Serena Williams and Ruby Bridges will be inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame next year. Bridges and Williams join a previously announced class that includes Kimberlé Crenshaw, Judith Plaskow, Loretta Ross and Allucquére Rosanne “Sandy” Stone.
“The 2024 inductee class has broken barriers, challenged the status quo, and left an impact on history,” the National Women’s Hall of Fame stated.
“In the five decades since its first Induction Ceremony in 1973, the Hall has continued to lift the voices and stories of exceptional women who changed the world,” National Women’s Hall of Fame Executive Director Jennifer Gabriel said.
Williams, 42 years old, is widely regarded as one of the best tennis players in history. During her legendary career, she picked up 23 Grand Slam titles, 14 major women’s doubles titles and spent 186 consecutive weeks atop the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranking.
Bridges, 69 years old, is an icon of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1960, she made history as the first Black student to attend the formerly segregated William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana. As an adult, she founded her own nonprofit organization, the Ruby Bridges Foundation. The organization offers “programs and resources to guide and support younger generations on their pathway toward a more peaceful and harmonious future.”
