[ HEAR ] Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor was an outspoken American political figure, diplomat and activist who was involved with women’s issues, working with the Women’s Trade Union League and the International Congress of Working Women.

Roosevelt became the First Lady to take on responsibilities beyond merely hosting and entertaining in the White House. From 1935 to 1962, Roosevelt wrote “My Day”, a newspaper column that addressed women’s work, equality and rights before there was even a word for “feminism”, the social issues at the time were considered “controversial”, especially for that of a First Lady to speak about.

This is another reminder for why we do what we do at DW, including the weekly Sunday Edition.

[ SEE ] Georgia O’Keefe

Georgia O’Keefe once said “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else.”

When I first heard her quote, I thought to myself, that is exactly how I feel about dances... they are a world unto themselves and can invite a viewer to enter for a brief time.

Born in 1887, Georgia O'Keeffe was an American artist who painted nature in a way that showed how it made her feel. She is best known for her paintings of flowers and desert landscapes.

She played an important part in the development of modern art in America, becoming the first female painter to gain respect in New York's art world in the 1920s.

As a pioneer she created a unique and new way of painting nature, simplifying its shapes and forms into visual dances.

[ THINK ] Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Two years later, she co-founded the Women's Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), once again making sure women's voices were heard in law.

Appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, she became the second female Supreme Court Justice, a position she held until her death, continuously advocating for women's rights.

Ginsburg's legacy has also taught others to "continue to do the hard work."     

[ FEEL ] Aretha Franklin

Franklin was one of the most influential singers of all time, not just because of her music, but because of the words she used as an activist for the truth, justice and rights of all humans’.

In 1987 she became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2008 she won her 18th Grammy Award, making her one of the most honored artists in Grammy history.

“Be your own artist, and always be confident in what you’re doing. If you’re not going to be confident, you might as well not be doing it.”

MAYA ANGELOU

Past Sunday Editions I - XVIIII