Happy Birthday, Aretha Franklin, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Tony Cade Bambara, and Debi Thomas!

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A man stands in front of the Djingareyber mosque on February 4, 2016 in Timbuktu, central Mali.
Mali's fabled city of Timbuktu on February 4 celebrated the recovery of its historic mausoleums, destroyed during an Islamist takeover of northern Mali in 2012 and rebuilt thanks to UN cultural agency UNESCO.
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March 25, 2012

Aretha (singer), Lisa (actor), Toni (writer/activist), and Debi (Olympic skater/surgeon) — Aretha Franklin (singer), Lisa Gay Hamilton (actor/director), Toni Cade Bambara (writer/activist), and Debi Thomas (Olympic skater/surgeon)

Learn about the lives and accomplishments of these talented American women!

Aretha Franklin was a talented singer and pianist.

You might have seen Lisa Gay Hamilton on the stage, but she also directed and produced behind the scenes.

Toni Bambara broke ground as a member of Black liberation and women’s rights groups and fiction writer.

Debi Thomas wasn’t just the first Black woman to win a medal at the Calgary Winter Olympics. She also became a surgeon and activist!

Check out our online exhibits about the Civil Rights Era.

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