Why this book?

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”  ~Toni Morrison

What is the book about?

Bluegrass Bold: Stories of Kentucky Women showcases women of Kentucky who actively contributed to bettering the Bluegrass and beyond. Readers young and old will be captivated by the stories of these women. The book profiles a diverse group of Kentuckians, and each page provides a story of the individual coupled with a portrait created by a Kentucky artist.

The book’s publisher is Butler Books, a Kentucky-based, woman-led publisher.

See the list of featured women below.

Sample page from Bluegrass Bold

Why is this book needed?

Young students need exposure to diverse voices and perspectives to understand the communities in which they live and to develop their own unique identities.

And under the new social studies standards, Kentucky teachers are required to integrate Kentucky studies into their curriculum. This means the Kentucky story—from history to modern civic concerns—will be featured prominently in K-12 education. This book helps teachers weave Kentucky content into their curriculum.

Women’s contributions to history are often overlooked or entirely absent. Women’s voices within the historical record often lack breadth, depth, and diversity. This book highlights a diverse array of Kentucky women whose contributions to national and state history deserve recognition.

The featured women represent a variety of Kentucky locations, racial/ethnic backgrounds, ages, historical eras (including modern individuals), and civic contributions.

What makes this book different?

Though there are books on Kentucky women, there are few resources aimed at young people. Inspired by Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls and Amazing Iowa, this book reflects the aesthetic and impetus of both books, but differs in the following ways:

  1. Focuses on Kentucky women, so Kentucky students can directly relate. (The Educators page provides additional resources for each profiled woman to support students’ continuing explorations.)

  2. Provides online resources to support integration into curriculum and student investigation.

  3. Connects directly to curriculum and is aligned to ELA and social studies state standards and inquiry-based learning (based on the C3 Framework, published and endorsed by the National Council for the Social Studies).

  4. Connects to curricular and academic standards to facilitate teacher-classroom use, while the story structure and narrative arc are designed to have mass appeal.

Who will be featured?

Each woman was chosen based on her story’s potential to inspire young people to be civically engaged: through activism, career and personal achievements, and leadership. 

Note: The women listed below are not in the order they appear in the book.

  1. Native American women: As an introduction to Kentucky women’s history, the authors briefly describe the complex Native American societies in Kentucky, women’s contributions, and address how the many different groups were pushed out by white settlers.  
    • Entire state
  2. Georgia Davis Powers: Powers was the first African-American Kentucky state senator and an ardent civil rights activist, helping to organize the March on Frankfort. She advocated on behalf of many marginalized groups.
    • Louisville, Springfield
  3. Eula Hall: A self-proclaimed “hillbilly activist,” Hall has spent her entire life advocating on behalf of workers’ rights, school lunch programs, and access to healthcare.
    • Floyd County
  4. Susan Look Avery: A strong advocate for abolitionism and women’s rights, Avery was a prominent suffrage activist in Kentucky.
    • Louisville
  5. Charlotte Dupuy: Dupuy made national headlines when she sued her owner, Henry Clay, for her freedom. Clay kept her from her family afterwards, then freed her when he ran for president, keeping Dupuy’s husband and son enslaved. Dupuy’s story highlights the role and agency of enslaved women, as well as their importance in Kentucky history.  
    • Lexington
  6. bell hooks:  hooks is a well-known feminist author, professor, social activist, and founder of the bell hooks Institute at Berea College. She has written dozens of pieces about marginalized communities, as well as her understanding of place and identity as it relates to being an African American Appalachian woman.
    • Hopkinsville/Christian County, Berea
  7. Ashley Judd: Judd has used her fame as an actress to advocate on behalf of gender equality and global human rights. Specifically, her role in the #MeToo movement has helped elevate the voices of women affected by violence and discrimination.
    • Ashland, Lexington
  8. Delia Webster: Webster was an Underground Railroad operator. Webster not only lost suffered personal financial losses, but risked her life on multiple occasions to free enslaved Kentuckians.
    • Trimble County
  9. Sophia Alcorn: As a teacher for the deaf and blind, Alcorn developed a communication method that allowed her students to mimic speech patterns. The “Tadoma” method was used by Helen Keller. 
    • Stanford
  10. Mizari Suárez: Suárez is a modern day activist, advocating on behalf of the Latinx community and immigration issues.
    • Lexington
  11. Sarah Frances Price: Identification of hundreds of Kentucky fauna can be traced to Price, who identified, categorized, and created artistic renderings of plants and animals, earning prominence in the national botany community. 
    • Bowling Green
  12. Marjorie Jones / Tracey Knight: Jones and Knight were the first female couple to sue the federal government for marriage rights. Both were activists in the LGBTQ+ community of Kentucky.
    • Louisville/Lexington
  13. Mary Edwards Walker: For her service treating wounded Union soldiers, Walker received the Medal of Honor, making her the only female recipient to date. Walker also advocated on behalf of women’s clothing rights, having been arrested several times for wearing men’s clothing. 
    • Louisville
  14. Rose Will Monroe: As a real “Rosie the Riveter,” Monroe was featured in promotional films encouraging women to join the workforce. After the end of WWII, when many women were encouraged to return to domestic life, Monroe continued to challenge gender roles by opening up her own construction company.
    • Pulaski County/Somerset 
  15. Anna Shepherd: a product of the original War on Poverty Head Start program, Shepherd has devoted her career to advocating on behalf of children’s health and education in Eastern Kentucky. Her work speaks to the value of investing in young people, as well as to the ways in which she has used her childhood experiences as a springboard for her own civic engagement.
    • Magoffin County, Floyd County 
  16. Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge: Though her family largely supported the Confederacy, Breckinridge advocated on behalf of racial and economic equality. She reached national prominence through collaboration with the Chicago Hull House, the NAACP, FDR’s administration, among many others.
    • Lexington
  17. Susan Mullins: As a member of the Mohawk tribe, Mullins shares her heritage and culture with groups all over Kentucky.
    • Berea
  18. Nannie Helen Burroughs: Burroughs was a prominent African American suffragist at the state and national level, where she challenged racism and sexism within rights movements.
    • Louisville
  19. Margaret Ingels: Ingels was the first female engineering graduate from the University of Kentucky, spearheading innovations in air conditioning, the impact of which forever changed United States demographics, as well as global economic and health issues. Likewise, she broke barriers for women in STEM.
    • Paris
  20. Julia Britton Hooks: Known as the “Angel of Beale Street,” Hooks was a musician, educator, and leader in the civil rights movement. She was also one of the first African American women to attend college in Kentucky, and the first African American on faculty at Berea College.
    • Frankfort
  21. Thomasena Grider: A committed public servant, Grider is the first African American woman promoted to police sergeant in the Lexington police department.
    • Lexington 
  22. Nancy Newsom: Newsom broke gender norms by breaking into the male-dominated world of the meat industry.
    • Princeton 
  23. Hadeel Abdallah: Abdallah was a University of Kentucky student, selected to be a Rhodes scholar for her work and activism on behalf of refugees.
    • Lexington
  24. Tracy Drain: Drain is a flight systems engineer for NASA. She has used her work to advocate on behalf  of STEM education for young people.
    • Louisville
  25. Hailey Case, Jordan Harrell, Lily Dunn: After the school shooting at Marshall County High School, three students at the school–Case, Harrell, & Dunn–began advocating on behalf of gun legislation.
    • Marshall County
  26. Martha Layne Collins: Collins was the first female governor of Kentucky.
    • Bagdad/Shelby County
  27. Rosemary Clooney: Born in Maysville, Clooney was a performer by trade.  Rosemary Clooney used her position and influence to better Kentucky when she formed the Betty Clooney Foundation for the Brain Injured in honor of her sister.
    • Allen County
  28. Mary Willie Arvin: Arvin served in the military during World War I.  She is one of the few women recognized for her contributions by all three Allied countries, and remains the most decorated Kentucky female veteran in World War I. First woman ever to receive the purple heart.
    • Henderson
  29. Anne Braden/Charlotte Wade: Braden fought institutional racism, such as redlining and Jim Crow laws by offering to purchase a home for Charlotte Wade, a friend of color.  Landing in court, Braden raised awareness about the effects of redlining in the Commonwealth.
    • Louisville
  30. Jean Ritchie: Referred to as the “Mother of Folk” and a prominent dulcimer player, Ritchie helped to bridge the gap between the Appalachian music of old and modern Appalachian music.
    • Viper, Berea
  31. Soreyda Begley:  Born in Honduras and now an entrepreneur and activist in Lexington, Begley became a fashion designer focused on paying it forward, fair trade, and women’s rights.
    • Lexington
  32. Lucille Caudill Little:  An art enthusiast and philanthropist, Caudill Little helped shape and elevate Kentucky culture by supporting all forms of the arts, such as ballet, opera, and theatre.
    • Morehead
  33. Nima Kulkarni: An immigration attorney, Kulkarni was the first Indian-American elected to the state legislature.
    • Louisville
  34. Alice Allison Dunnigan: A journalist, Allison Dunnigan was the first African American correspondent to receive White House credentials.  Covering the turbulence of her time led her to become a civil rights activist.
    • Russellville
  35. Joan Robinett: After watching her son experience complications due to contaminated well water near their family home, Robinett fought for the environmental rights of her neighbors and Kentuckians all over the Bluegrass.
    • Harlan
  36. Rosie Moosnick: Moosnick is a sociologist and author, who has written about Arab and Jewish identity in Kentucky.
    • Lexington