We celebrate the life of Adele Goodman Clark who passed away on this day, June 4, in 1983 at the age of 100.

THE GHOST STORY WRITER OF ALABAMA

Equal rights, equal opportunity. It seems that the crusade of women to prove that they are competent enough to run businesses, intelligent enough to invest in stock markets, ruthless enough to be the head of a corporation that sells manly stuff, might not be entirely accurate.

Do you have a uterus? Do you sometimes feel anxious, experience sexual desire, or ‘cause trouble for others’? Well, then, you may just be suffering from Wandering Womb Syndrome! Yes, that’s right, it’s totally possible that your womb has taken a mind of it’s own and started to wander freely around your body, causing all kinds of mischief…

If you’ve never heard of Bessie Coleman it’s because she is one of many unsung heroes. This amazing woman only lived a short 34 years, but her legacy continues close to a century later. Her accomplishments impact Americans in three minority groups as she was the first female descendant of African American and Native American heritage to earn a pilots lisence and become an aviator. Sadly because of discrimination and lack of opportunities in this nation Bessies had to leave the United States in order to achieve her dreams. Bessie was born on January 26, 1892 and died on April 30, 1926. She earned her wings from Federation Aéronautique Internationale in France on June 15, 1922.

The biography of Calamity Jane is a mix of fantastic tales and some accurate facts. Many of these tales she created and promoted herself in her autobiography, written in 1896. However, she was a woman living in a man’s world, occasionally taking on men’s work and sporting men’s clothes. She could ride a horse, shoot, drink and chew tobacco like the toughest cowboys. She was a woman who did not confine herself and became known for her daredevil ways. She was a woman who became a legend. 

On May 5, 1809, Mary Kies became the first woman to receive a patent in the United States. It was for her technique of weaving straw with silk.

History is rife with examples of fearsome queens who made their names known by terrorizing their enemies. They often came into power by way of their husband’s death (at their hands or someone else’s) and many of them did very well by their people, forcing out invaders and fighting against persecution. I’ve always loved learning about these figures and found that they – like many women in history – are underappreciated. So here are very, very brief examples of some of these incredible queens.

As Women’s History Month comes to an end, it’s important to acknowledge the achievements of influential women and their stories. During my research on some of the world’s most remarkable women, I stumbled across Linda Boreman - more famously known as Linda Lovelace. To be clear, Linda was no Oprah Winfrey or Rosa Parks, and I did not find her on any of the “Top 100 Women” lists that I endlessly scrolled through.

In February, around Valentine’s Day, my friends and I planned a girl’s night out. We all parked our cars along the road and carried our bags into our friend’s house to all get ready together because, for us, getting ready together is half of the fun. It was a whirlwind of glitter, wine bottles, cigarettes, mascara wands out of their tubes, eye shadow sprinkled onto the table like some kind of party drug. Clothes were flying everywhere and music was playing and there were a lot of laughs and hugs. That’s what I think of when I think of the women in my life. A beautiful whirlwind.

My mother met Milly Sawyers two years ago, after she had been deceased for nearly two centuries. Despite this, their connection was instantaneous and both women breathed life and fire into the other. Their solidarity and light grew and spilled out to influence and inspire young people, their homeland community, their state-wide justice system, and, quite soon, their justice system on a national level.