Notable Women of Alabama

Smashing the Glass Ceiling

Women in Alabama have made an outsized contribution to both the state and the nation. Before Rosa Parks, fifteen-year old Claudette Colvin challenged segregation laws on a bus in Montgomery. Georgia Gilmore used her cooking skills to empower and support protestors during the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. Singer "Big Mama" Thornton became the bridge between rock 'n roll and the blues. After being crowned Miss America in 1951, the "Basque Spitfire" Yolande Betbeze took a defiant stand for women, forcing changes in the pageant industry. Author Joe Cuhaj profiles the unique journeys, challenges and triumphs of these and many more women who have helped shape the cultural and social landscape of not only Alabama but the world as well.