All timeline stories.
Sarah E. Ray (1917-2006) was an African American civil rights activist who in 1945 was denied entry on a ferry operated by the Bob-Lo Excursion Company. She initiated a legal battle against the company via the NAACP which eventually ended up being processed by the United States Supreme Court. The court ruled..Read More
Judge Lila Neuenfelt (1902-1981) was the first woman circuit court judge in Michigan and at the time of her swearing in, was the youngest woman in the U.S. to become an attorney. She is known for fighting for married women’s rights to use their birthname in professional capacities and for mentoring other women..Read More
Fannie B. Peck (1880-1971) was the first president of the National Housewives League and founder of the Detroit Housewives League, where she led a team of women determined to create better conditions for their communities and the next generation of women. She created the Fannie B. Peck Credit Union which gave..Read More
Diana R. Sieger is the President of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, a position she has held for nearly 34 years. Under her leadership, the assets have grown from $35M to nearly $400M. She has also led the GRCF in the creation of initiatives such as the LGBTQ Fund, African American..Read More
Debra White-Hunt is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of The Detroit-Windsor Dance Academy. She has been awarded several honors for her community development work including being granted a Milken National Educator Award, being named Michiganian of the Year, and being named a Crain’s Notable Woman in Non-Profits. She also was awarded..Read More
With her appointment in 2021, Roz Brewer became the only African American woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Walgreens. She was also the first African American to lead a Walmart division as president and CEO of Sam’s Club. While at Sam’s Club, she made a $13.6M commitment to women and..Read More
Najah Bazzy, RN, PhD (honoris causa) is the founder and CEO of Zaman International, a non-profit that supports marginalized women and children of all backgrounds in Detroit. This group has helped more than 250,000 people. Today, Zaman operates from a 40,000-square-foot facility in the suburb of Inkster. The group’s warehouse offers aisles of..Read More
Dr. Glenda Price served as the president of Marygrove College from 1998 to 2006. She was the College’s seventh president and the first African American to hold this position. From October 2012 to April 2016, she served as the president of the Detroit Public Schools Foundation. In this role she was responsible for..Read More
Martha Teichner has been a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning since December 1993 and is the winner of 11 Emmy Awards and 5 James Beard Foundation Awards. Furthermore, Teichner was given the Alfred duPont-Columbia University Award for her reporting on the Newtown, Connecticut elementary school shooting, the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for reporting on the exodus..Read More
Dorothy Zehnder is the co-founder and co-owner of the Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn, one of the top independent restaurants in the country. She manages the many businesses that are part of the Bavarian Inn Corporation umbrella including the Bavarian Inn Restaurant and Castle Shops, Bavarian Inn Lodge, Frankenmuth Gift Shops Inc., Frankenmuth River Place Shops, and a specialty line..Read More