By Nava Atlas | On March 27, 2018 | Updated February 14, 2026 | Comments (0)
Launching The Provincial Freeman, an abolitionist newspaper, in Windsor, Ontario, gave Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823 – 1893) the distinction of being the first woman publisher of any race or background in Canada, and the first Black woman publisher in all of North America.
In her role as editor and writer forThe Provincial Freeman, Mary Ann advocated for the Black community in the U.S. and Canada. She worked tirelessly to break down the dual barriers of race and gender.
Later an active participant in the women’s suffrage movement in the U.S., she also lectured widely on education and self-reliance. Later in life, she earn a law degree, becoming the second Black American woman attorney.
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By Aiyana Edmund | On January 31, 2018 | Updated October 22, 2025 | Comments (10)
Presented here are female journalists of the World War II era presented here reported and documented from the field, and pushed gender-defined barriers.
They had to fight for the right to report and expose the folly and brutality of war.
These women contributed to the historic record with their groundbreaking work and bravery as journalists, photographers, and correspondents during the world war and in some cases beyond. Above right, Ruth Baldwin Cowan’s WW II press credentials. See more about her later in this post. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On November 4, 2017 | Updated June 25, 2026 | Comments (2)
The Black American women journalists presented here were true trailblazers, each in her own unique way, from newspaper publishing to investigative reporting to foreign correspondence to broadcasting.
It took an inordinate amount of perseverance for Black female journalists to break into white male-dominated fields, at the time that each did so. At right, Ida B. Wells.
The power of language to document news and social issues often affects change. Each of these trailblazers from the past helped open new professional paths for women of all backgrounds to pursue.
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