Celebrate 5 Of LA's Most Influential Women
March is Women's History Month, and this year's theme is "Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination: Celebrating Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics." The United States certainly has a great share of inspiring women of this sort. Through the years, this country has been transformed by the energy and the hard work of females who helped turn it into what it is today. So what better way to celebrate Women's History Month than to revisit a few of those impressive women and remember their legacy? Below are just five such outstanding ladies.
North Hollywood Amelia M. Earhart Regional Branch Public Library
5211 Tujunga Ave.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
(818) 766-7185
www.lapl.org
You can visit this branch of the public library system and pay tribute to Amelia M. Earhart, the famous female aviator after which the branch was renamed, who lived in Toluca Lake in the years prior to her disappearance. Earhart flew alone across the Atlantic, the first female to do so, and accomplished several other aviation records. She was also instrumental on land, where she helped form an organization for female pilots, counseled women at universities on career paths and was a supporter of equal rights for women. She vanished in the Pacific Ocean in 1937 while attempting to fly around the world.
Joshua Tree National Park
74485 National Park Drive,
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
(760) 367-5500
www.nps.gov
Travel to the east just over two hours from Los Angeles to visit Joshua Tree National Park and admire the result of desert preservationist Minerva Hoyt's efforts to preserve this land as a national park. Originally from Mississippi, Hoyt lived in South Pasadena after her marriage, where she developed an appreciation for desert landscapes. As a widow, she dedicated herself to the preservation of the desert and was instrumental in the approval of this particular park. In August of last year, a 5,405-foot mountain in the west central area of the park was named after her.
"The Mystery Of Mars"
www.sallyridestore.com
Read this book that's entertaining and informative for you and your children, co-written by Sally Ride, the first American female who entered low Earth's orbit in 1983 and the youngest US astronaut to be sent to space. She was born in Encino and just passed away last July in La Jolla. With her life partner of 27 years, she wrote several kids' science books and other publications. This book uses the information amassed from recent missions to Mars to introduce the neighboring planet to readers nine years and older.
"Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock"
California African American Museum
600 State Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90037
(213) 744-2024
Date: March 17
Filmmaker and journalist Sharon La Cruise created this documentary for PBS that tells the story of Daisy Bates, an activist who was a key figure of the integration at Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Bates was also a writer and a publisher who received many honors, including being named Woman of the Year by the National Council of Negro Women in 1957, the 1988 American Book Award, an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Arkansas and having a street by her former high school renamed after her. Still, her name is barely recognized by the population at large. La Cruise set out to let the public know about this fascinating woman that accomplished so much towards the advancement of the American experience.
An Evening with Kathleen McGhee-Anderson
California African American Museum
600 State Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90037
(213) 744-2024
Date: March 21
Television and film writer, producer, playwright and poet Kathleen McGhee-Anderson lives partially in Venice and the other time in Oak Bluffs, Mass. Her craft has been appreciated by most through her work in TV shows like "Little House on the Prairie," "The Cosby Show," "Touched by An Angel" and "Lincoln Heights." She has received multiple awards and recognitions, including an honorary doctorate from Spelman College. This interview and discussion will let the audience travel through the three decades of her work in the entertainment industry and imagine what is yet to come.
Related: Best Books About Los Angeles
Dena Burroughs is a freelance writer living in Azusa, CA. She is a CSULA graduate with specialties in Creative Writing and Communications. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
