Codell Rodriguez, El Paso Times
When everything seems bigger in Texas, it would be foolish to expect small feats from the women of the Lone Star State.
Some may think of the macho, rough-and-tumble cowboy when they think of Texas strength, but it doesn’t get much tougher than suffragettes whose fight through success and failures led to Texas becoming the first Southern state to ratify the 19th Amendment.
Throughout Texas’ history, women have fought to ensure women’s voices were heard: Jovita Idár wrote pro-suffrage articles in a Spanish language newspaper. Dr. Ellen Lawson Dabbs, secretary of the Texas Equal Rights Association, organized a women’s congress in Dallas’ Fair Park during the 1893 Texas State Fair.
Since then, Texas has been on the forefront of producing artistic trailblazers, government leaders, business innovators and those who would not stay quiet while people were treated unjustly because of gender, ethnicity or religion.
While everything may just seem bigger, Texas is a massive state, and it’s impossible to fully recognize all the contributions women have made in the state over the past century. However, here are 10 Texas women who have made a major impact over the last century.
Who is your Woman of the Century?