Amplify: Women in History

Amplify is a once a month series written by HerStry columnist, Joycelyn Ghansah. Each month Joycelyn explores one of the lives lesser known from women in history. It is our goal to bring these women’s stories and works to the forefront so that their stories are not forgotten. 

Coming Soon:

A new movement series, from July to October 2022!


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Shapers of a Movement: The Impact of Women of Color and Nonbinary Folx in Organizing Spaces

Welcome to the August edition of the Amplify series: Shapers of a Movement. In this edition, we decided to do something different. We decided to talk to someone actively organizing to improve their community. What did we talk about? Well, the impact women of color and nonbinary folx have in organizing movements, and how they create spaces, fight to enact better policies for the community at large, and continue to fight and manage in an area that is often dominated by cisgender, white, and male people.

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Amplify InBetween: The Keepers of the Community

In this Amplify InBetween, we will share about three Asian American and Pacific Islander amplifiers who made, and continue to make, an impact on the lives of others, and how their influence has positively impacted the way we view activism, art, and storytelling.

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Sisterhood and the Many Identities of Pat Parker

April is about new beginnings. Our theme for this month, Breasts, can be a touchy subject. Our Amplify has chosen to talk about the untold struggles and triumphs of Activist, Feminist, and poet Pat Parker, a woman who made it her life mission to enhance the lives of those in her community, embrace her identity, and foster self-love.

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Amplify InBetween: Women Who Reshaped Their Homelands

Maya Angelou once said, “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”

It’s true; home is supposed to be a safe space where you feel that love and warmth. Home is a place to go when you lose your way. But what happens when your home becomes a battlefield? Or what if the people of your homeland are the ones committing the atrocities? Will you choose to fight, to protect your home or expose an injustice, even at the cost of your life and livelihood?

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Rage Against the System: Sex Workers of the ECP Take on the Church, Racism, and Police Brutality

Sex workers have been at the forefront of abolitionist movements for centuries. Many have spent their lives fighting to be seen, heard, and taken seriously. As a collective, sex workers continue to fight against the church, politicians, police, and a society that doesn’t value them or their work. It’s no surprise that the event that marked the beginning of the modern sex workers movement happened while occupying a church—the Holy Cross Church, to be exact.

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Anna Julia Cooper, The Black Liberation Feminist

HerStry’s monthly theme for January, “The Rest of The Story,” connects with our Amplify of the Month. Learn about the extraordinary life of Anna Julia Cooper, a famous scholar in social science circles, also known as “the Mother of Black Feminism.” Check out how she spent her life advocating for equal education for Black women, and how she changed the course of history and HerStry.

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Amplify InBetween: First in Class

Welcome to Amplify InBetween, where you give you samples with a bit of herstory and a little bit of fun. In our final Amplify piece for 2021, we will look at the first Amplifiers in their class. These ladies were the first to fly, teach, create, disrupt, bring new perspectives and innovation, and inspire generations.

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AMPLIFY: Madam C.J. Walker

Happy February, HerStry Readers! This month, we’re taking a look at the life of Madam C.J. Walker, America’s first (reported) self-made black woman millionaire. Sure, there are a lot of qualifiers there, but Madam Walker reached this accomplishment in the early 1900’s.

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AMPLIFY: Chien-Shiung Wu

Happy January, HerStry readers! I apologize for the lack of Amplify in December. One of my low-key resolutions is to not miss a single month of Amplify in 2019. There are so many stories to tell and no one wants an unreliable columnist. 

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