Tag: Women’s History Month

See the world through the eyes of these 3 revolutionary female explorers

Remember the women who blazed a trail.

The outdoors are for everyone. Even so, humanity has a long history of people monopolizing spaces to the exclusion of other identities. While everyone should have the right to explore the world, actually doing so is difficult when laws and social norms prohibit or restrict your options.

Many obstacles have barred women in the United States from traveling the world and experiencing the outdoors. Systemic racism makes these obstacles even more difficult for women of color to overcome. Despite all of this, several female explorers throughout history fought to experience the world on their terms. This Women’s History Month, honor these women by learning about their lives and accomplishments. Not sure where to start? Here are three incredible female explorers you should know about.

A black-and-white photo of a Black women in a suit jacket and hat.
Photo courtesy George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images

Bessie Coleman

Groundbreaking aviator Bessie Coleman was born on January 26, 1892. Inspired by her brothers and their stories of World War I pilots, Coleman applied to flight schools throughout the country. As a woman of African American and Native American descent, she faced rejection from each institution due to systemic sexism and racism.

Unwilling to give up on her dream, Coleman took French classes so she could apply to flight schools in France. In 1921, she earned her international pilot’s license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. After returning to the U.S., Coleman gained attention as the first African American woman to perform a public flight. Her impressive flying tricks amazed people across America and Europe.

Today, her memory lives on throughout the world. Scholarships in her name encourage women and people of color to pursue aviation careers. Coleman was also inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2001 and the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2006.

A black-and-white photo of a Native American woman in a dress and shawl.Sarah Winnemucca

Born around 1844, author and activist Sarah Winnemucca was first known as Thocmetony. This Northern Paiute name means “shell flower.” Winnemucca grew up around what is now western Nevada and California. Despite once being kicked out of a school after parents complained about “Indians being in school with their children,” Winnemucca learned several languages (including English and Spanish) during her youth.

As an adult, Winnemucca used her communication and translation skills to advocate for Native Americans. She traveled across the country working as an interpreter, writing about her experiences as a Paiute woman, and educating Paiute children and incarcerated Native Americans. With her 1883 book “Life Among the Piutes,” Winnemucca made history as the author of the first known autobiography written by a Native American woman.

Modern anthropologists continue to recognize Winnemucca’s work today. Omer Call Stewart, a cultural anthropologist with the University of Colorado, once declared her book “one of the most enduring ethnohistorical books” written by a Native American person. Winnemucca was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame in 1993.

A black-and-white photo of a Black woman in a shirt and black hat.
Photo via Wikimedia, courtesy of the U.S. Library of Congress

Zora Neale Hurston

Acclaimed author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston was born in 1891 and raised in Eatonville, Florida. The town was America’s “first incorporated all-black city,” and the area influenced Hurston throughout her career.

As a student, Hurston displayed a “fiery intellect.” While attending Howard University in 1918, she studied anthropology and co-founded the student newspaper “The Hilltop.” Hurston’s anthropological research focused on the spiritual practices of Black communities in New Orleans, Jamaica, and Haiti. In addition to publishing this research, she also wrote short stories, plays, and novels that drew upon her experiences of adventuring through the world. While Hurston is perhaps best known for her 1937 novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” she also received awards for her short story “Spunk” and her play “Color Struck.”

In the 21st century, writers, readers, anthropologists, and travelers alike remain drawn to Hurston’s work. The Zora Neale Hurston Dust Tracks Heritage Trail in Fort Pierce, Florida, leads visitors on a walking tour of her life. Here, people can begin their journey at the Zora Neale Hurston Branch Library and honor the author’s legacy while exploring markers along the trail.

‘The Bird & Taurasi Show’ back by popular demand for 2nd season

The show hosted by Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi will air for the Final Four and Championship game on ESPN2 and simulcast on ESPN+.

The 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship is airing exclusively across ESPN platforms from March 15-April 2, and the network brought back two WNBA superstars and University of Connecticut legends to host the action.

“Back by popular demand, AT&T returns as the presenting and halftime sponsor of “The Bird & Taurasi Show” second screen viewing option of the Final Four and championship game featuring women’s basketball legends Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi – providing fans with a one-of-a-kind perspective of the final matchups, all airing on ESPN2 and simulcast on ESPN+,” ESPN announced on Tuesday.

This will be the second time the duo brings their unique perspective and entertainment to the screen for the tournament with their own show.

According to ESPN: “South Carolina’s wire-to-wire victory in the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship scored 4.85 million viewers Sunday night to become the most-watched women’s title game since 2004, and the fourth largest audience to watch a women’s championship game since ESPN began exclusively airing the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament in 1996.”

This year’s tournament has “attracted 15 broadcast sponsors and nearly 100 advertisers across various categories.” With more investment and more extensive broadcasting coverage, this year’s tournament is poised to again break records.

Even Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry joined “The Bird & Taurasi Show” last year.

Who knows what the duo has in store for the tournament this year, but what we do know is it will be entertaining.

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HBCU March Madness Women’s NCAA Championship History

A look at how HBCU’s performed in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

The first Division 1 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship tournament took place in 1982. The matchup was between Louisiana Tech, who ended being crowned champion, and Cheyney State. This first-ever matchup set another record, that is still held today. Cheyney State was and remains, the only HBCU to make it to the championship game and to the Final Four. Cheyney State made it back to the tournament and won one game in 1983 and three games to advance to the Final Four in 1984.

Howard University and Jackson State also appeared in the 1982 tournament, but only Cheyney State made it to the last dance. Since then, there have been 19 HBCU women’s basketball programs that have played in the March Madness bracket. Hampton as the most appearances in the tournament for an HBCU with 9 appearances, but have yet to win a game.

Appearances HBCU
9 Hampton
6 Grambling State
6 Howard
6 Jackson State
6 Prairie View A&M
5 North Carolina A&T
5 Southern
3 Alabama State
3 Alcorn State
3 Cheyney
3 Coppin State
3 Tennessee State
2 Florida A&M
1 Bethune-Cookman
1 Delaware State
1 Norfolk State
1 Savannah State
1 South Carolina State
1 Texas Southern

Howard is the only HBCU to win a tournament game since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1994. The Bison won their game in the inaugural First Four game of the 2022 tournament, defeating Incarnate Word 55-51.

The first four games of the 2023 March Madness Women’s tournament start Wednesday and Thursday, Mar. 15-16. This will be the 42nd women’s tournament in NCAA history.

This year, there are a few HBCUs in the tournament with Southern University being in a First Four game.

In the second round Norfolk State, an HBCU, battles against South Carolina at 2 p.m. on ESPN.

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Women’s History Month Spotlight: basketball star, entrepreneur, and activist Sedona Prince

Alex Sinatra next highlights Oregon Ducks star Sedona Prince for Women’s History Month.

This Women’s History Month, I will be spotlighting women athletes and their achievements in college, after college, and beyond. Athletes are Humans First and while I want to highlight their athletic ability and achievements, I also want to point a spotlight on what they are doing off their field of play.

Sedona Prince made headlines when she shared a TikTok video of the NCAA’s inequitable treatment of the women’s and men’s basketball tournaments. She helped usher in change and when rules allowed college athletes to monetize their NIL, Prince was well-poised to excel in the space. Since then she has inked deals with Crocs, Uninterrupted, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Champs to name a few. She is set to enter the 2023 WNBA draft which airs on ESPN on April 10.

@sedonerrr

it’s 2021 and we are still fighting for bits and pieces of equality. #ncaa #inequality #fightforchange

♬ original sound – Sedona Prince

Her athlete advocacy off the court is just as impressive as she continues to shed a spotlight on what it means to be More Than an Athlete. Prince enjoys merging her advocacy and entrepreneurship with brands that align with her core values.

“I’ve always been very passionate about activism and advocacy, so the fact that I’m able to do that now with such a large platform and actually make a difference is really, really cool,” Prince told Insider of her equity-driven partnership and role as Chief Community Officer for plat-powered energy drink company Riff . “It’s impactful. And, you know, I’m just happy that I have a space to do this and that people actually listen and respond to it because it’s how we’re making change.”

The way she navigates this NIL ecosystem shows that it is more than one-off deals. It is about building a future for yourself and your family.

In an interview with Boardroom, Prince shared her philosophy on what NIL did for her, “I guess I just became empowered. Like I have a voice to make change. I can partner with companies that I love. I’m making this money, to support my family, that I can have for the rest of my life to invest or to save.”

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Women’s History Month Spotlight: NWSLPA President Tori Huster

Not only do they have the union advocating for their best interests, but they are being educated on how to advocate for themselves.

This Women’s History Month, I will be spotlighting women athletes and their achievements in college, after college, and beyond. Athletes are Humans First and while I want to highlight their athletic ability and achievements, I also want to point a spotlight on what they are doing off their field of play.

Tori Huster is a professional athlete in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the president of the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA). Huster was first elected to the position in 2020 and was re-elected by the players in 2022. The NWSLPA is the official collective bargaining organization for the NWSL players.

On Jan. 31st, 2022 at approximately 8.30 pm ET, the National Women’s Soccer League’s Players Association announced they had ratified the first-ever collective bargaining agreement in women’s soccer history. As the president of the association, Huster helped oversee the collective bargaining process.

On April 29th, 2022, the Executive Director Meghann Burke of the NWSLPA and NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman signed the collective bargaining agreement on the field before Angel City’s regular season home opener.

“It’s a big focus of mine to make sure players know their rights and to make sure clubs are abiding by what is actually in the agreement. While the CBA is a historic moment for the league, there are plenty of areas up for interpretation within the agreement,” Huster said in a press release issued by her club, the Washington Spirit.

Huster started soccer at a young age and went on to play D1 soccer at Florida State University where she was a four-year starter, first-team Scholar All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in 2011, a third-team All-American, and first-team All-ACC in her final season at FSU.

She also shined in the classroom where she was the recipient of the Golden Torch Award for achieving the highest GPA among soccer student-athletes during the 2009-10 semester, was a four-time FSU Dean’s List honoree, and FSU President’s List – 4.0 GPA in the Spring of 2009. Huster initially thought she might want to be a physician’s assistant and even shadowed a few after college.

The league for professional women’s soccer in the United States folded in 2012 just as Huster was making her way into the league. She played for a few semi-professional leagues and then went overseas to play in Australia for one season. However, her professional soccer career was just taking off and she found she was destined to make history for women athletes around the world.

In 2013, the NWSL emerged and professional soccer was once again an option for players domestically. Huster was drafted by the Spirit with the club’s second pick in the 2013 NWSL Supplemental Draft.

“While Huster played with the Spirit, she took odd jobs to supplement her league pay, which she said was less than $20,000 per season for her first few years. She wrote articles, took photography gigs, trained youth players, coached for club teams, walked dogs, and worked as the executive assistant for a natural turf grass consultant at Maryland Soccerplex, the latter which helped her develop small business and organization skills that would translate to her work with the players association,” according to her interview with Club Eleven Magazine.

Taking odd jobs and working to make a living wage is not new to the world of women’s sports, so Huster had a first-hand understanding of the trials and tribulations players were facing to play the sport they loved.

Huster and her teammates worked through harassment and advocated for a change of ownership all while working their additional jobs and playing professional soccer. Something had to give.

“In past years, there has not been a place for players to go, or that they feel comfortable going if they have experienced sexual abuse, verbal abuse, any type of harassment,” Huster noted in her interview with Club Eleven Magazine. “The league in the past has said that they had a policy which they were not able to provide us at the beginning of this year, when we demanded that they put it into place right now before the start of the season. We believe that they may have been operating with US Soccer’s anti-harassment policy. But again, they didn’t provide that… If they were using it, players didn’t know, and players didn’t know where to go if they had issues.”

While the league has gone through its ups and downs, the players are always at the forefront of positive changes. That’s what having a union can do for athletes. Not only do they have the union advocating for their best interests, but they are being educated on how to advocate for themselves.

Fast forward to the end of 2021. The NWSLPA entered into a group licensing agreement with OneTeam Partners, entered into its first sponsorship agreements with Ally Bank and MasterCard, hired a business agent to manage business affairs, and entered into a Commercial Rights Agreement.

“I think that if we [the players, the NWSLPA] are able to empower other people to speak up… if we can be very transparent and honest about that process, individually, and as a collective, I think that gives other people the courage to do the same in whatever walk of life that they are living,” Huster told Club Eleven Magazine.

While the league is still relatively young, the players have taken the lead in advocating for their rights and Huster, along with her predecessors has helped pave the way. These players understand they are working for the greater good and might not see all the changes implemented during their playing careers or even their lifetimes.

“We’re going to be able to get things done that we could never have imagined before… because we’re not worried about the league crumbling down because we know that we are the league,” Huster told Club Eleven Magazine.

 

Women’s History Month Spotlight: Former Stanford volleyball standout Cassidy Lichtman

In 2020, Lichtman agreed to come back from retirement and play in the inaugural season of Athletes Unlimited volleyball

This Women’s History Month, I will be spotlighting women athletes and their achievements in college, after college, and beyond. Athletes are Humans First and while I want to highlight their athletic ability and achievements, I also want to point a spotlight on what they are doing off their field of play.

Cassidy Lichtman is the Director of Volleyball for Athletes Unlimited where she was previously a professional volleyball player and Chairperson of the Player Executive Committee. Lichtman is a former member of the USA Volleyball Women’s National Team, a two-time All-American, and an Academic All-American at Stanford.

She played professionally in Europe and Asia for five years and was keenly aware of the power imbalances prevalent in sport between the owners and the players. The owners had full control and reign over the lives of the athletes on the court and a huge level of power off the court as well.

“Rule number 1, don’t argue with the owner, because they own you. The decide if you get paid, if you get fired, where you live, how much you play, whether or not you get Christmas off,” Lichtman said in her TEDxBoston presentation entitled The Power in My Voice. She played half of the year in Europe and Asia and half the year on the USA Volleyball Women’s National Team and retired in 2016. However in 2020, when a professional league was founded in the United States, Lichtman agreed to come back from retirement and play in the inaugural season of Athletes Unlimited volleyball. Up until that point, no professional indoor volleyball leagues existed in the United States.

There were no owners, no clubs, and no set teams. This was something entirely different than anything Lichtman had experienced previously in her volleyball career. The balance of power was shifted and players held power with the founders of the league. This was a novel concept that kept the players at the nexus of all decisions made within the league. Lichtman became the Chairperson of the Player Executive Committee (PEC) which is made up of five athletes from the volleyball league. The PEC meets with league staff, co-founders, and other leadership to work together on decision-making that affects the league.

One revolutionary decision the players were allowed to make is what uniforms they wanted to wear. Some players wanted shorts and others wanted long leggings, so each player was able to choose what bottoms they wore. This seemingly small choice, allowed all the players to feel comfortable when they were doing their job, playing volleyball professionally.

Other teams in other professional women’s leagues are starting to allow athletes to make choices about their own bodies. Recently, the Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League announced, in a press release:

“Orlando Pride has announced an updated look to its Luna Kit, the Club’s secondary jersey. To make players more comfortable and confident when playing during their menstrual cycle, the team will now wear black shorts, replacing the white shorts previously worn throughout the 2022 season and with other secondary kits in prior years.”

Athletes having a voice in their workplace and being able to advocate for themselves is vital to a healthy sports ecosystem. People like Lichtman are making sure athletes are given that opportunity.

Athletes Unlimited volleyball is gearing up for another season. Ahead of their fall season, the league is embarking upon the Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Exhibition Tour. The tour features Athletes Unlimited professional volleyball athletes traveling across the United States playing exhibition matches against top college programs. This tour will promote the sport at a grassroots level and preview what’s to come in season 3 of Athletes Unlimited volleyball.

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Women’s History Month Spotlight: three-time Olympic medalist Kendall Coyne Schofield

President of the PWHPA, Olympic champion Kendall Coyne Schofield won the 2023 PWHPA Humanitarian Award.

This Women’s History Month, I will be spotlighting women athletes and their achievements in college, after college, and beyond. Athletes are humans first and while I want to highlight their athletic ability and achievements, I also want to point a spotlight on what they are doing off their field of play.

There is no doubt Kendall Coyne Schofield, left wing for the United States Women’s Ice Hockey Team, is athletically talented. She has won two silvers and one gold at the Olympics and is a 6-time IIHF Women’s World Champion among numerous other on-ice accolades. In 2019, she became the first woman to compete in the NHL Skills Competition as a Fastest Skater competitor. She recorded a time of 14.346 and while she didn’t win, she didn’t come in last either.

The winner of the competition, Connor McDavid with a time of 13.378, said of Coyne Schofield, “When she took off I was like, ‘Wow!’ I thought she might have won, the way she was moving. She was a really good skater and it’s an amazing thing for the game when they can see her participate like that in an event like this.”

Her off-ice accomplishments stand-out as well. Coyne Schofield attended Northeastern University where she played ice hockey and graduated with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, both summa cum laude.

In 2020, she parlayed her education and love of sport, and joined the ownership group of the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). That is not the only elite women’s sports entity in which she is involved. Her background in hockey led her to be the President and a board member of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) where she helps further the PWHPA’s work to create a sustainable and viable professional women’s hockey league. She also competes in the PWHPA’s Dream Gap Tour on Team Adidas.

Recently, she penned a book, As Fast As Her, about her life and accomplishments which came out in 2022.

This month she announced on Instagram that she and her husband, Chicago Bears offensive guard Michael Schofield, are expecting their first child this summer.

And to cap it all off, she won the PWHPA’s Humanitarian Award for her work on and off the ice. Not only is she elite as an athlete, she continues to use her platform to change the game for other women in sport. We salute you Kendall and thank you for your tireless efforts both in and out of sport.

Athletes Unlimited: First women’s sports league to be named among ‘World’s Most Innovative Companies’ by Fast Company

Athletes Unlimited, a professional sports league, is the first women’s sports league to earn this Fast Company honor.

Fast Company put out its list of 10 most innovative companies in sports of 2023. Athletes Unlimited, a professional sports league focusing on elite women athletes, is the first women’s sports league to earn this Fast Company honor. In addition, Athletes Unlimited is the first professional sports league to be organized as a Public Benefit Corporation and the first U.S.-based pro sports league to be committed to carbon neutrality.

The league was founded by Jon Patricof and Jonathan Soros on March 3, 2020, and has four women’s professional sports under its umbrella: softball, volleyball, basketball and lacrosse. In 2021, it added volleyball and in 2022, it added basketball. The power is in the hands of the players and there are no owners for the teams. Players make decisions both on and off their field of play, which gives the entire league a player-centric ethos. Each league has a player executive committee that meets weekly with Athletes Unlimited staff to work on all aspects of the league, from adding players to the roster to establishing the rules and scoring system.

Players in all sports, including basketball, compete under a point system where players and teams are rewarded for individual and team performance. Each week the four highest-ranked players are appointed as captains and redraft teams for the following week’s competition. This not only allows fans to see different matchups each week, but it also allows the players to get a feel for different schemes and teammates. The league has big-name sponsors including Nike, Gatorade, Topps, Caesars, Sportradar and GEICO.

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Prominent international and WNBA players play in the league, which does not conflict with their seasons. WNBA stars such as Las Vegas Aces guard Sydney Colson, Los Angeles Sparks guard Lexie Brown and Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud bring the heat each week on the court. The WNBA only has 144 roster spots, so leagues such as Athletes Unlimited allow athletes to play domestically and not have to pursue opportunities overseas.

WNBA players playing abroad were put in the international spotlight when WNBA champion and Olympic medalist Brittney Griner was detained in  Russia while she was playing overseas. But things are changing for the better and women’s college basketball fans are able to follow the careers of their favorite players past college with easier access thanks to leagues like Athletes Unlimited.

The games are fan and athlete-focused, including free autograph signings at the end of each game along with free swag and custom posters for each week. Dallas is the home for Season 2 of Athletes Unlimited Basketball and one ticket allows entry to two games.

Tickets start at $15 for the games.

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Women’s History Month Spotlight: Former NCAA national champion Sydney Carter

For Women’s History Month, Alex Sinatra is highlighting women who made an impact in sports. It begins with Sydney Carter.

This Women’s History Month, I will be spotlighting women athletes and their achievements in college, after college, and beyond. Athletes are Humans First and while I want to highlight their athletic ability and achievements, I also want to point a spotlight on what they are doing off their field of play.

The first athlete up is Sydney Carter, former WNBA player and 2011 National Champion with Texas A&M University, who is now coaching for the University of Texas as their Director of Player Development. Coach Vic Schaefer, who coached her at Texas A&M University, hired Carter in 2022.

“We are very happy to be able to announce the addition of Sydney Carter to our staff here at the University of Texas,” Schaefer said in a school press release. “She brings so much to the table that will help our student-athletes succeed and become the best they can possibly be, both on and off the floor.

“As our director of player development, she will be able to impact our kids in so many different ways and help represent our program in a positive manner. We are very blessed to have her on The Forty Acres.”

Carter is having a huge impact on the program which is currently ranked 12th nationally. However, her impact off the court is equally, if not more, impressive. She made headlines in 2022 because of her fierce and unique on-court style.

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This outfit drew wild criticism from some who thought she looked “unprofessional.” However, Carter loves fashion and didn’t back down from the unwarranted criticism. She used it as a teaching moment.

“I literally post every [game day] outfit,” she told Yahoo! Life, adding, “I just think that people are uncomfortable with a Black woman being in a power position.” She said that for some, “When you see a Black woman who is actually confident and embracing herself, I think that that’s very intimidating.”

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Carter has since built a sort of fashion empire even attending New York Fashion Week as an invited guest of the Veronica Beard brand.

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“We believe in enduring personal style. We believe in the doers and makers, the movers and shakers. We believe that a dream wardrobe has to work for real life. Look good, feel good, do good,” the Veronica Beard website states. They chose a great one in Carter because she encompasses and embodies the brand perfectly.

Carter’s story is far from over, but we can learn a thing or two from her current journey. Being yourself might not always be popular, but those who understand you will have your back, and those who need to hear your story will find strength in your journey. Thank you, Sydney for showing women in sports that we belong and we can be ourselves.

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