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women's history month

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Graphic illustration of Aimee Semple McPherson and Angelus Temple
Nicholas Beyelia, March 16, 2022

While scouring microfilm in the History & Genealogy Department at Central Library a few months back, I was startled to see a name that seemed entirely out of place in a particular publication.


Collage of Los Angeles Public Libraries named after women
Tiffney Sanford, March 11, 2022

The Los Angeles Public Library has seven and a "half" branches dedicated to extraordinary women. Let’s take a look at these women and their namesake libraries for Women’s History Month.


Collage of books about female spies during World War II
Deborah Savage, March 10, 2022

World War II required an enormous number of troops and personnel throughout the world. The unrelenting demand for labor opened up new opportunities for women. For the first time, the United States military established separate branches for women.


African-American classical composer, Julia Perry
Alan Westby, February 23, 2022

Julia Perry (1924-1979) was an American composer of African descent who had remarkable success in Europe and the U.S. in the 1950s and 1960s. She made an international impression with her Stabat Mater, composed in 1951, and her Short Piece for Orchestra the following year.


Activist Judy Heumann holding her two books, Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist and Rolling Warrior

We Americans owe a profound debt of gratitude to activist Judy Heumann. The chutzpah she has demonstrated through decades of direct action has solidified fundamental civil rights for people with disabilities. An early fight that Ms.


Portrait of Anne Lister (1791-1840), by Joshua Horner, ca.1830

Anne Lister (1791–1840), often referred to as ‘the first modern lesbian,’ was a wealthy, independent British landowner, businesswoman, and prolific diarist.


Suely Saro, First Cambodian American Councilperson in Long Beach
Suzanne Im, May 10, 2021

Dr. Suely Saro won the seat for Long Beach City Council District 6 in the November 3rd, 2020 election, becoming the first person of Cambodian descent to hold political office within Long Beach, one of the nation’s most ethnically diverse cities and home to the largest Cambodian diaspora in the world.


Portrait of Florence Price taken by G. Niledoff
Alan Westby, April 09, 2021

On Easter Sunday, 1939, contralto Marian Anderson performed one of the most significant concerts in American history.


Monica Shannon and her Newbery Award-winning book, Dobry
Tiffney Sanford, March 30, 2021

You may know Monica Shannon as the author of the 1935 Newbery Award-winning book Dobry, but have you read her fairy tales set in California? They are remarkably descriptive and among the strangest books, I’ve read in a long time.


City of Los Angeles Councilwomen: Janice Hahn, Jan C. Perry, Wendy Greuel, Nury Martinez, and Monica Rodriguez

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we are highlighting the women who have served as councilmembers of the Los Angeles City Council.


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