Serena Williams and Ruby Bridges will be inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame next year, it was announced Thursday (November 16).
The 42-year-old tennis legend and 69-year-old civil rights icon are the latest to be inducted into the list of women honored for Women’s History Month in March.
“The 2024 inductees have broken barriers, challenged the status quo and made an impact on history,” the Hall of Fame said in its statement.
Both women left an indelible mark on culture.
Williams is a 23-time tennis Grand Slam champion and holds the record for the longest time ranked No. 1. She retired last year and earlier this month became the first athlete to win the “Fashion Icon” award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. USA.
Bridges became an unintentional public figure at the age of six. In 1960, she became one of the first black students to integrate an all-white school in New Orleans. In 1963, painter Norman Rockwell recreated the scene from the painting “The Problems of Our Common Life.” The Ruby Bridges Foundation, which she founded 24 years ago, promotes tolerance and change through education.
According to PBS, when recalling the first time he went to school, Bridges said: “I saw barricades and police and people everywhere. When I saw all this, I immediately thought of this It’s Mardi Gras. I didn’t know they were here to keep me away from school.”
According to the Hall of Fame, the induction ceremony will be broadcast nationally in prime time in New York for the first time. The previous 30 ceremonies had been held at venues around Seneca Falls, a city in upstate New York that was the site of the first Women’s Rights Convention and a national celebrity for women The location of the church.
“The 2024 inductees include scientists, activists, performers and athletes who are today’s changemakers and an inspiration to the women of tomorrow,” Hall of Fame CEO Jennifer Gabriel said in a statement .” “Their dedication, drive and talent got them here, and we’re excited to honor them on the national stage.”