UNC Healthy Heels

March is Women’s History Month.  In honor of the month, here are some famous women throughout time who embodied dimensions of wellness.

Physical

Despite an official trying to attack and eject her (even though the rules did not say women couldn’t run), Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon.

Social

Erin Pizzey was the first person to start a formal organization to protect women who have been domestically abused.  Erin started Refuge as a place where abused women could and take shelter with their children.

Emotional

Rosalynn Carter defied traditional first lady roles and fought to promote positive change, awareness, and stigma reduction in the mental health field.  She created The Carter Center Mental Health Task Force and hosts the annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy.

Environmental

Founder of The Green Belt Movement, Wangari Maathai advocated for poverty reduction and environmental conservation through tree planting. Wangari was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.

Financial

After barely graduating college, Suze Orman was a waitress tired of stereotypes when she decided to open her own restaurant. She taught herself everything about finances, and is now one of the most successful financial advisors in the world.

Cultural

Virginia Dare was the first English person born in the Americas. Nobody knows what happened to her colony, but there’s plenty of legend and lore surrounding The Lost Colony, and the mark it left on history.

Intellectual

Toni Morrison became the first black woman writer to hold a chair at an Ivy League University, and she became the first black American woman to win a Nobel Prize.

 

Spiritual

Ingrid Mattson is a prominent religious leader and interfaith activist. She teaches and chair Islamic Studies programs at universities in the U.S. and Canada. Shen advocates for a greater dialogue between faiths as a way to increase partnerships and understanding.