New Jersey Women Who Have Shaped Our World 

As the world celebrates Women’s History Month this March, New Jersey honors the influential women with roots in the Garden State. They have left their mark on society with groundbreaking accomplishments, inventions, or philanthropic actions.

Without these New Jersey women, the modern world would be a different place.

Clara Barton (1821-1912)

Known as the “Angel of the Battlefield,” Clara Barton served as a nurse in the American Civil War, tending to wounded soldiers at several key battles. However, this was only the beginning of her life as a humanitarian. 

Barton later established the American Red Cross, which has provided disaster relief since its inception in 1881. She also founded New Jersey’s first free public school in Bordertown, where she taught for nine years.

Alice Paul (1885-1977)

Born in Mount Laurel, NJ, Alice Paul was a leading figure in the women’s suffrage movement. As the co-founder of the National Woman’s Party, Paul led the Silent Sentinels in picketing outside the White House for 18 months until she was sent to prison, where she organized a hunger strike. 

Paul dedicated her whole life to upholding women’s rights, culminating in the U.S. government approving the 19th Amendment and the Equal Rights Amendment, giving women the right to vote and constitutional equality.

Erna Schneider Hoover (1926-present)

Dr. Erna Schneider Hoover was born and raised in Irvington, NJ, and she continued to live in the state while working at Bell Labs from 1954 to 1987. There, she invented a computerized telephone switching system that revolutionized phone calls. 

Thanks to her invention, Hoover became Bell Labs’ first female Technical Department Head and held one of the world’s first software patents. She also supported affordable, high-quality education for all while serving on the New Jersey Board of Higher Education and was a chairperson at the College of New Jersey.

Toni Morrison (1931—2019)

Toni Morrison is famous for writing such renowned books as Beloved, Tar Baby, and Song of Solomon. Through her writing, Morrison raised issues of race, gender, prejudice, oppression, and identity, becoming the first Black woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. 

Morrison also received the Pulitzer Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work. Though she wasn’t born in New Jersey, Morrison lived in the Garden State while teaching at Princeton University from 1989 until her retirement in 2006.

Judy Blume (1938-present)

Hailing from Elizabeth, NJ, this award-winning author broke new ground in the world of literature. Blume wrote multiple novels for young adults that explored taboo subjects involving their bodies, including puberty, sexuality, menstruation, masturbation, birth control, and teenage sex. 

Though Blume’s novels have garnered controversy and have been banned from bookshelves, she continues to support intellectual freedom as a board member of the National Coalition Against Censorship. Blume has written 30 books that have reportedly sold over 92 million copies in 40 languages.

Meryl Streep (1949-present)

Born in Summit, NJ, Meryl Streep remains one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed actresses. Some of the many popular films Streep has starred in include The Deer Hunter, Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie’s Choice, Mamma Mia!, The Devil Wears Prada, and The Post.

Streep, a three-time Oscar winner, is also a renowned philanthropist who has donated millions to charities and expressed support for women’s rights, people experiencing homelessness, journalism, AIDS research, children’s health, cancer research, and victims of the 2020 Beirut explosion.

Whitney Houston (1963-2012)

This legendary Newark native continues to be one of the most popular female singers ever. Having produced record-breaking singles like “I Will Always Love You” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” Whitney Houston broke racial boundaries and brought greater Black representation in the music industry. 

Though she died in 2012, Houston left behind an enduring legacy of music and philanthropy with her subsequent hits and ongoing charity foundation. She was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

Joetta Clark Diggs (1962-present)

A native of Newark, Joetta Clark Diggs is a four-time Olympian athlete who ran for over 28 straight years, giving her one of the longest track and field careers in modern history. On top of her numerous awards, Diggs was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2009. She was even ranked the fourth best athlete in the world in 1998.

Though she has since retired, Diggs follows in the footsteps of her father, Joe Louis Clark, as she continues to inspire and motivate people through the lecture circuit as the President of Joetta Sports & Beyond. She has also founded her Sports Foundation to provide scholarships to students and promote children’s health and fitness.

Esther Salas (1968-present)

After growing up in Union City and studying at Rutgers, Esther Salas became New Jersey’s first Hispanic and Latina federal magistrate judge. A few years later, following a nomination from President Barack Obama, she became the first Hispanic and Latina U.S. District Judge in the District of New Jersey. 

According to New Jersey Monthly, Salas presided over 485 civil matters and 50 criminal cases by 2018. Her most notable criminal cases include those against Real Housewife Teresa Giudice, South Cartel leader Farad Roland, and Deutsche Bank.

Queen Latifah (1970-present)

After releasing her first album, All Hail the Queen, at age 19, East Orange’s Queen Latifah began her career as one of modern music’s most acclaimed and influential performers. Her image and popularity as an Afrocentric female singer challenged norms of the music industry, leading to great representation from both Black and women artists. Eventually, this Grammy Award-winning singer became the first hip hop artist to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

Latifah also achieved greater success as an actor, having starred in in numerous films and TV shows, such as Set It Off, Barbershop 2, the Ice Age franchise, Bessie, Girls Trip, and, most recently, 2021’s The Equalizer. She even became the first hip hop artist to receive an Oscar nomination for her performance in the 2002 film, Chicago.