BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — From singers and songwriters to governors, women in Louisiana have been such a big influence in the world we live in today.
Women’s History Month became celebrated nationally in 1981 when President Reagan passed the celebration as Women’s History Week, beginning March 7, then in 1987 celebrating the entire month of March. It wasn’t until 1995, it was celebrated annually across the nation.
We have compiled a short list of some of the women who have added to Louisiana’s history and culture.
Ruby Bridges broke racial barriers, integrated schools
Ruby Bridges is an American civil rights activist. Born in 1954 in Mississippi, Bridges moved to New Orleans with her parents.
Bridges was supposed to attend kindergarten the year she moved to New Orleans, which happened to be around the same time Brown v. Board of Education determined that schools must end segregation. Southern states remained segregated until a federal court ordered Louisiana to desegregate.
The school district made an entrance exam for Black students to attend all-white schools. Bridges, along with five others, passed the exam.
Her father was scared for her safety while attending William Frantz Elementary School, and her mother wanted her to have the best education. Reports say Bridges wasn’t admitted until Nov. 14.
Federal marshals escorted Bridges to school every day.
In 2001, Bridges was awarded the Presidential Citizen’s Medal by President Bill Clinton. In 2014, a statute of Ruby Bridges was unveiled outside of William Frantz Elementary.
Kathleen Blanco was first female governor
Kathleen Blanco was Louisiana’s first and, so far, only woman elected governor of Louisiana. Born in New Iberia in 1942, Blanco served the state through public service since 1984.
Blanco was a school teacher at Breaux Bridge High School before getting into politics. She was the first woman in Lafayette Parish to be elected to the state legislature and the first to be elected to the Louisiana Public Service Commission. In 1996, Blanco served as lieutenant governor.
By 2004, she had been elected as the first female governor of the state of Louisiana.
During her reign, she led the state through Hurricane Katrina by revamping evacuation plans, commanding state National Guard troops from other states and securing funding for remodeling and recovery.
After retiring, she still served the state on boards and committees with the mission to improve the lives of Louisiana residents.
Bernette Johnson was the first Black female chief justice of Louisiana Supreme Court
Bernette Johnson was the first Black woman to serve as the Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court. Johnson was born in New Orleans in 1943.
She was one the first Black women to attend the Law School at LSU and receive her Juris Doctorate degree in 1969. Reports say her judicial career began in 1984, when she was elected to the Civil District Court of New Orleans and was the first woman to hold that office. She became chief judge in 1994. She was elected to the state court the same year.
Johnson was honored by the LSU Law School in 1996 and inducted into the LSU Law Center’s Hall of Fame.
Irma Thomas was the Soul Queen of New Orleans
Irma Thomas was an American Blues singer from New Orleans. Thomas was born in Ponchatoula, Louisiana in 1941. She is often recognized as the Soul Queen of New Orleans.
Reports say Thomas showed off her talents at a young age by singing in the church choir at Home Mission Baptist Church.
Thomas’ break came in 1959 from band leader Tommy Ridgley after refusing to wait tables at a local club in New Orleans. Ridgely arranged a recording session with Ron Records, where she debuted her single of Dorothy LaBostrie’s “You Can Have My Husband, But Please Don’t Mess With My Man.”
After issues with Ron Records arose, Thomas joined the Minit record label. She produced her biggest hit, “Wish Someone Would Care,” under Minit, which later turned to Imperial Records.
Thomas moved to California and worked as a department store employee, but was still singing in nightclubs. Thomas then returned to New Orleans, where she was famous for being a live performer.
Thomas returned in 1986 as a recording artist and created her album, “The New Rules,” under Rounder Records. Thomas received two Grammy nominations.
Outside of the recording studio, Thomas married her manager, Emile Jackson, and they owned a nightclub in New Orleans called the Lion’s Den until Hurricane Katrina destroyed it in 2005.
Ellen Bryan Moore was political powerhouse
Ellen Bryan Moore was a pioneer for women in politics across Louisiana. Moore was born in Baton Rouge in 1912. According to reports, Moore was the daughter of a former warden at the Louisiana State Penitentiary and the granddaughter of a former Baton Rouge mayor.
Moore joined the Women’s Army Corps under President Dwight Eisenhower. She worked as a recruiter, enlisting 300 women at one event, and later commanded a unit in New Orleans. While in the military, she worked to move the Women’s Army Corps from an auxiliary unit to a force within the U.S. Army.
After time served in the military, Moore ran for Louisiana Register of State Lands in 1948 but didn’t win until 1952. She then served as a member of the State Recreation and Park Commission from 1952 to 1956.
Moore was a National Democratic Party leader and was on the Board of Directors for the United Democrats of Louisiana.
Moore was the third woman to be included in the LSU Hall of Distinction.
Lindy Boggs co-founded the Congressional Women’s Caucus, made credit lending more equal
Corinne “Lindy” Boggs was the first Louisiana woman to be elected to Congress. Boggs was born in New Roads, Louisiana in 1916. She attended Newcomb College at 15 years old, where she met her future husband, Thomas Hale Boggs while working on the school’s newspaper.
In 1940, Thomas was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. After a reported unsuccessful re-election campaign, he joined the Navy, but after World War II, he returned to the political world. He was elected again in 1946 and was re-elected for the next 13 times.
Lindy managed her husband’s election campaign and his Capitol Hill office.
In 1972, Thomas’ plane disappeared, and he was presumed dead. Lindy spent so long working election campaigns, she decided to run for Congress.
At the age of 56, she was appointed to the House of Representatives, replacing her husband. Boggs held office for nine consecutive terms.
Boggs then co-founded the Congressional Women’s Caucus and served as secretary. She was the first woman to preside over a national convention.
Boggs also wrote the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974, which banned discrimination due to sex or marital status. Boggs was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame.
Kitty Carlise Hart was household name
Kitty Carlise Hart was an American actress, singer, TV personality, and arts advocate. Hart was born in New Orleans in 1910.
According to IMDb, Hart’s mother took her to Europe to marry royalty. When that didn’t go as planned, she began her acting career.
In 1932, she returned to the states in New York, where she shadowed the Bucks County Playhouse in Pennsylvania. She appeared in her first musical, “Rio Rita.” She went on to appear in numerous operettas like “Champagne Sec,” and musical comedies like “White Horse Inn” and “Three Waltzes.” Her movie career involved pieces such as “A Night at the Opera.”
Hart reportedly returned to the theatre after working on movie sets. She appeared in about seven plays and musicals throughout the 40s.
In 1946, she married Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Moss Hart and had two children
In the 50s, game shows were popular entertainment. Hart became a regular figure on the show, “To Tell the Truth,” which allowed her to appear in each season from 1956 through a syndicated run in 2002.
Hart was widely appreciated in the arts and was appointed as chairman of the New York State Council of the Arts in 1976.
Cokie Roberts brought news, history to life
Mary “Cokie” Roberts was an American journalist and author. Roberts was born in New Orleans in 1943. Roberts is the daughter of Corinne “Lindy” Boggs and Hale Boggs. (Yes, the same couple listed above.)
Roberts married New York Times correspondent Steven Roberts in 1966. She began her radio career as a correspondent for CBS in the ’70s and started working for National Public Radio (NPR) to cover the Panama Canal Treaty. She worked on Capitol Hill content as a full-time network correspondent for over 10 years.
Roberts began writing books about women’s history, that became best-sellers, such as “We Are Our Mother’s Daughters.”
She won three Emmy awards and was president of the Radio and Television Correspondents’ Association. President George W. Bush appointed her to his Commission on Service and Civic Participation.
Mignon Faget blends art with luxury jewelry
Mignon Faget is a New Orleans native who has turned her interest in design into a luxury jewelry store that is still in operation today.
Faget began her design career in 1969 with the launch of her ready-to-wear collection. She began making jewelry after a customer asked to wear one of her articles as a pendant.
Faget has been honored with an exhibit by the Historic New Orleans Collection and the Louisiana State Museum Capitol Park.
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