Senate Resolution No. 1724

BY: Senator STEWART-COUSINS

CONGRATULATING the 2026 New York State Senate
Women of Distinction

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to acknowledge and
celebrate individuals and events of historic significance which add
vitality, sensitivity, understanding, and inspiration to the diversity
and value of the people of this great Empire State; and

WHEREAS, Women of every economic, ethnic, and religious background
have made significant contributions that are reflected in our cultural,
social, educational, industrial, and economic diversity and have
contributed in many ways, including as writers, educators, scientists,
heads of state, politicians, civil rights crusaders, artists,
entertainers, businesswomen, military personnel, aviators,
entrepreneurs, philanthropists, health professionals, engineers,
religious leaders, judges, lawyers, law enforcement personnel, athletes,
mothers, nurturers, and the building blocks of our communities; and

WHEREAS, It is the purpose of this Legislative Body to induct five
new honorees into the Historical Women of Distinction exhibit for the
year 2026: New York State Supreme Court Judge, Dorothy Chin Brandt
(1946-2025); civil rights icon, Dr. Hazel N. Dukes (1932-2025); founder
of the American Indian Law Alliance, Tonya Gonnella Frichner
(1947-2015); advocate for the Dominican community, Dr. Marilu Maria
Galvßn (1946-2024); and United States Representative, Nita Lowey
(1937-2025); and

WHEREAS, Women who have become part of New York State's lasting
heritage by fighting against stereotypes, prejudice, and seemingly
insurmountable obstacles include: Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), former
slave and famous activist; Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), best-known
"conductor" of the Underground Railroad and promoter of Black education
and women's rights; suffragettes, Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) and
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902); world-renowned folk artist, Grandma
Moses (1860-1961); famed reporter, Nellie Bly (1867-1922); Sybil
Ludington (1761-1839), known as the "female Paul Revere"; Barbara
McClintock (1901-1992), Nobel Prize-winning genetic scientist; and
"First Lady of the World," Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962); and

WHEREAS, New York State has been and continues to be the home of
many distinguished women who have made their marks in history as first
in their fields to succeed; representative of these "firsts" are
contributions by women such as: Lady Deborah Moody (1586-1659), first
woman grantee for land ownership in the New World; Elizabeth Blackwell
(1821-1910), first female physician; America's first trained nurse,
Linda Richards (1841-1930); Emma Willard (1787-1870), founder of the
first endowed institution of education for women; Madam C.J. Walker
(1867-1919), hairdressing entrepreneur, Harlem leader, and first
self-made female millionaire in the United States; Buffalonian, Louise
Blanchard Bethune (1856-1913), first professional female architect in
the Nation; Lucille Ball (1911-1989), actor, president of Desilu
Productions, and first woman to lead a major Hollywood production
company; Katharine Bement Davis (1860-1935), New York City Correction

Commissioner and first woman to head a major City agency; Winifred
Edgerton Merrill (1862-1951), first American woman to receive a Ph.D. in
Mathematics; Dr. Mary Edwards Walker (1832-1919), first and only woman
to be presented with the Congressional Medal of Honor; and Belva
Lockwood (1830-1917), first woman to practice law before the United
States Supreme Court; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body recognizes that New York State is the
home to countless women who are strong and colorful threads, vital to
the fabric of our rich heritage, who have contributed and continue to
add to the advancement of our culture through their traditional and
nontraditional roles in society; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the induction of five new inductees into the New York State
Senate's Historical Women of Distinction 2026 exhibit; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the National Women's Hall of Fame and the New York State
Division for Women.