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Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

A woman and child stand at a shop counter facing a woman behind the register.

How Four Women Built Careers on the Financial Lessons They Learned at Home

In oral histories, advocates and executives reflect on how their mothers shaped their understanding of financial independence through quiet examples and everyday conversations.

A group of people stand around a table looking at a dress laid out on top. Lighting and processing equipment is visible in the background.

How the American Women’s History Initiative Pool Lays the Groundwork for a New Museum

Since 2018, the American Women's History Initiative Pool has funded more than 200 projects across the Smithsonian, supporting research, collections, and programming that make women's history visible long before the museum has a building.

Sepia portrait of Sallie E. Pero from the chest up.

Before Computers Were Machines, They Were Women. Here Are Six Places Where Human Computers Built Modern Science

From AT&T to NASA, women working as computers performed the calculations that made modern science possible. In the early 1900s, computing joined teaching and nursing as one of the few careers open to college-educated women, and it opened doors that few other professions could

Woman holding a sign reading “Equal positions with equal pay” during an equal pay demonstration in a city plaza, with women seated behind her.

Women Who Reshaped Financial Power and Economic Opportunity

How have women built real financial power? 'We Do Declare' shares oral histories of women who opened pathways to wealth, influence, and opportunity.

Women stand together behind a rope barrier at the Women’s March for Equality.

How Women Built Networks of Support for Economic Independence

Through oral histories, 'We Do Declare' highlights women who created networks of economic support and opened pathways to opportunity and financial independence.

A group of women law students gathered around a table in a library.

How Women Researchers Changed Our Understanding of Women’s Economic Lives

How can better data drive economic change? 'We Do Declare' uses oral histories to reveal how women collected evidence, reframed the conversation about money, and shaped lasting policy and economic opportunity.

A group of smiling women pose for a picture with their hands up in a cheer in front of the U.S. Capitol.

Women Who Changed the Laws Shaping Economic Independence

'We Do Declare' shares firsthand stories of women who organized, advocated, and passed laws to expand access to credit, work, and lasting financial independence.

Gail Winslow sits at a desk reviewing documents with another woman.

What Oral Histories Reveal About Women’s Pursuit of Economic Independence

What does independence really mean for women? Through oral histories spanning generations, 'We Do Declare' explores how access to money, credit, and opportunity shaped women’s lives and the economic freedom that makes true independence possible.

Rebecca Northen seated with her hands crossed in her lap facing the camera.

Where Are All the Women? Notability and Digital Discovery

Rebecca Northen was called the 'Julia Child of Orchids,' yet her story is hard to find online. Discover why women disappear from digital history and what can be done to change it.

Three women pose for a photo in front of a Victorian-style house.

Exploring Clara Barton’s Legacy: A Field Trip into Women’s History Preservation

Explore Clara Barton’s legacy with Smithsonian interns at historic sites that preserve women’s history, from the Missing Soldiers Office to the Red Cross.

Black and white photograph of an Indigenous woman with short, dark hair wearing a long-sleeve floral patterned blouse with a darker piece of floral fabric draped over her shoulder and tied at her waist.

Fragments of Ancient Pottery Inspired Maria Martinez

Discover how Maria Martinez revolutionized Pueblo pottery with her innovative black-on-black ceramics, inspired by ancient fragments and created through experimental firing techniques at San Ildefonso Pueblo.

Althea Gibson in mid-swing on a tennis court, positioned in an athletic stance with her racket extended. A large crowd of spectators fills the stadium seating in the background.

Every Coin Tells a Story: Althea Gibson’s Family Reflects on Her Legacy

An interview with Don Felder, Althea Gibson's second cousin, where he shares personal memories of the tennis legend and reflects on her new commemorative quarter and lasting legacy.

Barbara Franklin seated in the center of a room surrounded by lighting and sound equipment. Rachel Seidman sits facing her approximate five feet away with papers in her lap.

How Oral History Can Empower Women’s Voices

Smithsonian intern shares her experience observing an oral history interview for We Do Declare, highlighting how women’s voices are preserved and amplified through storytelling.

Sally Ride wearing a blue flight suit and helmet with her hands on either side of the helmet.

A Woman’s Place: In Outer Space

Learn about Sally Ride, Mae Jemison, and Eileen Collins, some of the pioneering women at NASA who were among the first to suit up for spaceflight.

Three young women pose together for a photo in front of the Smithsonian Castle.

Explore Women’s History Through Smithsonian Internships

Discover how the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum’s 2025 interns explored women’s history through hands-on research, public programming, and digital projects across the Smithsonian.

A black and white photograph of Mary Church Terrell seated in profile from the waist up. The left side of her face is visible. There is a photographer's stamp embossed in the bottom left corner.

Activist and Writer Mary Church Terrell Led the Charge for Desegregation

Discover the legacy of Mary Church Terrell, cofounder of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, educator, and women’s rights advocate.

Grandma Moses seated in a chair slightly turned away from the camera holding a book in her lap.

Grandma Moses' Folk Art Took Her from the Farm to Fame

Discover how Grandma Moses, a self-taught artist, turned to painting in her late 70s and became an American folk-art icon.

Summer Hamilton stands at a podium in front of a room full of people. She is slightly turned and pointing towards something on the wall behind her.

Using Oral Histories as Tools for Financial Education

Discover how Smithsonian educators are using oral histories to bring financial literacy to life in the classroom. At the 2025 National Education Summit, experts shared how We Do Declare: Women’s Voices on Independence connects students to women’s stories of economic power, helping them understand the value of financial independence.

Stacey Park Milbern seated in a power chair in a lush green background with flowers and succulents surrounding her.

How Stacey Park Milbern Found Power in Disability Identity

Discover how Stacey Park Milbern’s teenage experiences shaped her identity and sparked a lifelong commitment to disability justice. Hear from Stacey’s father Joel Milbern about how a pivotal youth leadership conference helped her embrace disability as a source of power and purpose.

Postcard showing a woman sitting on the observing chair in front of a large refracting telescope. A man stands to her right leaning forward on a ladder.

Maria Mitchell: America’s First Woman Astronomer and Mentor to Women in Science

Maria Mitchell, the first widely recognized American woman scientist, gained international acclaim after discovering a comet in 1847. As Vassar College’s first astronomy professor, she advanced opportunities for women in science and mentored a generation of students using one of the country’s finest observatories.

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