March is Women’s History Month, which allows us to come together and celebrate the accomplishments of women throughout history. Learning about the women who have paved the way for women across the world is one of the best ways to pay tribute to their memories. Reading women’s literature and acknowledging their place at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is just one way we can do this.
There are more than 23,000 women students currently enrolled at UW, and UW has educated some incredible, influential women. As March ends, here are some of UW–Madison’s most inspiring women English majors.
Helen C. White (Ph.D. English 1923)
As an English major, I spend countless hours in the Helen C. White building attached to College Library. I’ve always wondered who she was, as I’ve watched the lake sparkle out of the window of the fourth-floor study room, taken classes with the state capitol building in the background and met with my advisors on the seventh floor to chart out my path to the future.
White was the very first woman professor in the College of Letters & Science. She went on to educate many young scholars in the English department.
White began graduate school and became an instructor in advanced composition and Shakespearean literature in 1919 at just 22 years old. In 1924, she earned her Ph.D. in English and decided to stay here at UW.
She was an assistant professor until 1936 when she earned full professor status, making her the first woman at UW–Madison to achieve this. In addition to being the first woman professor in the College of Letters & Science, she wrote six novels, including A Watch in the Night, which was the runner-up for the 1934 Pulitzer Prize.
White was the first woman chair of UW–Madison’s Department of English, and the first woman president of the American Association of University Professors. In addition to these high honors, she was president of the American Association of University Women for three terms.
White left a lasting impact on the UW English community as a pioneer for women in the field of English and scholarship.
Mabel Watson Raimey (1918 English)
Raimey was a true trailblazer in almost every aspect of her education and career. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she and her parents were Wisconsinites and were among the first Black people to settle that area.
She was the first Black woman to graduate from UW–Madison. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from the College of Letters & Science, paving the way for women and people of color to attend UW and take advantage of the large number of programs offered through L&S.
Because many of her ancestors were white, Raimey was able to pass as a white woman in some cases. During the period of legal racial segregation, passing as a white woman allowed Raimey to have a more lucrative career.
She was hired to teach in the Milwaukee Public School district but was fired after only three days after her employer found out she was African American. She switched her career trajectory and began to work as a legal secretary and went on to attend Marquette Law School.
Raimey was the first woman to graduate from Marquette Law School, meaning that she was also the first Black woman to do so.
In 1927, Raimey became the first Black woman to practice law in Wisconsin. Vel Phillips, another famous female UW–Madison alumna, wouldn’t do the same until 1951. Phillips was the first Black woman to graduate from UW–Madison’s Law School.
The Milwaukee chapter of the National Association of Black Women Attorneys is named after Raimey, paying homage to her influence as a pioneer in her field.
Joyce Carol Oates (M.A. English 1961)
Oates is one of the most prolific writers of her generation, writing 63 novels, 47 short-story collections, 16 nonfiction collections, 9 poetry collections, and countless other plays and books.
One of Oates’ most popular works is a short story called “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” (1966). It is a truly haunting and thought-provoking story that has been anthologized and analyzed innumerably due to its ambiguous ending that leaves readers wondering what could have happened to the main character. This was adapted into a movie called Smooth Talk featuring Laura Dern and Treat Williams, which won a prize at the 1986 Sundance Film Festival.
After coming from the more progressive Syracuse University where she earned her undergraduate degree, Oates was jarred by the substantial majority population of male students and faculty at UW–Madison. She said the professors often made English, a subject she loved and excelled in, feel “dull.”
One professor that Oates remembers fondly was none other than Helen C. White. Her lectures were more interesting to Oates, who recalls that she was able to make the medieval literature they studied in class “come more alive” than her male counterparts.
Though Oates found it difficult to enjoy her time at UW–Madison, she believes that her experience at UW helped push her in the direction of success; if she had continued to the Ph.D. program, it’s hard to say if she would have had as influential a career as she does.
At 86 years old, Oates says she still has “too many ideas” to write about, and she doesn’t see herself slowing down anytime soon. She continues to experiment with new genres, recently releasing mystery/thriller novels and drawing on real police procedures to create more realistic stories.
What can we learn from White, Raimey and Oates this Women’s History Month?
What do all these women have in common? It’s not just their gender. They all weren’t afraid to go after what they wanted and be the first to achieve their goals. They might have been told they were crazy. They might not have had women students, professors or lawyers to look up to, but they were okay being the ones to break that barrier.
White taught English in a setting where no woman ever had. Raimey used her education to practice law where no woman, or woman of color, had ever been able to. Oates wrote several of the most influential novels and stories that have been analyzed by generations of readers and writers.
This Women’s History Month let’s be grateful to them for paving these paths for us in the College of Letters & Science. They carried the torch to light the way, then passed it on to us. It’s up to us to inspire the next generation.