Hoosier Women Activists

8 Locations | Curated by Alex Haehner

Activists have long paved the way forward into a brighter future for all those around them. This Discover Indiana tour introduces you to a group women women activists from Indiana who made significant contributions to a wide range of causes. Some of the women date back to the 1800s, a few years after Indiana became a state, while others lived recently enough there’s a chance you might recognize their work today.

The causes they fought for include women’s rights, prison reform, housing standards, women’s education, Native American rights, women’s suffrage, breast cancer awareness, and Holocaust education.

The legacy left behind by these activists lives on through their accomplishments and reminds us today that our voices matter in the creation of a better future.

(ATTENTION: This page discusses the Holocaust and includes some graphic information.) Eva Mozes Kor was a Holocaust survivor. She was born in Romania in 1934 to farmers and lived there with her three siblings, including her twin sister Miriam. Their village was occupied by German forces in 1944 and…
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Mother Théodore Guérin was born Anne-Thérèse Guérin on October 2, 1798, in France. She founded the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods congregation in Indiana along with numerous schools. Early in her life, while still in France, Guérin entered the Sisters of Providence of…
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“You have a great day and stay on top of the world.” This iconic sign off by Indiana’s first Black woman broadcast journalist, Barbara Boyd, graced listeners for her 25-year career on the airwaves. Barbara Boyd began working at the Indianapolis television station WFBM, later changed to WRTV, in…
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May Wright Sewall, born May 27, 1844, was an influential force in the battle for women’s suffrage and equal rights. Among her numerous accomplishments were serving as president of the National Council of Women of the United States, president of the International Council of Women, and as chairwoman…
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Mary Thistlewaite Birdsall was a suffragist and advocate of women’s rights in Indiana during the mid-19th century. Mary Thistlewaite married Thomas Birdsall in 1848 when they were both around 19 years old. They became actively involved in the activism of the time, including emancipation,…
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Zitkála-Šá, meaning Red Bird in Lakota, was a writer and Native American rights activist. Also known as Gertude Simmons Bonnin, she was born on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota to a Dakota Sioux woman, Ellen Tate Iyohiwin Simmons, and a white man, Felker Simmons, on February 22, 1876. At…
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Albion Fellows Bacon was born on April 8, 1865, in Evansville, Indiana. Throughout her life she championed many causes, famously fighting to improve housing conditions. She organized numerous activist groups, building herself a legacy that stands to this day. In 1888, Albion married Hilary Bacon, a…
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(ATTENTION: this page discusses physical, mental, and sexual abuse in prison systems) Rhoda Johnson Coffin, born February 1, 1826 near Paintersville, Ohio, was the fourth child of wealthy Quaker farmers. Rhoda grew up in a strict household of the traditional Quaker faith. She was always interested…
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