I didn't have any axe to grind, no banners that I was carrying and waving wildly. I was just studying law.
Mary Turner Lane - NC Collection
When you consider how much women’s roles have changed over the course of the twentieth century in America, you may feel a sense of wonder and respect for the daring women who instigated those changes simply by pursuing their passions and abilities. We call them trailblazers and pioneers. Though they may deserve these titles, many of the women in our oral histories did not think of themselves in such a way.
]
These ladies simply followed their hearts, their instincts, and their interests. “I wasn’t out trying to prove anything,” says Naomi Elizabeth Morris about her success at UNC’s School of Law early in the twentieth century, and many other women echo the same sentiments.
Though they are proud and satisfied with their achievements, most of these women emphasize that they did not set out to change women's roles or be the first women to accomplish what they did. Some of them never even considered themselves to be trailblazers. Nevertheless, their determination and success as professional women in fields long reserved for men make them important figures in the struggle for equality between the sexes.
