Shining a Light on Notable Alabama Women

During Black History Month, we’ve used this space to highlight trailblazing Black Americans, and now, during Women’s History Month, we want to shine a light on a few notable women from Alabama.

Tuscumbia’s Helen Keller may be the most famous Alabamian ever. And while you probably know her as a courageous woman who was blind and deaf from childhood and overcame those obstacles to learn sign language, she was known during her life as an activist for workers’ and women’s rights.

A native of Birmingham, Condoleezza Rice served as U.S. Secretary of State from 2005 to 2009 after becoming the first woman to serve as the National Security Advisor.

The author of perhaps the most famous book set in Alabama, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee of Monroeville won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961 and was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts.

Octavia Spencer (Montgomery) has more than 100 acting credits and is best known for her roles in Hidden Figures and The Help, for which she won an Academy Award.

Retired soccer star Mia Hamm was born in Selma and won the Women’s World Cup and the Olympics gold medal twice each with the U.S. Women’s National Team.

Born in Birmingham, Emmylou Harris released her first album in 1969 and has 14 Grammy Awards and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

While we’ve talked about them in this space before, no list of notable Alabama women would be complete without mentioning civil rights icons Rosa Parks (Tuskegee) and Coretta Scott King (Heiberger).

Be sure to keep an eye on our social channels as we celebrate Women’s History Month throughout March.