November 18: TODAY'S INSPIRING WOMEN

Sojourner Truth

Abolitionist and women's right activist Sojourner Truth was born today in 1787.

Rose Knox, one of America’s foremost businesswomen, who co-founded Knox Gelatin Co., was born today in 1857. She revolutionized the company following her husband’s death initiating a five-day work week and two-week vacations.

Wilma Mankiller, a community organizer and the first woman elected to serve as chief of the Cherokee Nation, was born today in 1945. She served as principal chief for ten years from 1985 to 1995. She was the author of a national-bestselling autobiography, Mankiller: A Chief and Her People and co-authored Every Day Is a Good Day: Reflections by Contemporary Indigenous Women.

Ana Mendieta, an artist, was born today in 1948. Ana was a refugee at age 12 when she fled the Cuban regime. Her trials and tribulations resulting from her displacement affected her life's work — art which was pro-feminist and pro-nature.  In 2009, Mendieta was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Cintas Foundation.

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Learn more about the life of Wilma Mankiller.