Noteworthy American Women Project: Nevertheless She Persisted

March 28, 2022

The Noteworthy American Women Project will be on display on the first floor of the Health Sciences Education Building, on the Phoenix Bioscience Core campus through August 31, 2022.

The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Art in Medicine Program opened the Noteworthy American Women Project in March to celebrate Women in History Month. The exhibit is on display on the first floor of the Health Sciences Education Building, on the Phoenix Bioscience Core campus through August 31, 2022.

To honor the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 2020, which secured the right to vote for most women, Arizona-based artists Suzanne Whitaker and Lainey Prather set out to tell the stories of 19 women whose lives changed the country for others. The artists’ statement notes that, “All the stories tell our American history through the feminine filter and how their lives changed the trajectory for other women, be it in their local communities or in a broader scope.”

Some of these women are well known, and others are not, but through their strength, courage, resilience and perseverance they have made a difference. The portraits in the show are of American women from the mid-1700s through today. Each is accompanied by a short essay that can be found on the project website.

Oprah Winfrey (1954) — Oprah Winfrey is an American television personality, actress, philanthropist and entrepreneur. Her syndicated daily talk show was among the most popular of the genre because she focused on women and equality issues. She created a forum for the many issues of the day to be discussed out in the open, creating an intelligent and heartfelt space for people to acknowledge their experiences, which rarely had been discussed in the open before. (Gold leafing, metallic acrylic paint, acrylic p

Marie Sanchez and Dr. Connie Pinkerton-Uri — Connie Pinkerton-Uri, MD, Choctaw/Cherokee, and Marie Sanchez, a chief tribal judge on the Northern Cheyenne Nation, exposed the forced sterilization practice of the U.S. Indian Health Services during the 1960s and 1970s. Dr. Pinkerton-Uri discovered through her research that 25% or more of Native American women of childbearing age were sterilized during that time. Sanchez spoke at the United Nations Conventions in 1977 calling for an end to the practice of force

Gabrielle Giffords (1970) — Gabrielle Giffords served in the Arizona House of Representatives and the Arizona Senate prior to being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007. She survived being shot in the head in an assassination attempt in Tucson that killed six people and injured 13. She and her husband, former space shuttle astronaut and current U.S. Senator, Mark Kelly, founded Giffords, an organization dedicated to gun control legislation. (Plaster and metallic paint on metal, by Suzanne W

Muriel Bowser (1972) — Muriel Bowser has been the mayor of Washington D.C. since 2015 and was a member of the D.C. Council prior to that. After the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by a police officer, Bowser had “Black Lives Matter” painted on a D.C. street leading to the Capital – each letter reached from curb to curb and the text ran for over three blocks. She is also an advocate for D.C. being granted statehood so that the over 700,000 residents can have voting representatives in Congress.

Fuji Itami (1915-1998) & Granddaughter Suzanne Hug (1981) — Suzanne Hug was greatly influenced by her grandmother, Fuji Itami, who was born in Washington state in 1915, and forced to move to an incarceration camp in Idaho during World War II. Itami gave birth to twins while in camp, but only one survived. The experience led the family, and ultimately Hug, to activism on behalf of those of Japanese descent who were in the camps and current asylum seekers, women and minorities. (Acrylics, tar paper and wood,

Abigail Adams (1744-1818) — Abigail Adams fought for education of women and their right to own property. In her own words to her husband, President John Adams, “I desire you would remember the ladies. . . If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.” (Plaster, paper and acrylics on wood, by Suzanne Whitaker and Lainey Prather)

Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890-1998) — Marjory Stoneman Douglas was a journalist and a pioneering environmentalist who helped defend the Florida Everglades. She founded the Friends of the Everglades in 1969 at the age of 79. She was also a suffragette in the early 1900s and an advocate for racial equality. (Acrylics and graphite on plaster/wood, by Suzanne Whitaker and Lainey Prather)

Addie Wilkins Jackson (1875-1938) & Family — Addie Jackson, daughter of an enslaved woman, was an outspoken activist for the rights of the Black community. She was a founding member of the Empire State’s Federation of (Colored) Women’s Clubs, participating in activities related to women’s suffrage and other activism in defense of her Black community. Her children and grandchildren continue to advocate for equal rights. (Paper collage, by Suzanne Whitaker)

Nellie Bly (1864-1922) — Elizabeth Jane Cochran, who wrote under the name “Nellie Bly,” wrote for the New York World newspaper by the time she was 22 years old. At the time there were very few female reporters, and the few there were wrote for the society pages. However, Bly was an investigative journalist who went under cover for 10 days in a notorious asylum for the mentally ill to report on the conditions and treatment of the patients. She then wrote a series of articles and a book exposing the condition

Judy Heumann (1947) — Judy Heumann is a disability advocate who served in both the Clinton and Obama administrations in support of disability rights. She is a co-founder of the World Institute on Disability, one of the first global disability rights organizations founded and led by people with disabilities. Heumann is an internationally recognized leader in the disability rights community. (Acrylics on vinyl with paper, by Suzanne Whitaker)

Dolores Huerta (1930) — Dolores Huerta is one of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century and a leader of the Chicano civil rights movement who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with César Chávez in 1962. She organized workers, negotiated contracts, and advocated for safer working conditions, including the elimination of harmful pesticides. She also fought for unemployment and healthcare benefits for agricultural workers. (Clay plaster on wood, by Suzanne Whitaker and Lainey P

Sr. Louise Akers (1942-2018) — Sr. Akers was a teacher, advocate for the poor and champion for social justice. She was particularly passionate about gender and racial equality, leading her to gain national prominence in 2009 for refusing to renounce her support for women being allowed to become priests in the Catholic Church. Ultimately, the Archbishop of Cincinnati prohibited her from giving presentations, conducting retreats or teaching at anything falling under the purview of the diocese. (Acrylics and

Frances Perkins (1880-1965) — Frances Perkins was a workers-rights advocate appointed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933-1945. She helped institute the shorter work week, the establishment of a minimum wage, the prohibition of child labor, workplace safety codes and social security. (Acrylics on plaster and wood, by Suzanne Whitaker and Lainey Prather)

Lulu Clifton (1869-1959) — Lulu Clifton moved to Phoenix in the early 1900s from Nebraska because the dry climate was thought to be good for tuberculosis, which she had contracted. Like many who came to Arizona for this reason, Clifton lived in a tent because there were not enough facilities to house them all. After she recovered, she raised money to build a hospital, which grew and evolved over the decades becoming Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix. (Acrylics, charcoal and pastel on canvas and woo

Dianne Post (1947) — Dianne Post is a lawyer who advocates for the rights of women, primarily fighting poverty and injustice in the world stemming from the inequality of women in society. Post is an expert in gender-based violence against women and children, including domestic violence, sex-trafficking, prostitution and pornography. (Acrylic paints with a resin finish on a metal backing for the portrait; base is plywood with a cement finish and acrylics, by Suzanne Whitaker)

Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862-1931) — Ida B. Wells-Barnett was born enslaved and went on to attend university and became a teacher, journalist and publisher. She founded the National Association of Colored Women and was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She also was involved in the women’s suffrage movement, particularly for black women. (Acrylics on newspaper, by Suzanne Whitaker)

Oprah Winfrey (1954) — Oprah Winfrey is an American television personality, actress, philanthropist and entrepreneur. Her syndicated daily talk show was among the most popular of the genre because she focused on women and equality issues. She created a forum for the many issues of the day to be discussed out in the open, creating an intelligent and heartfelt space for people to acknowledge their experiences, which rarely had been discussed in the open before. (Gold leafing, metallic acrylic paint, acrylic paint, by Suzanne Whitaker and Lainey Prather)

Marie Sanchez and Dr. Connie Pinkerton-Uri — Connie Pinkerton-Uri, MD, Choctaw/Cherokee, and Marie Sanchez, a chief tribal judge on the Northern Cheyenne Nation, exposed the forced sterilization practice of the U.S. Indian Health Services during the 1960s and 1970s. Dr. Pinkerton-Uri discovered through her research that 25% or more of Native American women of childbearing age were sterilized during that time. Sanchez spoke at the United Nations Conventions in 1977 calling for an end to the practice of forced sterilization, which also targeted Black and Latina women. (Acrylics on fabric, by Suzanne Whitaker)

Heather Cox Richardson (1962) — Heather Cox Richardson, PhD, is a professor of history at Boston College who publishes Letters from an American, a daily newsletter summarizing current events and putting them in a historical context, distilling truth out of purposeful misinformation. (Acrylics and colored pencils, by Suzanne Whitaker)

Gabrielle Giffords (1970) — Gabrielle Giffords served in the Arizona House of Representatives and the Arizona Senate prior to being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007. She survived being shot in the head in an assassination attempt in Tucson that killed six people and injured 13. She and her husband, former space shuttle astronaut and current U.S. Senator, Mark Kelly, founded Giffords, an organization dedicated to gun control legislation. (Plaster and metallic paint on metal, by Suzanne Whitaker and Lainey Prather)

Muriel Bowser (1972) — Muriel Bowser has been the mayor of Washington D.C. since 2015 and was a member of the D.C. Council prior to that. After the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by a police officer, Bowser had “Black Lives Matter” painted on a D.C. street leading to the Capital – each letter reached from curb to curb and the text ran for over three blocks. She is also an advocate for D.C. being granted statehood so that the over 700,000 residents can have voting representatives in Congress. (Recycled cement/aggregate, with acrylic latex, by Suzanne Whitaker)

Fuji Itami (1915-1998) & Granddaughter Suzanne Hug (1981) — Suzanne Hug was greatly influenced by her grandmother, Fuji Itami, who was born in Washington state in 1915, and forced to move to an incarceration camp in Idaho during World War II. Itami gave birth to twins while in camp, but only one survived. The experience led the family, and ultimately Hug, to activism on behalf of those of Japanese descent who were in the camps and current asylum seekers, women and minorities. (Acrylics, tar paper and wood, by Suzanne Whitaker)

Abigail Adams (1744-1818) — Abigail Adams fought for education of women and their right to own property. In her own words to her husband, President John Adams, “I desire you would remember the ladies. . . If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.” (Plaster, paper and acrylics on wood, by Suzanne Whitaker and Lainey Prather)

Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890-1998) — Marjory Stoneman Douglas was a journalist and a pioneering environmentalist who helped defend the Florida Everglades. She founded the Friends of the Everglades in 1969 at the age of 79. She was also a suffragette in the early 1900s and an advocate for racial equality. (Acrylics and graphite on plaster/wood, by Suzanne Whitaker and Lainey Prather)

Addie Wilkins Jackson (1875-1938) & Family — Addie Jackson, daughter of an enslaved woman, was an outspoken activist for the rights of the Black community. She was a founding member of the Empire State’s Federation of (Colored) Women’s Clubs, participating in activities related to women’s suffrage and other activism in defense of her Black community. Her children and grandchildren continue to advocate for equal rights. (Paper collage, by Suzanne Whitaker)

Nellie Bly (1864-1922) — Elizabeth Jane Cochran, who wrote under the name “Nellie Bly,” wrote for the New York World newspaper by the time she was 22 years old. At the time there were very few female reporters, and the few there were wrote for the society pages. However, Bly was an investigative journalist who went under cover for 10 days in a notorious asylum for the mentally ill to report on the conditions and treatment of the patients. She then wrote a series of articles and a book exposing the conditions of the facility. This led to increased funding, the firing of abusive staff and the release of patients who were not mentally ill. (Ink on paper, by Suzanne Whitaker and Lainey Prather)

Judy Heumann (1947) — Judy Heumann is a disability advocate who served in both the Clinton and Obama administrations in support of disability rights. She is a co-founder of the World Institute on Disability, one of the first global disability rights organizations founded and led by people with disabilities. Heumann is an internationally recognized leader in the disability rights community. (Acrylics on vinyl with paper, by Suzanne Whitaker)

Dolores Huerta (1930) — Dolores Huerta is one of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century and a leader of the Chicano civil rights movement who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with César Chávez in 1962. She organized workers, negotiated contracts, and advocated for safer working conditions, including the elimination of harmful pesticides. She also fought for unemployment and healthcare benefits for agricultural workers. (Clay plaster on wood, by Suzanne Whitaker and Lainey Prather)

Sr. Louise Akers (1942-2018) — Sr. Akers was a teacher, advocate for the poor and champion for social justice. She was particularly passionate about gender and racial equality, leading her to gain national prominence in 2009 for refusing to renounce her support for women being allowed to become priests in the Catholic Church. Ultimately, the Archbishop of Cincinnati prohibited her from giving presentations, conducting retreats or teaching at anything falling under the purview of the diocese. (Acrylics and graphite on canvas with paper collage, by Suzanne Whitaker)

Frances Perkins (1880-1965) — Frances Perkins was a workers-rights advocate appointed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933-1945. She helped institute the shorter work week, the establishment of a minimum wage, the prohibition of child labor, workplace safety codes and social security. (Acrylics on plaster and wood, by Suzanne Whitaker and Lainey Prather)

Lulu Clifton (1869-1959) — Lulu Clifton moved to Phoenix in the early 1900s from Nebraska because the dry climate was thought to be good for tuberculosis, which she had contracted. Like many who came to Arizona for this reason, Clifton lived in a tent because there were not enough facilities to house them all. After she recovered, she raised money to build a hospital, which grew and evolved over the decades becoming Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix. (Acrylics, charcoal and pastel on canvas and wood, by Suzanne Whitaker)

Dianne Post (1947) — Dianne Post is a lawyer who advocates for the rights of women, primarily fighting poverty and injustice in the world stemming from the inequality of women in society. Post is an expert in gender-based violence against women and children, including domestic violence, sex-trafficking, prostitution and pornography. (Acrylic paints with a resin finish on a metal backing for the portrait; base is plywood with a cement finish and acrylics, by Suzanne Whitaker)

Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862-1931) — Ida B. Wells-Barnett was born enslaved and went on to attend university and became a teacher, journalist and publisher. She founded the National Association of Colored Women and was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She also was involved in the women’s suffrage movement, particularly for black women. (Acrylics on newspaper, by Suzanne Whitaker)

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