HerStory: A Tale of Two Coasts and 2 Amazing Ladies

We all love a little rivalry now and then, especially East Coast vs. West Coast. And to add a dash and a splash of Hip-Hop intrigue into the HerStory (Amazing Women!) month, I thought it might be nice to rap about 2 dope chicas from Hip-Hop that are changing the game of social activism from 'keeping it real' to 'making shit right!'

A little back story may be in order so you can really see what’s going on, and who the players are:

1. East Coast representative J-Love Calderon

2. West Coast representative Asia One

J-Love is my best friend since age 2, growing up in Denver, Colorado, we were inseparable, whether we were roller skating on Saturdays or having gigantic house parties at my mom’s crib when she was out of town. J was not going to be a regular white girl. She always identified more with Black culture, and Hip-Hop, and was the first female I knew of in Denver to start “getting-up” on the walls with her infamous ‘Act-One” tag. While I was an awkward and shy mixed kid, J-Love fit in with all crowds. While I loved middle school, and the motley assortment of Michael Jackson, Prince and Apollonia, and Led Zeppelin influenced heads, once high school started and the gang life of Bloods and Crips saturated our world, I opted out while J got down. From that point on we began our different paths, mine as a Bgirl and hers as a social activist fighting to end white privilege. We both used Hip-Hop as a tool for growth, whether it was with Zulu Nation, where we learned about the Nation of Islam and the 5 percent nation, eating clean food and why not to eat pork, knowledge of self, Egyptology, diversity, and respect for all peoples, Behold the Pale White Horse and Alien life.

I became one of the most famous Bgirls of the early 90’s, got down with Rock Steady Crew, and became an outspoken advocate for Hip-Hop culture and spokesperson for Bboys and Bgirls worldwide. J-Love graduate from San Diego State, went on the get her masters in New York, and became a social worker, and later a case worker and educator at El Puente High School in Williamsburg Brooklyn. We both worked on the event I created with the help of Jlove and Easy Rock, and the Universal Zulu Nation of San Diego, called the Bboy Summit. It was our tribute to the skills of Hip-Hop, the disciplines and disciples, to honor the Bboys and Bgirls, the original rockers of Hip-Hop. Jlove went on to author her first book, starting the nonprofit entitled “We Got Issues” and to create curriculum for educators that teaches tools of empowerment to people of color. While J-Love cruises thru the college circuit, motivating young people and lecturing on the concept of white privilege, and crusading for truth, justice and freedom, I tour around the globe, breaking, writing graffiti, teaching workshops, and producing events. We meet up periodically to get our dose of each other, and to laugh, love, and create together.

1. What are you doing now to change the game?

JL: What I am up to now is books and the publishing business; and producing TV and Film. That White Girl, the movie focuses on a white girl coming the age while grappling with race, graffiti, Hip-Hop, and gangs; and moving on some incredible TV projects (top secret for now), and my multi-media project 'Till the White Day is Done, in which the first initiative, LOVE, RACE, and LIBERATION curriculum guide (co-edited by myself and Marcella Runell Hall) drops this Women's Herstory Month. It is a guide for educators and activists to use in discussing the tough issues of race and white privilege in America.

Asia: Turned my for profit into a nonprofit called No Easy Props Productions that houses my after school program for youth called “Hip-Hop 101” where we teach multiculturalism, self-identity, physical education through Bboy/Bgirl dance, and art education through making graffiti inspired street wear; and the international annual event est. 1994, called “The B-Boy Summit”. I am also working on a TV show about Bboys and Bgirls, and a line of energy botanical teas for the Hip-Hop community.

2. Your life’s purpose?

JL: My life's purpose is dedicated to Truth, Love, and Freedom. I commit myself to building healthy tribe, creating community, righting wrongs, and loving completely.

Asia: To build a sustainable healthy Hip-Hop community, educated, empowered, and charged with the vitality of life to change the world with.

3. Who u roll with?

JL: My crews roll deep and wide. I am down with the Hip-Hop community and progressive activist community worldwide; TV and Film projects with my partners Johnny Sanchez, Heidi Miami, M1, MC Serch, Marla Teyolia, Byron Hurt Kamilah Forbes; and my best friend and business partner launching our new Hip-Hop Tea line is none other than the amazing Asia-One.

Asia: No Easy Props is my motto and movement! Zulu Kings and Kweens is who I rep with in the circles worldwide massive. The children of the world are all of my seeds, and I roll with the youth!

4. Why folks should follow you?

JL: My goal is bridging social justice with commercially viable people, products and experiences. I would love to expand my community with like-minded, creative women leaders who care deeply about peace and social justice, as well as creating innovative, artistic projects that show the world the depth and breath of women’s' power and potential.http://www.jlovecalderon.com

Asia: In order to demand more out of life, we must give of ourselves, each one doing our part collectively as a CommUnity. No more self-serving ego agendas. We want change and we are the change we want to see! www.asia-1.org

Well there you have it, 2 different phenomenal women, from different coasts, ambitious idealists that see the world thru the lens of Hip-Hop but are taking different pictures to create their story.

HerStory: Alice Paul

It seems as if America has an obsession with "bad girls". There are entire shows dedicated to women who spend the better half of their days fighting each other, getting wasted before noon and having sex with so-called celebrities to get media attention and material goods. However, what does a real bad girl look like? A real bad girl looks a lot like suffragist, Alice Paul.

Paul was born in 1885, a time when children were not allowed to speak unless they were spoken to and to a certain degree "proper" women followed that same rule. However, Alice was raised by Hicksite Quaker parents who believed in equality of the sexes. As a child she was taken to National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) meetings by her mother, Tacie Parry. Tacie was born into a wealthy family and her father, Judge William Parry was one of the founders of Swarthmore, a co-ed college. In later years Alice attended Swarthmore and graduated with a bachelors in Biology.

It was during Paul's time in Birmingham, England that she became steeped in the suffragist movement. While in Birmingham Alice met the English suffragist Christabel Pankhurst, the daughter of the radical Emmeline Pankhurst. The Pankhurst women were not known to back down. Their group of suffragists engaged in violent acts of disobedience including window smashing and rock throwing to bring attention to the suffragist movement in England. They were often carted away in cuffs. Paul was jailed on several occasions for smashing windows, thus giving new meaning to the saying a smashing good time.

Deeds not words.
Pankhurst faction suffragist motto

When Paul returned to the U.S. in 1910, she was determined to employ some of the tactics used by the English suffragists. Three years later she had the opportunity to draw major attention to the movement. Paul organized a women's march down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., which coincided with Woodrow Wilson's inauguration. What was supposed to be a peaceful event turned brutal quickly; male onlookers attacked the women while the police watched. Fortunately, the actions of the abusers had a positive impact on the movement -- the suffragists made headlines across the nation.



In 1916; after separating from NAWSA, Paul created the National Women's Party (NWP) where politicians regardless of party affiliation were held accountable for the disenfranchisement of women. The NWP staged demonstrations, picketed and participated in hunger strikes. These real bad girls found themselves in prison on several occasions. Paul and key members were arrested and thrown in jail after refusing to pay petty fines. Alice Paul served time in the Occuquan Workhouse in Virginia. During this time Paul and other women staged a hunger strike to protest the conditions of the prison. The hunger strike was met with such opposition that the suffragists were beaten and in Paul's case; forced into the sanitarium in an attempt to declare her insane. Well, there is a very thin line between insanity and genius -- with Paul bordering on the latter.

After much public outcry, the women found a supporter in Wilson, who called the suffragist amendment a "war time" act. In 1920, Paul picked up where Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cody left off as the 19th Amendment was passed. Interestingly enough, the last vote came down to the 24 year-old Harry Burn, who was asked to support the act by his very own mother.

The next time a young lady (or young man for that matter) asks you who or what a bad girl is, feel confident in referring them to Paul's story or any woman in the Ladies Lotto HerStory series. Then again, you can always point to yourself.

HerStory: Kathryn Bigelow

If you saw the Oscars last night, you just witnessed Herstory in the making! For the first time in the 82 years of Oscar history, a female was awarded the Best Director prize! Hello, this is a BIG DEAL!!

Kathryn Bigelow, director of The Hurt Locker, which was awarded the prize for Best Picture as well, accepted her awarded humbly after being introduced by Barbara Streisand (BABS!!). It's no surprise Babs referenced history had been made with this win!


If you're unfamiliar with the politics of Hollywood, so are many. But numbers don't lie and it's a FACT that women in this industry, particularly in production roles, have been short changed in recent decades. There is a glass ceiling that has yet to be broken until NOW.

Me, personally, I've been lucky to have worked on a book called "GIRL DIRECTOR" by Andrea Richards, which is highly recommended for young women & teens who have an interest in pursuing a production job in film. This is a book for your little sister, your niece, your daughter, your student, etc. Check out a preview here.

Guerrilla Girls have been around for over a decade, their flamboyant type of activism has left some shocked but ultimately, the numbers & statistics don't lie. See below link & image for their brand of activism.



So let's hear it for the girls today! Congrats to Kathryn Bigelow for her win. May this be the door that opens up to many more women in film surpassing the glass ceiling.

HerStory: Adrianna Giuliani

Adrianna Giuliani possesses one of the most creative minds I have ever come across. At the ripe age of 29-years-old, she holds down the title of "Vice President" for one of the largest and most respected Public Relations agencies, Ketchum. I've had the great pleasure of working with her, for her and learning from her. She has, without a doubt, given me some of the best advice and insight. Her unique and clever views on a variety of topics are awe-inspiring and I find myself wanting to do the listening, rather than the talking (if you know me at all - that's a rare occurrence!) I consider Adrianna a true mentor, both from a career and personal level. That said, I am honored to give you HerStory, from HerPerspective.

With seven years of service under her belt, she has experienced four different job roles at the agency. She's passed down the same advice to me that her mentor passed along to her.

"My advice to other career gals comes from one of my favorite mentors, Lauren Dougherty who is now the Director of Marketing at Mattel. She told me that the best way to get the job you want is to start doing it. Eventually people will realize what you’ve accomplished and your title will catch up to what you are delivering. It hasn’t failed yet…"

Aside from her innovative thinking in the office, Adrianna has the typical "busy city-girl" lifestyle. Hip to the trendiest restaurants and newest art shows, she finds it liberating to slow down and really appreciate all that New York City has to offer. She is passionate about volunteering and was recently selected as a mentor for Three Dot Dash, an organization that supports Global Teen Leaders from around the world who are working on projects that promote peace and humanity. Modest as always, she says, "I'm supposed to be mentoring them, but I have a feeling I'm the one who will be learning a lot."

Adrianna is also working Foundry Media on a book titled Great Textpectations. It chronicles how people date in present day, since "it's obviously all more 'Text and the City' than 'Sex and the City.'" Showcasing her impressive writing skills, she also runs her own blog, TechRomance, where she has been quite successful in creating her own language. Read for yourselves:

• MILF: "Moms I Like To Facebook," an homage to all the moms that infiltrated Facebook in 2009
• Great Textpectations: Building a relationship up over text messages and then realizing it's not what you thought it was
• Textual Tension: Sexy and flirtatious text messages. Note: this is NOT 'sexting'. Also note: she prefers the phrase 'sex messaging'
• Fauxmance: When everyone thinks you and the person you're dating are a good match ... except for you

So there you have it. This chick is the bomb. Sassy, sexy, quick-witted and classy - Adrianna Giuliani is a Woman To Love.

HerStory: Grace Coddington

Grace Coddington is the creative director of Vogue magazine. I first learnt about her whilst watching a Channel Four documentary film, which follows her and Vogue editor Anna Wintour, for the making of the 840 page September 2007 issue, the largest issue of vogue ever published.

The documentary was an amazing account of life behind the scenes of the successful magazine and was an eye opener to a very different side of all associated with life in the fashion industry...it certainly is not all glamour!

Coddington was born in 1941, Anglesey, Wales england.

Wales is in rural England miles, away from designer shops and fast city life.

She is said to of had a love of fashion from her early teens and would order Vogue magazine on 'rush copy' so she could keep up with fashion trends and have a connection with the fashion world.

At 17 she was entered into the Vogue young model competition and won...this was the begining of her career with Vogue.

Coddington worked with the company for years, but her career as a model was shattered when she was in a car accident and disfigured her eye. She underwent plastic surgery and at 28 went back to try for a job with Vogue, but this time as a Junior editor, she later became the Editor- in-chief and art director of the magazine.

Coddington has worked for Vogue over thirty years, and has very much been apart of it's huge success, her talent only came to light with the release of the documentary in 2009.

Grace Coddington has the most amazing eye as an stylist.

Her shoots are mesmerizing, highly stylized and theatrical and her pictures almost always tells a story.

This lady is truly amazing and well worth a story!

Click to view one of her images: http://www.vogue.com/images/vogue/feature/032105/img06.jpg

Call the Doctor!

Album you cannot live without #5: Sleater Kinney - Call the Doctor

Sleater-Kinney is bad to the bone. Taking their name from a highway exit near Olympia, Washington these three ladies came screaming out of the early 90's riot grrrl scene. Call the Doctor is SK's second album, going beyond Hello Kitty barretts & cunt written across the belly, these ladies write/sing about internal girl frustration – from being dismissed to being downright discriminated – while the music rails with a provocative edge.

With universal themes, a track like Good Things eloquently describes anyone's post-break up blues with lyrics "Got this feeling when I heard your name the other day, couldn't say it, couldn't make it go away...we can't be friends we can't be enemies." Lead singer Corin Tucker's voice is menacing, very distinctive, nervous and intense, but its also fun. The song I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone playfully crosses the once rigid gender lines of a rock n roll star, "I wanna be your Joey Ramone, pictures of me on your bedroom door, invite you back after the show, I'm the queen of rock & roll." The whole album will make you want to the hell rock out plus its truly an important part of musical herstory.

Herstory: Nikki Corvette

Girls like me were born to rock n roll - Nikki Corvette

You're So Young & Crazy - Nikki & The Corvettes

All this talk about The Runaways movie (the all female band led by Joan Jett), got me thinking about power pop and the amazing Nikki Corvette.

Nikki Corvette, hailing from Detroit, fronted the band, Nikki & The Corvettes back when women in music were more likely to play acoustic guitar & sing with a breathy whisper. Back then, Nikki didn't know she was inventing the girl rock & bubblegum punk genres (which really didn't take off until the 90's with bands like The Donna's & The Bobbyteens). "They had a sound somewhere between the Go-go's and the Ramones with bubblegum teenage libido maxed out with a dose of the Shangri Las. Led by a "new wave Betty Boop," to quote one review, this power group offered sounds and sex appeal. " states Punkmodpop.free.fr

Girls Like Me / Let's Go - Nikki & The Corvettes

Nikki's on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NikkiCorvette

HerStory: Tina Fey

Funny girl Tina Fey has taught us all just what it means to transform our awkward teenage awesomeness into grown woman swag. Joining the cast of the infamous and iconic Saturday Night Live in 2000 only after a three year journey to head writer and dropping 30 pounds on her own accord, Ms. Fey now dominates the comedic and entertainment scene once reserved for a gentleman's post.

Winner of several Emmy's, Golden Globes, SAG and Writers Guild accolades, Philly native Elizabeth Stamatina Fey graduated from the University of Virgina in 1992 and headed to Chicago where she joined The Second City improv troupe. Here she worked like a dog to fully immerse herself in the art of improvisation "like one of those athletes trying to get into the Olympics," as she puts it. "I was so sure that I was doing exactly what I'd been put on this earth to do, and I would have done anything to make it onto that stage. It was all about blind focus."

She now sits atop such smash hits as Mean Girls, Baby Mama, and the sitcom 30 Rock (loosely based on her experience as the head writer on the aforementioned SNL sketch comedy show). In 2001, Tina became Mrs. Jeff Richmond, 30 Rock composer and longtime love, and welcomed daughter Alice Zenobia in 2005. Who says we can't have it all?

HerStory: Maya Angelou

To call Maya Angelou a writer is a massive understatement; she is so much more. At nearly 82 years old, she is the remarkable author of five autobiographical books, 12 best sellers in total. Her most well known project, internationally famed 1969 autobiographical novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, sits amongst the greats as a work of “high-art”. Angelou not only set the precedent for Black women writers, but for the autobiography genre as a whole.

Angelou busted down the doors of limitation and emerged boldly as the voice of the American Black woman, while at the same time blurring racial and socioeconomic divides. She was one of the first Black women to ever publicly discuss her personal life. And at a time when feminist writing was abundant with political and social commentary, Angelou practiced what they were preaching by opening herself up for the world to see in such a way that there was no way her voice could not be heard.

In the face of a childhood as unconventional and challenging as it can get, Angelou went on to become a Renaissance woman of art and self-expression as a singer, dancer, actress, playwright, producer, director, honoree professional, broadcaster, Inaugurate poet and Civil rights activist. Universities, literary organizations, government agencies, and special interest groups have honored her greatness. When Angelou turned 70, Oprah Winfrey hosted a week-long Caribbean cruise for 150 of Angelou's friends. The woman has arrived in so many ways, but still strives for more, in true LLADY style.

It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet,
I am a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Excerpt from the poem Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

HerStory: Power Houses - Catherine Hughes & Muriel Siebert

Catherine "Cathy" Hughes and Muriel Siebert are two powerful women in fields dominated by large institutions headed by men. At first glance the women may seem a world apart but their struggles in fields where the glass ceilings are as high as the grass on your lawn unites these power houses. These ladies know how to work the room -- the board room.




Cathy Hughes, the Founder and Chairperson of Radio One, was born into a family that was both musically and mathematically inclined. Her mother was a trombonist in an all female jazz band and her father was the first African-American to receive an accounting degree from Creighton University. Hughes is one of the richest African-Americans living in the U.S. but spent her early childhood growing up in the projects. While Hughes' living situation was not ideal, this did allow her father to finish school.

After taking the helm of WHUR-FM at Howard University, one of America's oldest and most prestigious historically Black universities (HBCU), Hughes founded Radio One in 1979 with her husband Dewey. Hughes hoped to create a legacy for her young son and an outlet for the voices of African-Americans whose needs were being ignored by traditional media. There were several setbacks in Hughes quest to conquer the radio waves including the loss of her home.

Like any woman on a mission Hughes kept moving forward. After 32 presentations to potential investors and hearing "no" countless times she was able to fund her $1.5 million venture. Catherine Hughes is the little entrepreneur who could. One station turned into 53 (in 16 major urban markets) and thus began a media empire. Today, Radio One owns Giant magazine; cable station, TV One and several other companies. Not only has Hughes given a voice to Black America; she's given a voice to women in America.



Siebert was the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In 1967 Siebert founded Muriel Siebert & Co., Inc., a stock discount brokerage firm. The "big boys" must have been afraid of getting shown up by a woman. NYSE and lending institutions sent Muriel back and forth, each demanded she receive approval from the other. Eventually, Siebert received the funding she need to purchase her seat for a hefty $445,000. Prices for seats in 1967 were set between $220,000-450,000.

In 1975 Siebert regulated more than $500 billion in funds as Superintendent of Banks for the State of New York. During that time, no banks in New York failed while institutions went under -- nationwide. Not new to stirring the pot; Siebert called for the regulation of hedge funds amidst the latest financial crisis. A study by New York University's Stern School of Business found that 1 in 5 hedge funds lie about their performance and assets they control. More money, more problems? Not if you are Muriel Siebert, the "First Lady of Finance".

Besides having a head for business, Siebert has a heart for philanthropy. In 1990 she founded the Siebert Entrepreneurial Philanthropic Plan. The plan allows securities buyers to donate money to charities within their communities; proving that it is possible to give back while making bank. While serving as the President of the New York Women's Agenda she created a financial literacy program for women which continues to this day.

And in closing, here's a reminder for financial institutions who may have forgotten what Siebert has said all along:

The men at the top of industry and government should be more willing to risk sharing leadership with women and minority members who are not merely clones of their white male buddies. In these fast-changing times we need the different viewpoints and experiences, we need the enlarged talent bank. The real risk lies in continuing to do things the way they've always been done.

Herstory: Emma Goldman

Goldman, above at an unemployed workers rally in Union Square NYC

Emma Goldman, born in to an impoverished Orthodox Jewish family in what is now Lithuania, emigrated to the US as a teen, has been described as—among other things—"the most dangerous woman in America". She was a staunch supporter of anarchism, a political philosophy most people know little about.

During her life, Goldman was lionized as a free-thinking "rebel woman" by admirers, and derided by critics as an advocate of politically motivated murder and violent revolution. Her writing and lectures spanned a wide variety of issues, including prisons, atheism, freedom of speech, militarism, capitalism, marriage, free love, and homosexuality. Although she distanced herself from first-wave feminism and its efforts toward women's suffrage, she developed new ways of incorporating gender politics into anarchism.

As an anarchist, Goldman championed numerous human rights causes, particularly the issue of free speech. Widely persecuted for her advocacy of anarchism and opposition to World War I, Goldman was active in the early 20th century free speech movement, seeing freedom of expression as a fundamental necessity for achieving social change. Her outspoken championship of her ideals, in the face of persistent arrests, inspired Roger Baldwin, one of the founders of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Goldman advocated passionately for the rights of women, and is today heralded as a founder of anarcha-feminism, which challenges patriarchy as a hierarchy to be resisted alongside state power and class divisions. In 1897 she wrote: "I demand the independence of woman, her right to support herself; to live for herself; to love whomever she pleases, or as many as she pleases. I demand freedom for both sexes, freedom of action, freedom in love and freedom in motherhood.”

Goldman was also an outspoken critic of prejudice against homosexuals. Her belief that social liberation should extend to gays and lesbians was virtually unheard of at the time, even among anarchists. As Magnus Hirschfeld wrote, "she was the first and only woman, indeed the first and only American, to take up the defense of homosexual love before the general public." In numerous speeches and letters she defended the right of gays and lesbians to love as they pleased and condemned the fear and stigma associated with homosexuality. As Goldman wrote in a letter to Hirschfeld, "It is a tragedy, I feel, that people of a different sexual type are caught in a world which shows so little understanding for homosexuals and is so crassly indifferent to the various gradations and variations of gender and their great significance in life."

After decades of obscurity, Goldman's iconic status was revived in the 1970s, when feminist and anarchist scholars rekindled popular interest in her life.

Read Emma's writings here: http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Goldman/

Via WIKIPEDIA

HerStory: Zainab Salbi

Zainab Salbi is truly a woman's woman. Salbi, an Iraqi-American writer and social activist, is co-founder and president of Women for Women International. Born in Baghdad, Iraq, she came to the United States at the age of 19. Her experience with the Iran–Iraq War sensitized her to the plight of women in war worldwide. She has written and spoken extensively on the use of rape and other forms of violence against women during war. In 1995, President Bill Clinton honored Salbi at the White House for her humanitarian work in Bosnia.

Women for Women International was formed when Salbi and her husband Amjad Atallah, a Palestinian-American, were moved by the plight of the women of the former Yugoslavia, many forced into the now infamous rape and concentration camps. But they ran onto a road block when they realized that there were no organizations in existence to address the situation. Even though they were newlyweds, in lieu of a honeymoon, Salbi and Atallah launched an organization that created “sister-to-sister” connections between sponsors in the United States and female survivors of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They were greeted with an overwhelming response; a female survivor of the rape camps who had lost her husband and children during the war said, "I thought the world had forgotten us…."

Juiced by the success of their first endeavors, and with the continued support of other concerned individuals, they started Women for Women International with a tiny budget and a small team of dedicated volunteers. Since 1993, Women for Women International has supported women survivors of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Kosovo, Nigeria, Colombia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan. It has assisted more than 243,000 women, distributed more than $80 million in direct aid, and trained thousands of women in rights awareness.

In addition to sponsorships, women can take advantage of microcredit loans. These loans (usually about $80 USD) allow women to start businesses in their communities, become independent, and care for their families (husbands included). It's a proven fact that when you invest in women and girls, there is marked progress. The rate of repayment for the loans overall are at 98%.

Zainab Salbi is a complete inspiration, and she's created a way for us ALL to participate in lifting up other women. Find out more about Women for Women International and get involved!

HerStory: Wilma Mankiller

Our idea of what a Native American Chief looks like is shaped by Hollywood films -- tanned and stoic, with a large headdress and definitely male. Enter Wilma Mankiller, who in 1985 became the first female Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Mankiller was born in 1945 and raised on her father's ancestral land until the family willingly relocated to California under the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Indian Relocation Program.

Although Mankiller married at the age of 17 and had two children, she continued her education at the University of San Francisco. She was heavily involved in the American Indian Movement and was a participant in the occupation of Alcatraz; to bring attention to Native American issues in the late 1960s. She was instrumental in the founding of the Native American Youth Center and American Indian Community School. Her activism influenced her decision to move back to her childhood home with her two daughters in tow, sans her husband.

Upon her return to Oklahoma Mankiller started working with the Cherokee Nation and swiftly moved up the ranks -- her hard work leading the way. While recovering from an accident where she was badly injured she began to learn more about her Cherokee heritage. When she resumed her work which included building proper water channels and renovating homes, it caught the attention of Ross Swimmer who invited her to join him on his ticket as deputy chief. Soon she was given another chance to move up the ladder when Chief Swimmer took a post at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Her rise was not without fault; she received multiple death threats and was the victim of vandalism. She ran for chief and was re-elected in 1987 and 1991.

In the past, women had a voice in Cherokee government. However, when Mankiller entered the governing body of the Cherokee Nation it was male-dominated. In 1990 she successfully enacted a self-governance agreement that allowed the Cherokee Nation to administer federal funds in lieu of the Bureau of Indian Affairs thus proving she could successfully negotiate landmark deals as good as any male chief. With a last name like Mankiller, Wilma was destined to smash the patriarchal sentiment which existed in the Cherokee Nation.

Read more about Wilma Mankiller in her autobiography, Mankiller: A Chief and Her People

HerStory: Lauren Hutton

Lauren Hutton, the ambitious, bold trailblazer was born in Charleston, South Carolina on November 17, 1943.

At 66 years old she is still an icon for many. She doesn’t stop living life to its fullest and she embraces the inevitable natural aging process.

“Our wrinkles are our metals of the passage of our life... I don't think I will ever cut my face, because once I cut it, then I never know where I've been.”

What separated Hutton from other models and actress’ is that she made success for herself using a different approach - not adhering to the standards set of her time, in the 1960’s.

Hutton who is short by typical model standards and has gapped teeth made both of these things work for her. Eileen Ford wanted her to fix her nose and teeth, Lauren had no intention of either and knew there was good money in modeling and chose this path so that she could have money to travel the world.

One of Lauren’s first photo shoots, which would bring her success, was by the late Richard Avedon. “I was inexperienced so Avedon was having a hard time getting me to move naturally. Finally he stopped trying to shoot and asked me about myself. He asked where I came from, and I told him that I grew up in the swamplands in Florida. He asked me what I did there. I said, "We played in the swamps and jumped around." So I spent the rest of that day jumping. Three months later, Vogue came out with 14 pages of me jumping, gapped teeth included, as Avedon wouldn't let me put wax between my teeth like I usually did”.

After years in the biz, Lauren Hutton managed to get the first cosmetics contract that would set the standard for models for years to come…

Quote: “I saw a story on the front page of the New York Times about a baseball player, Catfish Hunter. He was the first player to get a sports contract. I remember his quote: "I've got to have a contract because I'm in a youth-oriented business." I thought, I'm in a youth-oriented business too. I was 30, the most famous model in the world, and I was the last of my era's famous models left. Verushka, Jean Shrimpton, Twiggy, they all had stopped. I read the article to my boyfriend and asked him how I could get a contract like that. He replied, "That's easy: refuse to do cosmetic ads." And that's what I did”.

Throughout Laurens many years of travel (35+ years) she has trekked from the Himalayas to Africa to the Amazon. Scuba-dived. Dog-sledded in Sweden and Alaska…she’s gone and lived with Pygmies. She says: “These experiences made my brain and my face change. I learned things other people weren't learning unless they were explorers or anthropologists. A million extraordinary things happened to me every single day on these trips. I slept in a sleeping bag on the ground, with no makeup, no mirrors, and companions who were wearing leaves and had filed teeth, and I read tons of books. I always came back to New York refreshed and chaffing at the bit. Also, I was never competitive with the other girls; it's self-defeating and makes you look ugly”.

In October 2005, at the age of 61, Hutton agreed to pose nude for Big magazine. "I want them (women) not to be ashamed of who they are when they're in bed"

Check out Lauren's makeup line: http://www.laurenhutton.com/

HerStory: Lisa Nichols

Lisa Nichols' life story isn't of the usual variety. There were no family connections, Ivy League colleges or having an easy time of it in general. She is, in her words "a little black girl from South Central." However, that little girl grew up to be the living, breathing inspiration for millions around the world. Her dedication to sharing her story and life lessons is what helps her connect to people from all walks of life. She isn't your typical self-help, motivational speaker.

Encouraging women to define themselves and helping them tap into the power within is her goal. She is passionate about women embracing who and what they are as a means to becoming who they want to be. "You think and speak your life into existence." What she promotes is so powerful, that men have been very vocal about her female-directed message. And it's true that anyone can apply her teachings to their life.

Lisa participated in the now-defunct "Starting Over"; helping women get past difficult points in their lives and recreate themselves. She has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show numerous times, as well as having taken part in the wildly popular, The Secret. Previously labeled the worst writer by her English teacher has ever seen, Nichols has published three books. We as women (and men) should be "non-negotiable" about ourselves and our goals. "Reject average and embrace extraordinary!"

"Be so sure that you have claimed what you want, that you have to say yes twice! Yes, yes!"

Learn more about Lisa and her mission at www.Lisa-Nichols.com.

HerStory: Oprah Winfrey

There is no one else in the world with the power and credibility to cause such radical market swings and consumer price changes. Oprah Winfrey is the one person who by simply speaking the name of a product in print or on air has that very effect. And actually, the term “Oprah Effect” has been given to the guaranteed increase of sales that that occurs when a book is selected for her revered Oprah’s Book Club.

CNN, Time, and Life have all said that Winfrey is arguably the most popular and influential woman in the world. Life and USA Today deem her the most influential black person…not black woman, but black person…of her generation, and President Obama agrees.

To have such an impact is undeniably astounding. Although she starred in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple in 1985, Winfrey’s rise to the media mogul master she is today began most notably with the launch of her hour-long, nationally syndicated talk-how, The Oprah Winfrey Show, in 1986. Viewers and critics were shocked when Winfrey outshined the previously most popular tabloid talk show hosted by Phil Donahue. The public was instantly drawn in to Winfrey’s layman’s curiosity, sense of humor and above all, her empathy.

In the 90’s, Winfrey switched up the style of her show and began focusing less on tabloids and more on relevant issues including politics, spirituality, women’s health, gifting and home décor. She talked to celebs about charity work, health issues, substance abuse or any issues that were important to them, instead of the usual gossip-talk. Winfrey’s show also gave a voice to normal folks doing extraordinary things.

Hinging from her ridiculously successful talk show, Winfrey now publishes O, The Oprah Magazine and she’s co-authored five books. Oprah.com boasts more than 70 million page views, more than six million users per month, and about 20,000 emails each week. Winfrey also has her own XM Radio show, Oprah Radio. And along with such major accomplishments, this is a woman who is dedicated to charity work in the highest, most hands-on form.

On deck for Winfrey is her narration of Discovery Channel’s upcoming documentary series, Life, which airs this month. With her project No Phone Zone, she is campaigning something fierce to raise awareness for how dangerous it is to drive while texting, emailing, etc. Whether we love her, hate her, or only pay attention to her weight gains and losses, her complete takeover in the world of media deserves an LLady high-five any day.

HerStory: Whatever You Give a Woman...

HerStory: Candice Han

Candice Han represents the every woman while still achieving total individuality. She is the public relations practitioner and brand-blending entrepreneur behind her company Pitchblend Media. Her client list includes top name music acts, visual artists and companies who shall remain nameless for privacy purposes.

Her specialty? Innovation and technology.

Her methodology?

“I make sure to stay ahead of the curve with all the on and offline technology that is constantly emerging so I know how to apply these tools for my company and especially for my clients,” says Han. “I understand the dynamic shifting of media and how that makes sense for companies and the arts & entertainment. I always make sure that my methods and the services I offer are top level, delivering ideas that have never been done before.”

Beyond nonstop output and pure productivity, Han contributes much more of the really real stuff to our world. After a DJ career, and a late-bloomer B.A. in Journalism and PR, she made her business dreams happen after struggling for years with self-doubt and insecurity. Her thriving company represents sacrifice, championship, persistence, self-love and confidence…in addition to a finely tuned social media compass and a reputation of campaign creativity that precedes her.

“I know there isn't anything I can't do or accomplish and that goes for everyone in this world. Fear is an illusion. Whenever you take risks, roll the dice and surrender to free fall, you will always land on your feet and win.”
- Candice Han

HerStory: Zadie Smith

Authoress Zadie Smith came from, if nothing else, intellectually privileged beginnings. Born of Jamaica by way of northwest England, an inquisitive girl grew to be on of the most coveted wordsmiths of a generation. As a child she dreamt of becoming a musical movie actress alla Carmen Jones but, instead, tapped her way to Cambridge University to study English Literature. Here is where she started a short story that later expanded into what is now known as her first novel, White Teeth. This portrait of a multicultural life in London won her much acclaim as told through the lives of three ethnically diverse families. "I never attended a creative writing class in my life," she has cited. "I have a horror of them. Most writers groups moonlight as support groups for the kind of people who think that writing is therapeutic. Writing is the exact opposite of therapy. The best, the only real training you can get is from reading other people's books."

Zadie has set as a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University and lives in London with her husband, poet NicK Laird, and daughter, Irie. Speaking In Tongues by Zadie Smith

Herstory: Lynda Weinman

Lynda Weinman, a Web graphics and design veteran, wrote the very first industry book on Web design, Designing Web Graphics, in 1995. She is a prominent educator and the author of dozens of best-selling books. Weinman was a faculty member at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, in 1989, and has worked as an animator and motion graphics director in the film special effects industry.

Weinman has worked as a consultant for Adobe, Macromedia, and Microsoft, and has conducted workshops at Disney, Microsoft, Adobe, and Macromedia. She has been a keynote speaker, moderator, and lecturer at numerous design, animation, Web design, and computer-graphics conferences. Weinman and her husband Bruce Heavin co-founded lynda.com in 1995. (via Lynda.com)

Back in undergrad I took a class on how to build a website. This was waaayyy back when most people didn't know what HTML was and when frames were acceptable as the norm. One resource my teacher shared with us (Travis Smith of Variety.com) was LYNDA.COM. Went to Lynda for the web palette below which is a quick reference for changing colors in HTML (again, back when most people weren't using dreamweaver, etc).

The thing about Lynda is that she really is a pioneer in web based graphics and her website has massive reach and influence. Enjoy the resource she provides!

Check out: http://www.lynda.com