Washington’s Undiscovered Feminists

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, remember some of the remarkable, but often unsung, women of the Pacific Northwest.

Writer Mayumi Tsutakawa presents five “woman warriors” in the arts and journalism whose inspiring stories reach back to the early years of our region. Meet the pioneering photographer Imogen Cunningham, Black American jazz musician Ruby Bishop, Chinese American artist Priscilla Chong Jue, Leftist journalist Anna Louise Strong, and Native American linguist Vi Hilbert. Drawing on her own experience as an activist and writer, she explores how these women inspired others and changed our state and our society.

Mayumi Tsutakawa is an independent writer and curator who has focused on Asian/Pacific American history and arts. Tsutakawa received her MA in Communications and her BA in East Asian Studies at the University of Washington.

Funded project of Humanities Washington, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.