CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

Harriet Tubman (1822–March 20, 1913)

Born into slavery in Maryland, Harriet Tubman escaped to freedom in 1849. The year after she arrived in Philadelphia, Tubman returned to Maryland to free her family members. Over the next 12 years, she returned nearly 20 times, helping more than 300 enslaved African Americans escape bondage by ushering them along the Underground Railroad. The “railroad” was the nickname for a secret route that enslaved black people used to flee the South for “free” states in the North and to Canada. During the Civil War, Tubman worked as a nurse, a scout, and spy for Union forces. After the war, she worked to establish schools for freedmen in South Carolina. In her later years, Tubman also became involved in women’s rights causes.

Shirley Chisholm (Nov. 30, 1924–Jan. 1, 2005)

Shirley Chisholm is best known for her 1972 bid to win the Democratic presidential nomination; she was the first black woman to make this attempt in a major political party. However, she had been active in state and national politics for more than a decade and had represented parts of Brooklyn in the New York State Assembly from 1965 to 1968. She became the first black woman to serve in Congress in 1968. During her tenure, she co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus. Chisholm left Washington in 1983 and devoted the rest of her life to civil rights and women’s issues.

Dorothy Height (March 24, 1912–April 20, 2010)

Farrakhan Discusses 10th Anniversary Of The Million Man March

Dorothy Height has been described as the godmother of the women’s movement because of her work for gender equality. For four decades, she led the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW )and was a leading figure in the 1963 March on Washington. Height began her career as an educator in New York City, where her work caught the attention of Eleanor Roosevelt. Beginning in 1957, she led the NCNW and also advised the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA). She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994.

SIMONE BILES

Biography

Personal Data

Date of Birth: 3/14/97
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Resides: Spring, TX
Height: 4’8”
Passions: Reading, history, shopping and spending time with friends

Career Highlights

Olympic Gold medalist in vault, floor, Individual and Team all-around, Bronze medalist on Beam at 2016 Rio Olympics
Won the all-around by a 2.1 margin of victory, larger than the margins of victory from 1980-2012 combined
First woman gymnast to win three consecutive World all-around titles
Most World Championship gold medals won by a female gymnast in history (10)
Most decorated World Championship American gymnast with 14 total medals (10 gold, two silver, two bronze)
First woman to capture four gold medals at a single World Championships (2014 & 2015) since the Soviet Union’s Ludmilla Tourischeva in 1974
First female African-American all-around world champion
Undefeated in the all-around competition since 2013
First American woman in 23 years to win three all-around national titles
Honored as the 2014 Women’s Sports Foundation’s “Sportswoman of the Year”
Named Olympic Athlete of the Year by the USOC 2015
Named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year 2016
L’Equipe Championne des championnes monde 2016
Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports ‘Favorite Newcomer’ Award 2016
BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year 2016
Glamour’s ‘The Record Breaker’ Woman of the Year 2016
One of the Most Influential People in the World list by TIME magazine
Shorty Award recipient for Best in Sports

Transcending Sport

One of the most decorated gymnasts in recent history, Biles has the talent and competitive spirit necessary to become one of the best gymnasts in the history of the sport
Receiving high praise from peers and Olympic legends alike, has been dubbed “the most talented gymnast of all-time”
First woman gymnast to win three consecutive World All-Around titles
Most World Championship gold meals won by a female gymnast in history and most decorated World Championship American gymnast with 14 total medals
First American woman in 23 years to win three all-around national titles

Family Affair

Simone Arianne Biles was born on March 14, 1997, in Columbus, OH
Simone and her younger sister Adria were adopted by their parents Ron and Nellie at a young age
Simone grew up in the north Houston suburb of Spring, TX with her sister Adria and brothers, Ron Jr. and Adam
Simone holds Bilezean citizenship through her mother. She refers to Belize as her second home
Simone trains at World Champions Centre (WCC), a gym founded and owned by her parents in Spring, TX

Keeping Things Light

Biles was always jumping around at a young age and was introduced to the sport on a school field trip to Bannon’s Gymnastix at the age of six, where she began spontaneously imitating the gymnasts’ moves, insisting that her parents enroll her at the gym
Her big grin and engaging personality shine through both in and out of the sport and while she trains close to 35 hours per week, Biles knows how to keep things fun and is known for inventing new skills during training
One move, a complex flip that she incorporated into her floor routine during the 2013 World Championships, is now known as the “Biles”

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