Notable Women of Alabama: Part 1

March is National Women’s History Month! Influential women deserve to be recognized this month and every month. Did you know that Alabama is home to dozens of famous females? Let’s take a look at some powerful women from the state of Alabama.

Birthplace: Birmingham
Occupation: actress, producer, director
Known for: Monica Gellar on Friends (1994-2004), Gale Weathers in the Scream franchise (1997-present), Melissa Robinson in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), Jules Cobb in Cougar Town (2009-2015)

Birthplace: Russellville
Occupation: actress, author, producer
Known for: Sasha Williams in The Walking Dead (2012-2018), Michael Burnham in Star Trek: Discovery (2017-present), Tamara in Once Upon a Time (2013)

Birthplace: Birmingham
Occupation: actress
Known for: Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Winn Adami in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999), Grandmother in Flowers in the Attic (1987), Helen Rosemund in Cruel Intentions (1999)

Birthplace: Tuskgegee
Occupation: civil rights activist
Known for: Even if you have never lived in Alabama, you probably already know about Rosa Parks and her role in the fight for civil rights. Parks became the face of the Montgomery Bus Boycott when she was arrested in 1956 for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. You can visit the Rosa Parks museum downtown and stand in the very spot she did while waiting for the bus on that iconic day. She remains one of the most prolific figures of the Civil Rights Movement.

Birthplace: Tuscumbia
Occupation: author, activist, lecturer
Known for: Although deaf and blind from an illness in infancy, Keller wrote 14 books and hundreds of lectures and essays throughout her life. She helped found the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and was a sympathizer of the Civil Rights Movement. She was a suffragist, socialist, and an advocate for those with disabilities. She also appears on the state quarter for Alabama, which features her name in braille.

Birthplace: Jacksonville
Occupation: equal pay advocate
Known for: Ledbetter discovered through an anonymous tip that for years she made far less than her male counterparts at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Plant in Gadsden. She attempted to sue the company, and her case made it all the way to the Supreme Court. Due to a precedent establishing that an employer cannot be sued over 180 days after the first unequal paycheck, Ledbetter lost. Two years later in 2009, Congress passed the Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay Act. The Act states that each time an unequal paycheck is issued, the 180-day clock to sue resets.

Birthplace: Montgomery
Occupation: novelist, short-story writer, painter, dancer, socialite
Known for: As the wife of famed writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda is often overlooked. Scott dubbed her “the first American flapper,” and she was a tabloid favorite during the height of her husband’s career. She was more than Scott’s muse. He lifted passages from her diary and letters and used them in his writing. She attempted to write her own short-stories but often found that her publishers added her husband’s name to the byline. She painted abstract art, made paper dolls for her daughter, and rediscovered her love of ballet in her late 20s. The latter drove her to obsession and exhaustion, however, and led to numerous mental health problems. She spent the final 10 years of her life in and out hospitals before tragically dying in a fire in a hospital where she was a patient.

Birthplace: Birmingham
Occupation: singer, songwriter, musician
Known for: Harris has dipped her toe in a wide range of genres from country, folk, rock, and alternative. She performed and recorded as a harmony vocalist for some of music’s most famous artists such as Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, Elvis Costello, The Pretenders, Beck and more. Her most famous song, “Boulder to Birmingham” is a tribute to her late friend and beloved collaborator Gram Parsons of the Byrds.

Birthplace: Monroeville
Occupation: novelist
Known for: Harper is the author of the American classic To Kill a Mockingbird. She grew up next door to Truman Capote, another acclaimed 20th century writer. Some of the novel’s events and characters are inspired by Lee’s childhood experiences. Lee’s first draft/sequel to Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman, was published in 2016.

Birthplace: Birmingham
Occupation: actress. comedian, author
Known for: Flagg wrote the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. She also co-authored the screenplay for the cinematic version, Fried Green Tomatoes (1991). She also appeared on game shows in the 1970s such as Match Game and $10,000 Pyramid. She had various roles on television throughout the 1970s and ’80s, as well as a small role in Grease (1978) as Nurse Wilkins.