Hidden Voices

In this installment of the Hidden Voices series, we're sharing the story of Lewis Howard Latimer, who worked alongside some of the most notable inventors of the nineteenth century, achieving great success as a draftsman, patent expert, and inventor in his own right—in particular, contributing to the design of the incandescent lightbulb to make electric lighting more commercially viable.

In this installment of our Hidden Voices series, learn more about Maria Tallchief, an Osage woman who went on to become the first prima ballerina from the United States, which she did right here in our city, at the New York City Ballet. Over the course of her career, Tallchief was credited with transforming ballet from a "foreign" art form into an American one.

In this installment of the Hidden Voices series, we’re sharing the story of children's librarian and author Pura Belpré, a barrier-breaking storyteller who dedicated her life to ensuring the Puerto Rican children in New York were well-represented in the books on the shelves of the New York Public Library.

In this installment of the Hidden Voices series, we’re sharing the story of activist Judy Heumann, a daughter of Holocaust survivors whose advocacy would earn her the nickname “the Mother of the Disability Rights Movement” for her important role in the fight for equal access for people with disabilities.

In this installment of Hidden Voices, we're sharing the story of Dr. Eugenie Clark, a fish scientist from New York City who earned herself the nickname, "Shark Lady," thanks to her trailblazing research on fish and shark species around the world as well as her personal dedication to protecting sharks and their ocean habitats from extinction.

In this installment of the Hidden Voices series, learn more about Maritcha Lyons, an educator and activist for many decades in New York City who dedicated her career to fighting for the rights of Black New Yorkers.

In this installment of our ongoing Hidden Voices series, we are sharing the story of Willie Velásquez, the charismatic Mexican American grassroots activist who worked to ensure equal voting rights for Latinos in the United States while also galvanizing Latinos towards participating in the U.S. political process at the local, statewide, and national levels.

Today, we’re sharing the story of Anna May Wong, Hollywood’s first-ever Chinese American movie star, who captivated audiences, earned critical acclaim for her performances, and dared to break free of Hollywood’s early to mid-twentieth century typecasting practices for nonwhite actors.

In this installment of the Hidden Voices series, learn more about Edith “Edie” Windsor, a computer programmer and pioneering LGBTQ+ activist best known for her role in the landmark Supreme Court case, United States v. Windsor, that helped lead towards the eventual legalization of gay marriage in the United States.

In this installment of the Hidden Voices series, learn more about Dr. Joanne Chory, a Lebanese American plant geneticist whose early work revolutionized botany and who is now dedicated to the global fight against climate change.