Women Make History: A Lesson on Social Justice Activists

One of many under-recognized stories of the Civil Rights Movement is the role of women, despite the fact that they were as active and influential as men — if not more so. Women developed strategies, marched in demonstrations, attended mass meetings, registered voters, taught in freedom schools, wrote searing critiques of societal structures, organized boycotts, and risked their lives. What’s more, the participation of women crossed racial and ethnic lines. In the traditional narrative, women in the Civil Rights Movement are reduced to a few iconic individuals.

Teachers may use this lesson to introduce students to many women involved in the Civil Rights Movement and other movements for social justice (including five women from outside the United States) — women whose lives and legacies can transform student understanding of leadership and democracy.

While the lesson makes it clear that many more women were and are active in movements for social change — it is only a brief introduction. We hope that it serves as a springboard to research and learn more about the women in the lesson and others active in the students’ own community, state, and around the world.


Grade Level: Middle school+
Time Required: One class period


Materials and Preparation

Handout One: Questions

We include two options for the questions to use with students. One involves short interviews and the other is a fill-in-the-blank questionnaire.

Option One: Interview Questions. Students use questions to guide discussion and learn about other activists. Each student receives one of the two versions of the interview sheet so that not all the students are asking the same questions. There is a teacher version of each handout with possible names answering each question.

Option Two: Who am I? Handouts 1-6. Students find the person who matches the description in their questions. There are six versions of this questionnaire to ensure students receive different questions. There is a teacher version of each handout with the answers.

Handout Two: Biographies of Women Activists

There are 38 short bios in this lesson. Print the handout and cut the paper into individual strips, with each strip displaying one bio. Give one bio to each student or workshop participant and the instructor. If there are more bios than participants, you can give two bios to a few participants or reduce the number of bios distributed. (If you are using Handout Two, reduce the roles and one of the question sheets accordingly.) The women included in the lesson are:

  • Wangari Maathai

  • Rigoberta Menchú Tum

  • Joan Trumpauer Mulholland

  • Pauli Murray

  • Diane Nash

  • Antonia Pantoja

  • Gloria Richardson

  • Judy Richardson

  • Eslanda Goode Cardozo Robeson

  • Jo Ann Robinson

  • Arundhati Roy

  • Vandana Shiva

  • Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons

  • Barbara Smith

  • Ruby Doris Smith-Robinson

  • Emma Tenayuca

  • Ingrid Washinawatok

  • Merle Woo

  • Dorothy Zellner

  • Ella Baker

  • Daisy Lee Bates

  • Anne Braden

  • Gwendolyn Brooks

  • Elaine Brown

  • Shirley Chisholm

  • Septima Clark

  • Jessie de la Cruz

  • Angela Y. Davis

  • Virginia Foster Durr

  • Fannie Lou Hamer

  • Lorraine Hansberry

  • Dorothy Height

  • Dolores Huerta

  • Yuri Kochiyama

  • Audre Lorde

  • Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo

  • Winona LaDuke

  • Viola Liuzzo

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