Women have been the agents of change for hundreds of years in this country. They remind us all that “we the people” are truly at the heart of our democracy. Throughout our history, women have worked for change in all sectors of American society--labor, human rights, education, politics, immigration, and civil rights.
In this lesson, you’ll take a closer look at some of the women who risked their lives to fight against systemic racism in the United States during the Progressive Era. For most of these women, it wasn’t a choice. They didn’t decide to become activists. Their lives--and the lives of those they loved the most--depended on it.