Alice Dunbar Nelson
Harlem Renaissance poet, critic, journalist, and activist
Harlem Renaissance poet, critic, journalist, and activist
Renowned Jewish-American writer known for her poetry, essays, biographies, and active political engagement, focusing on themes like equity, women’s rights, social justice, and her Jewish heritage.
American feminist writer, educator, artist and activist.
American author, poet, and activist whose most famous work, “The Color Purple,” published in 1982, is a seminal novel in American literature, known for its powerful portrayal of African American women’s lives in the early 20th century South.
African-American stand-up comic and actor who was active in stage, television and films from the 1910s to 1970s. She was also one of the 20th century’s first openly queer comedians, coming out as a lesbian in 1921.
Dorothy Wilde divided her time between London and Paris, where she was, for a time, the toast of salons, celebrated for her wit, intelligence, and physical likeness to her uncle Oscar, as whom she used to dress up.
She acted and wrote plays for Provincetown Theater in Massachusetts; she also became a highly paid journalist. In 1921, she was sent to Paris by McCall’s Magazine to study and write about the expatriate movement. She became friends with famous writers and artists including Mina Loy. She frequently visited Natalie Barney’s salon, to read and discuss literature. It was the environment at Barney’s salon that inspired Barnes to write Ladies Almanack (American Women).
American dancer and teacher
Lani Ka’ahumanu, a leader of the bisexual rights movement in the U.S., has worked for greater visibility for bisexuals both within the LGBTQ movement as well as broader society. An author, community organizer, and health advocate, she has been a driving force behind the fight against biphobia since 1980.
Most famously working through themes of love, gender, domesticity, and sexuality, Goldin used her personal experiences to visualise the political nature of these subjects, especially when subjugated by social taboos and expectations.