent, and anyone who is in need of help. In 1952, Mother Teresa also opened her first hospice for those who were sick, dying, or just needed help and shelter in Kalighat, Kolkata.  In the words of Mother Teresa, the hospice was “for people who lived like animals to die like angels — loved and wanted”. In 1955, her Missionaries of Charity opened the Children’s Home of the Immaculate Heart. This home cared for orphans and took homeless children and gave them food, shelter, and medical care. Whenever it was possible, the children were adopted out, according to Newtonic. To top it all off, Mother Teresa was awarded at least 9 awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize and the Bharat Ratna which is the highest civilian honor in India.

Frida Kahlo

     Frida Kahlo is the embodiment of what it truly means to be a strong and confident woman. She was so ahead of her time and had the perfect vision of who she was and what she wanted future generations to learn from her. Frida has become such a symbolic figure to the Mexican culture and LGBTQ+ community. Although Kahlo is best known for her art and iconic unibrow, she was also a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Throughout her life she had multiple affairs with both men and women, two of them were with Josephine Baker and Leon Trotsky, according to Newtonic. Although she got married twice to a famous Mexican artist, Diego Rivera, Kahlo made it known that she was bisexual and that the typical stereotypes that women faced during those times weren’t for her. She often dressed in pants and suits, which at the time was completely unacceptable, as a way to fight for women’s rights and against sexism. Her iconic unibrow also served as a statement rejecting stereotypes about what was and wasn’t attractive at the time. When asked about her unibrow Kahlo would just reply by saying “I won’t curb my self-expression to meet your expectations of how a woman should look”, according to Newtonic.