
“Each time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women.” ― Maya Angelou
Our #womenwhoinspire series on the Journal is an ever-growing collection of posts about inspirational women whose selfless actions, harrowing stories, and good works have bettered their communities and society as a whole. Expanding on this theme of amazing women, this week we share (just a few) inspirational women who all hail from our home state of Alabama.
Images from top left: “Portrait of Helen Keller”, date unknown from George Grantham Bain collection at the Library of Congress; “Vivian Malone entering Foster Auditorium to register for classes at the University of Alabama”, 1963 by Warren Leffler from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division; “Rear Adm. Fran McKee, the first female line officer in the Navy to be promoted to flag rank (Admiral)”, date unknown via the U.S. Navy; “Georgia Gilmore adjusts her hat for photographers in 1956 during the bus boycott trial of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Montgomery, Alabama”, 1956 via NPR; “Portrait of Harper Lee from the first edition of To Kill a Mockingbird “, 1960 by Truman Capote; “Portrait of Mrs. Recy Taylor from The Rape of Recy Taylor“, 1944 from The People’s World/Daily Worker and Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University; ” Sonia Sanchez”, 1998 by Mathew Smith; “Brittany Howard”, 2012 by Fred Rockwood (Public Domain); “Angela Davis”, 1974 by Philippe Halsman (Public Domain); “Claudette Colvin, aged 13”, 1953 (Public Domain); “Ann Lowe with one of her designs”, 1966 from Ebony Magazine; “Mugshot of Jo Ann Robinson in the wake of the Montgomery Bus Boycott”, 1956 from Montgomery County Archives via the National Museum of African American History & Culture; “Official portrait of STS-47 Mission Specialist Mae Jemison”, 1992 from NASA Video and Image Library; “Adell Hall Ward, better known as Vera Hall, American folk singer” date unknown; “Zora Neale Hurston”, 1938 by Carl Van Vechten via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington; “Marie Tharp with one of her maps”, date unknown via the Smithsoian Magazine; “Henrietta Boggs”, 2016 via The New York Times; “Montgomery, Alabama, police photo (mug shot) of Rosa Parks”, 1956 from Alabama Department of Archives and History; “Laverne Cox at protest in downtown L.A.”, 2018 by Luke Harold
Social Change
Helen Keller: Author, Activist, and Lecturer
Georgia Gilmore: Activist
Angela Davis: Political Activist
Recy Taylor, Rosa Parks, Claudette Colvin, Jo Ann Robinson: Activists
Vivian Malone Jones: Activist
Laverne Cox: Actress and LGBTQ+ Activist
Henrietta Boggs (Explore the movie about her life, First Lady of the Revolution, here)
Arts + Sciences
Fran McKee: U.S. Navy Admiral
Marie Tharp: Cartographer
Mae Jemison: Astronaut and Engineer
Dolester Miles: Pastry Chef
Brittany Howard: Musician
Ann Lowe: Designer
Vera Hall: Blues and Folk Singer
Harper Lee: Novelist
Zora Neale Hurston: Author, Anthropologist, and Filmmaker
Sonia Sanchez: Poet and Writer

@ Alabama Chanin
The Florence Collection celebrates 20 years of sustainable design with modern designs and botanical-inspired, hand-painted motifs. Look for new styles arriving in the Collection tomorrow here.
@ The School of Making
Connect creatively with our team, fellow makers, and yourself during one of our upcoming sewing Workshops at The Factory and also a virtual option, taught by Natalie this December.
@ The Factory
The Factory is a pickup location for Lena Wolff & Lexi Visco’s VOTE Posters. This is a project that launched in 2018 and continues to promote voting in this election. Any local or regional guests are welcome to reach out to our team and schedule a time to pick up a poster at The Factory. All posters are free thanks to generous donations made towards the project. Please contact:
Catherine Counts
+1.256.760.1090 x 114
shop@alabamachanin.com
Carlisle Sandy
+1.256.760.1090 x 105
sales@alabamachanin.com
Due to COVID-19, The Factory is open by appointment only. Guests are required to wear face masks throughout the duration of their appointments and we have masks available if needed. Until further notice, we will be checking temperatures for all guests, team members, and anyone entering The Factory. Should you have any questions about our safety procedures, please reach out during our store hours Monday – Friday from 10am – 2pm.
Schedule an in-person or virtual appointment with our sales team.
Contact us to learn more about local same-day delivery on select pieces, or with any other questions.