Hello andieanderin community,

We started andieanderin to celebrate women and to educate ourselves on those who have paved the way for so many of the freedoms and rights we have today. The women we have showcased are diverse in background with contributions that have spanned sports, activism, entertainment, science, politics, and more. Women who have shaped and are continuing to shape the world we live in. Like many others, the Black Lives Matter movement has made us stop to listen and learn. We are motivated more than ever to continue our mission of celebrating influential women and will be funneling our energy towards sharing stories of influential women of color for the weeks to come. 

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Coretta Scott King

Coretta Scott King, a civil-rights activist in her own right, illuminates the significance of women who led and organized the American Civil Rights. As a young woman, Coretta was known for her musical talents and activism. She achieved a Bachelor of Arts in music and education from Antioch College. Awarded a fellowship to the New England Conservatory of music in Boston, where she met a soon-to-be well known leader.⁠

She was introduced to the world as the wife of Revered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and as a leading participant in Dr. King’s fight for justice. The mother of four, Mrs. King worked side by side with her husband, and after his tragic death, continued as a distinguished and established activist. She became a public mediator, liaison for peace and justice, and founder of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, GA.⁠

Coretta devoted her time and energy into programs to train thousands of individuals on the methods and philosophy of Dr. King, which led the way to the creation of the largest archives of documents from the Civil Rights Movement. For 15 years, Mrs. King fought for the recognition of her husband’s legacy and birthday, and finally in 1983, a bill was passed to establish Martin Luther King's birthday as a federally recognized holiday.

Coretta Scott King passed away January 30, 2006. She was laid to rest next to her husband.

“Women, if the soul of the nation is to be saved, I believe that you must become its soul.”⁠

Angela Davis

Born in Birmingham, Ala., Angela Davis rose to prominence during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement due to her involvement with the Communist party. She was targeted by the FBI, making its 10 Most Wanted List, and later imprisoned but then acquitted on murder and kidnapping charges in association with a courtroom attack during the trial of the Soledad Brothers, three African-American inmates charged with the murder of a white prison guard. She has been a professor and author and today focuses on battling the “Prison Industrial Complex” in the U.S. as well as the role of black women and the rise of intersectionality in feminism.⁠

“I think the importance of doing activist work is precisely because it allows you to give back and to consider yourself not as a single individual who may have achieved whatever but to be a part of an ongoing historical movement.”⁠

Dolores Huerta

Dolores Huerta is a civil rights icon. As a community organizer, Dolores is a hero in her own right, fighting for the rights of workers. ⁠

Huerta received many awards, including the U.S. Presidential Eleanor D. Roosevelt Human Rights Award in 1998. She was also awarded The Puffin Prize for her commitment to the plight of farm workers. She is known for being the co-founder of the National Farmworkers Association, now known as United Farm Worker. In 1993 she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.⁠

Dolores moved to Stockton, California, after her parent's divorce, moving with her mother and siblings. This affected her culturally, politically and socially. During this time, discrimination, racism, sexism and inequality were major issues that America faced. Especially for immigrant workers who came with nothing and worked to get something better than they had in their home land - hope for a better living and to return with their earnings.⁠

Dolores became an organizer while serving in the leadership of the Stockton Community Service Organization. She also founded the Agriculture Workers Association to set up Voting Registration encouragement programs and pressed local governments for home improvements. She also demonstrated in securing Aid for Dependent Families and disability insurance for farm workers in California in 1968.⁠

Dolores is an inspiration to many. She saw the needs of the hungry and barefoot farmworkers' students in her class. Dolores knew she could do something to help motivate and build their self confidence, to help them believe in themselves and have faith. She saw the need of help in her own race. Her noble self stood up for herself and her race. She realized she could do something bigger in her life. Huerta could make a change on her race, change in mind for those who discriminated. She proved to many that anything is worth fighting for.

“Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.”⁠

Yuri Kochiyama

Yuri Kochiyama was a Japanese American woman born in 1921, she spent her early years living in San Pedro, CA., and eventually moved to New York City, in the Harlem neighborhood after meeting her husband while in a Japanese American internment camp in Arkansas. Yuri lived in Harlem for 40 years; the place where she was inspired to be active in the civil rights movement.⁠

Yuri has a long history of activism on a wide range of issues. She was a remarkable woman, who contributed to some of the most significant events of the 20th Century when it came to social change. These include the Black Liberation Movement, the struggle for Puerto Rican independence, and the Japanese American Redress Movement. In an era of divided communities and racial conflict, Yuri Kochiyama offered an outstanding example of an equitable and compassionate multiculturalist vision. Some has said she was a woman ahead of her time.⁠

The late civil rights activist, Yuri Kochiyama, is the subject of Rea Tajiri’s documentary: Yuri Kochiyama: Passion for Justice (1993).

“The most powerful weapon for we women of color is truth. Go out and tell truth - everywhere."

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