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Powerful Women in History & Today in Nashville

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Powerful Women in History & Today in Nashville

March is Women’s History month in the U.S. and whether you’re visiting Nashville, moving here or living here, there are women leaders making our city stand out and lots of powerful women in history to learn about, explore and discover — any time of year! Here are a few favorite women leaders, stories in history and women-owned businesses we love in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.  

The Nashville murals have become destinations in their own rights. People love to seek them out for photo ops. This one by Emily Eisenhart, outside of Madewell, is no exception.
  • Women’s Suffrage

Did you know that Tennessee played an integral role in the women’s suffrage movement? In 1920, Tennessee was the final and deciding vote to pass the proposed 19th Amendment to the Constitution. This vote hinged on an 11th-hour change of heart by state legislator Harry Burn thanks to a powerful letter that his mother wrote to him encouraging/insisting that he vote yes! And so he did — thus allowing women in America the right to vote!

Native Nashvillian, Anne Dallas Dudley, the founder and first president of the Nashville Suffrage league, rallied thousands of women during that vote, and her efforts were not only instrumental on the local level but on the national level as well. You can visit some integral women’s suffrage spots right here in Nashville too.

Explore Nashville:

Visit the Tennessee Women’s Suffrage Monument at Centennial Park featuring Anne Dallas Dudley and four other women who worked for women’s equality. The piece, created by renowned Nashville sculptor Alan LeQuire, was commissioned by the Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument organization to commemorate the importance of Tennessee’s pivotal role in granting women the right to vote.

  • Women in Civil Rights
The impact Diane Nash had on the city of Nashville and the state of Tennessee is incredible. Here she walks stoically to the courthouse to confront the mayor. Photo from Karen Kraft | The Tennesseean.

A leader in our nation’s civil rights movement, Diane Nash was a prominent figure in Nashville’s lunch counter sit-ins and other civil rights protests across the country. In 1960, three weeks after she asked then mayor Ben West on the steps of City Hall if he felt it was wrong to discriminate against a person solely on their race, several of the city’s lunch counters began serving African Americans. Learn more about Diane Nash and her work with the Freedom Riders here.

Explore Nashville:

Visit the Downtown Library Civil Rights Room where you can learn about Nash and other women and men who were leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. You can sit at the symbolic lunch counter and read the Ten Rules of Conduct carried by the protesters during the sit-ins and examine the timeline of local and national events. Also, the Civil Rights Room overlooks the intersection of Church Street and Seventh Avenue North, where nonviolent protests against segregated lunch counters took place.

  • Women in Medicine

Thanks to Nashville’s world-renowned universities, medical centers and research institutions, opportunities for women and girls in STEM are flourishing. Some favorite local female physicians include Elizabeth Dykstra, Sharon Norman, Lorina Poe & Nitara Carswell.

Explore Nashville

The Votes for Women room inside the downtown Nashville Public Library includes some groundbreaking women in medicine who helped during the suffrage movement. Also, Vanderbilt University Medical Center often shares immersion projects featuring women intersecting both STEM and art. Finally, Tennessee Women in Medicine is a group that supports women who are involved in the practice of medicine.

  • Women in Music

So many women have made their mark in the music industry right here in Music City – from Dolly Parton to Loretta Lynn to Tammy Wynette – female musicians have been pushing the bar for women’s voices in the music industry for decades.

Who doesn’t love Dolly? This gorgeous is not in Nashville but in Asheville! The artist is Artist Gus Cutty.

Explore Nashville

Visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and explore the women featured here. The Hall of Fame’s permanent exhibit “Sing Me Back Home” features everyone from Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton to Reba and the Dixie Chicks. The museum is also home to the Taylor Swift Education Center.

  • Women in Local Business
Owned by Nashville part time resident, Reese Witherspoon, Draper James in 12 South has a wall mural that is a hot spot for photos.

Women-owned local businesses are booming in and around Nashville. From boutique owners and restaurants to not-for-profits and design firms, women are stepping up and out all over the mid-state! 

Explore Nashville

Explore women-owned businesses around town. Here are some of our favorites:

Written by : Sarah Wilson

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