Tennessee

Lowery (1925-2013) was a founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

Hale (1881-1930) and her husband, John Henry Hale, converted their home into a hospital for black patients.

Rollins (1867-1953) was the first Black woman to become a dentist in the United States.

Franklin (1942-2018) was a singer, songwriter, and pianist whose distinctive vocals and fusion of gospel, soul, and R&B earned her recognition as the "Queen of Soul." She amassed extraordinary commercial and critical successes, selling more than 85 million records worldwide and earning 18 Grammy Awards and 44 nominations. Her achievements continued throughout her career, and in 1987, she made history as the first woman performer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Rolling Stone magazine twice named her the greatest singer of all time.

Smith (1894 - 1937) was known as the Empress of the Blues and was preeminent during the Jazz Age and Harlem Renaissance.

Oretha and her sister, Doris Jean Castle, were vital leaders of the civil rights movement in New Orleans.

On August 7, 1920 the New York Age published a story about four Black women who had been accepted by the New York Public Library for training. Catherine Latimer was one of the four. She became New York Public Library's first Black librarian.

"A white woman has only one handicap to overcome - that of sex. I have two - both sex and race. ... Colored men have only one - that of race. Colored women are the only group in this country who have two heavy handicaps to overcome, that of race as well as that of sex."