Liliʻuokalani, 1838-1917

Liliuokalani-WWP

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The first and only queen regnant and the last Hawaiian sovereign to govern the islands.



Born as Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha in Honolulu to the Hawaiian Royal family. She received modern education, studying in a royal missionary school learning English, music, and touring the Western world. At 24, she married John Owen Dominis, an American government official. The couple had no children of their own, and they adopted three children.

After her older brother was chosen king and her younger brother died, she was announced as the king’s heir and served as a regent during the king’s absence. In the following years, she laid the foundations as a future monarch, establishing various establishments including schools, a bank for women, and an Educational Society promoting education for girls from families with low means. In 1887, while Liliʻuokalani was in England, attending Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, the king was forced by an armed militia to sign a new constitution, which stripped the monarchy of its authorities and transferring the power to American and European businessmen.

In 1891, King Kalakaua died, and at the age of 53, Liliʻuokalani became the first queen of the Hawaiian Kingdom. One of her first acts as sovereign was to establish a new constitution and to restore the power deprived of the monarchy and the Hawaiian people, but a group of American, supported by the US government staged a coup and even her attempt to appeal to the US president, Grover Cleveland, and restore the monarchy powers were failed. To avoid bloodshed and spare her people, Liliʻuokalani surrendered, and in 1894 the Republic of Hawaii was formed. In January 1885, a group of her supporters launched a rebellion in a mission to restore the monarchy. The Queen and her sympathizers were arrested and charged with treason. Liliʻuokalani signed a document formally abdicating her throne in return for the release of her supporters; she was imprisoned in her bedroom at the palace for several months. Liliʻuokalani was the last and only queen to rule the kingdom.

Afterword, she retired from public life and lived as a private citizen on a small pension she received from the provisional government. Visitors frequently visited her to pay respects. She died at the age of 79 after suffering a stroke and was honored with a state funeral.

Lili'uokalani -- Hawaii's Last Queen (documentary excerpt)

bits from a documentary on the last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and the relatively easy and bloodless conquest of this land
ruled by a democratically elected goverment...Native Hawaiians were grossly out-numbered and the Queen urged non-violence.

narrated by Anna Deavere Smith

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“Never cease to act because you fear you may fail.”

“Never cease to act because you fear you may fail.”

Fun Facts

  • She was a gifted songwriter, composing more than 160 songs, including the “Aloha 'Oe.”
  • She played many instruments, including the piano ukulele, guitar, organ, and zither.
  • She wrote her autobiography “Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen” during her imprisonment.
  • In 1909, she founded the “Liliʻuokalani Trust” – an institution dedicated to the welfare of orphaned children in Hawaii.
  • The annual Queen Liliʻuokalani Outrigger Canoe Race is named in her honor.
  • The “Queen Liliʻuokalani Center for Student Services” on the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus is named in her honor.
  • Her birthday is celebrated annually at the He Hali'a Aloha no Liliʻuokalani Festival.

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Lili'uokalani -- Hawaii's Last Queen (documentary excerpt)

bits from a documentary on the last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and the relatively easy and bloodless conquest of this land
ruled by a democratically elected goverment...Native Hawaiians were grossly out-numbered and the Queen urged non-violence.

narrated by Anna Deavere Smith
Share:

This post is also available in: Español

Category: Politics & Leaders
Tags: Royalty and Songwriter

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Alicia-Keys-WWP
Music

Alicia Keys, 1981

Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter, producer, and actress.

Born as Alicia Augello Cook in Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood in NYC. Her father left when she was 2 years old, and she was raised mainly by her mother. As a child living in a rough neighborhood, Keys was exposed to drugs, prostitution, and street violence. She credits her mother for leading her to the right path, supporting her interest in music and performance, which began at a young age. In preschool, she sang in her school’s productions, and at the age of 6, began classical training, practicing the piano six hours a day. At 12, Keys wrote and composed her first song. Two years later, she began studying jazz. After graduating at age 16 as valedictorian from the Professional Performance Arts School, she signed a deal with the record producer Clive Davis, first at Arista Records and later at J Records. In 2001, 20-year-old Keys released her debut album “Songs in A Minor”, which included the #1 hit “Fallin”. The album sold more than 12 million copies worldwide, and Keys won 5 Grammy awards. Four years later, Keys released her second album, “The Diary of Alicia Keys”, for which she won 4 Grammys, including best album award and best song award, and for her 3rd album “As I Am”, Keys won 3 more Grammys. Throughout the years, Keys continued to release #1 hits, including “No One”, “Empire State of Mind”, and “Girl on Fire”. Overall between 2001 to 2016, Keys released 6 studio albums, 2 live albums, and 1 EP. In addition to being an acclaimed musician, Keys is also an actress. She acted in various films and TV shows, including “Empire”, “SNL”, “Smokin’ Aces”, and “The Secret Life of Bees”. She is also a film producer and directed one out of five segments of the movie “Five”. In 2004, Keys co-founded and became the global ambassador of ‘Keep a Child Alive’ – a non-profit organization providing medicines in Africa for HIV and AIDS. Alicia Keys is a women empowerment icon; her point of view can often be found in her lyrics as well as in the #nomakeup campaign she launched. In 2016 Keys wrote an essay in which she stated that she lost herself behind eyeliners and lipsticks, and since she is make-up free, she feels more beautiful than ever. She is encouraging other women to discover themselves without the masks. Share:This post is also available in: Español Read more...
Anne Boleyn WWP
Politics & Leaders

Anne Boleyn, c.1501-1507-1536

The second wife of Henry VIII of England, queen consort from 1533 until 1536, and mother of Queen Elizabeth I.

Anne Boleyn was born to an aristocratic family in Blickling Hall, Norfolk, England. In 1513, Archduchess Margaret of Austria invited Anne to join her wards in Mechelen (today in Belgium) and expand her knowledge. She studied arithmetic, grammar, reading, writing, history, and her family genealogy. The following year, Anne traveled to France as a maid of honor to King Henry VIII’s sister, Queen Mary, and later to the queen’s stepdaughter Queen Claude. During her six years in France, she developed interests in poetry, literature, and religious philosophy, leading her to explore religious reform. In 1522, Anne returned to England and made her royal court début, serving as lady-in-waiting to Henry VIII’s wife, Catherine of Aragon. With her distinguished fashion style and vitality, she soon became an accomplished member of the court and the center of attention at every social gathering. She had many pursuers and even was briefly engaged to the son of the Earl of Northumberland, Henry Percy. In 1526, Anne caught the attention of the king, who began to court her. She refused to become one of his mistresses and declined a sexual relationship with him without marriage. Despite his marriage to Catherine, the king proposed, and she accepted. By then, Henry and Catherine had been married for 17 years and had only one living child, Mary I; Henry became doubtful about the marriage’s validity. Before marrying Henry, Catherine was married to his older brother, Arthur, who died at 15, only a few months after their wedding. Since the teenage newlywed didn’t consummate their marriage, Catherine could marry Henry. But now, wanting to marry Anne, Henry concluded that Catherine probably lied and consummated the marriage with his brother, causing a punishment from God that did not give him a male successor. In 1527, Henry asked Pope Clement VII to annul his marriage with Catherin and to permit him to marry Anne. Figuring his request would be approved within a few months, Anne became more dominant in the court and took her place at the king’s side in policy and state. Some sources say that at the time, she brought Henry a copy of William Tyndale’s book “Obedience of a Christian Man,” arguing that God’s words hold the supreme authority enshrined in the Bible and not the Pope. By 1532, the Pope did not approve the annulment, but Anne, who became the Marquess of Pembroke, was already pregnant. To legitimize her child as heir to the throne, Anne and Henry secretly wed on January 25th, 1533. Only five months later, Henry declared his marriage to Catherine illegal, stripping her title as queen, and sent her off the court. On June 1st, 1533, finally recognized as Henry’s legal wife, Anne was formally crowned Queen of England. This series of events ignited the Church of England’s reformation and independence in 1534 when Henry broke with the Roman Catholic Church and set himself as the Supreme Head of what would become the Church of England. That led to political and religious fighting and struggles in Britain for the next 200 years. Three months after their wedding, Anne gave birth to her daughter, which later became Elizabeth I of England. Henry was disappointed that once again he had a girl and not a boy to succeed to his throne, and after Anne’s miscarriage in the following year, the king gradually distanced himself from her. In 1536, Catherine of Aragon died, which meant that Henry was now free to marry without any suspicion of illegality. A few months later, Anne gave birth to a stillborn boy, and Henry, who was already in a relationship with Anne’s cousin and maids-of-honor, Jane Seymour, felt betrayed by Anne, accusing her of bewitching him. Looking for a way to get rid of Anne and remarry, Henry found people who claimed that while married to him, she had several affairs, including with her brother. Anne was trialed for treason, adultery, and incest and was unanimously convicted. On May 17th, 1536, Anne and Henry’s marriage was annulled, and two days later, Anne was executed in the Tower of London. Share:This post is also available in: Español Read more...
Aretha Franklin WWP
Music

Aretha Franklin, 1942-2018

An award-winning singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Known as “Queen of Soul.”

Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Her father was a Baptist minister and a preacher, and her mother was a piano player and a gospel vocalist. By the age of 5, her parents separated, and she lived with her father and grandmother in Detroit. Franklin’s musical talent was apparent from an early age, learning to play the piano by ear and singing solo in front of her father’s congregation at the New Bethel Baptist Church. At the age of 12, her father began managing her, and they traveled and performed in various churches throughout the country. At 14, she recorded and released her first album, Spirituals. At 18, she moved to NYC and signed with Columbia Records, releasing her first single, Today I Sing the Blues, in that same year. At 19, she issued her first secular album, Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo, which included the single Won’t Be Long, which was entered to the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the R&B chart. She also scored her first international hit with her rendition of Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody. In the following year, Franklin released two more albums – The Electrifying Aretha Franklin and The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin. In 1966, at the age of 24, Franklin signed with Atlantic Records, which allowed her to return to her gospel-blues roots. Under the label, she recorded her first million-seller hit I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You). In that same year, she released her version of Respect, which became her signature song and later was recognized as a civil rights and women’s rights anthem. By the end of the 1960s, Franklin has recorded 7 records, releasing top-ten hits such as Chain of Fools, Think, and I Say a Little Prayer, for which she earned her first two Grammy awards. In 1972, at the age of 30, she recorded a live-church album titled Amazing Grace, which sold in more than 2 million copies. It is considered one of the great gospel albums in history. Her success continued to grow during the following decade, releasing albums year after year, with singles such as Spanish Harlem and Day Dreaming. At the age of 40, under her new label Arista Records, Franklin made a comeback with the hits- Jump to It and Freeway of Love. During the 1990s, Franklin juggled between different genres, recording gospel, pop, and R&B albums. At the time, she also played Aunt Em in the musical The Wiz. In 1998, 56 years old Franklin had another commercial success with her gold-selling record A Rose Is Still a Rose. For the next two decades, she recorded 7 more albums and appeared in historical events, such as President Obama’s inauguration in 2009, where she performed My Country ’Tis of Thee. In November 2017, she had her final public performance at the 25th anniversary gala for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Throughout her career, Franklin recorded 38 studio albums and 8 live albums and released almost 60 compilation albums. She retired after been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, from which she died at the age of 76. Share:This post is also available in: Español Read more...
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Academy & Education

Betty Reid Soskin, 1921

A singer, businesswoman, and social activist. The oldest National Park Ranger in the US.

Betty Charbonnet was born in Detroit, Michigan, to a Cajun and Creole African-American family. Until the age of 6, she grew up in New Orleans, but when the Mississippi River flooded the area in 1927, the family joined the Great Migration and moved to Oakland, California. During World War II, Soskin got a job as a file clerk for the segregated International Boilermakers Union in Richmond, where the Rosie the Riveter historical site is located today. After the war, Soskin and her first husband, Mel Reid, lived in Berkeley, California, where they established a record store specializing in Gospel music. A few years later, they relocated to Walnut Creek, California, the only black family in the suburb. There, they often encountered racism and even death threats. Soskin joined the Black Caucus of the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Mount Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church. Soon, she became involved with the Civil Rights Movement, serving as a “bag lady” for the Black Panthers and writing songs for and about the cause. At the age of 51, she divorced, and not long after, she married William Soskin, a psychology professor. At the time, she became an active member of the Democratic Party, serving as a national convention delegate during the 1972 presidential campaign of George McGovern. In 1978, Soskin took over managing of the store record in Berkeley due to her first husband’s health issues. There, she became a community activist, promoting the interests of the residents and business owners. When the National Park Service began building Rosie the Riveter historical site, Soskin, among other “Rosies,” was invited to a presentation. Been the only person of color in the room and the only one who could identify the site as a place of segregation and racism, Soskin was invited to help design the reconstructions and add her perspective as a woman of color to the historical narrative of the war effort. In 2012, at the age of 85, she was appointed as a national park ranger at the site. In this position, she conducts tours and lectures about her experiences as a young black woman working during the war at the segregated union hall. As of 2021, 100 years old Soskin is the oldest National Park Ranger in the US. On March 31st, 2022, she retired at the age of 100. Share:This post is also available in: Español Read more...
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