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Overlooked No More is a recurring feature in the obituary section of The New York Times, which honors "remarkable people" whose deaths had been overlooked by editors of that section since its creation in 1851. The feature was introduced on March 8, 2018, for International Women's Day, when the Times published fifteen obituaries of such "overlooked" women, and has since become a weekly feature in the paper.

The project was created by Amisha Padnani, the digital editor of the obituaries desk,[1] and Jessica Bennett, the paper's gender editor. In its introduction, it was admitted that the paper's obituaries had been "dominated by white men", and that the project was intended to help "address these inequities of our time".[2][3][4][5]

In May 2018, it was reported that the Times had partnered with Anonymous Content and Paramount Television to develop a drama anthology franchise based on the feature, with each season chronicling a notable woman.[6]

List of honorees

International Women's Day (March 8, 2018)

  1. Ida B. Wells, (1862–1931), "took on racism in the deep south with powerful reporting on lynchings"[7]
  2. Qiu Jin, (1875–1907), "beheaded by imperial forces, was 'China's Joan of Arc'"[8]
  3. Mary Ewing Outerbridge, (1852–1886), "helped bring tennis to the United States"[9]
  4. Diane Arbus, (1923–1971), "a photographer, whose portraits have compelled or repelled generations of viewers"[10]
  5. Marsha P. Johnson, (1945–2002), "a transgender pioneer and activist"
  6. Sylvia Plath, (1932–1963), "a postwar poet unafraid to confront her despair"
  7. Henrietta Lacks, (1920–1951), "whose cells lead to a medical revolution"
  8. Madhubala, (1933–1969), "a Bollywood legend whose tragic life mirrored Marilyn Monroe's"
  9. Emily Warren Roebling, (1843–1903), "the woman behind the man who built the Brooklyn Bridge"
  10. Nella Larsen, (1891–1964), "wrestled with race and sexuality in the Harlem renaissance"
  11. Ada Lovelace, (1815–1852), "mathematician who wrote the first computer program"
  12. Margaret Abbott, (1878–1955), "an unwitting olympic trailblazer"
  13. Belkis Ayón, (1967–1999), "a Cuban printmaker inspired by a secret male society"
  14. Charlotte Brontë, (1816–1855), "Novelist known for Jane Eyre"
  15. Lillias Campbell Davidson, (1853–1934), "an early advocate for women's cycling"

Black History Month (February 2019)

During February 2019, in honor of Black History Month, the paper published obituaries for "a prominent group of black men and women" who were not examined at the time of their deaths.[11] Padnani wrote that readers' suggestions of whom to write about "have yielded some of the most-read obituaries".[12]

  1. Gladys Bentley, (1907–1960), "a gender bending blues performer who became 1920s Harlem royalty".
  2. Scott Joplin, (1867–1917), "a pianist and ragtime master who wrote 'The Entertainer' and the groundbreaking opera 'Treemonisha'.
  3. Margaret Garner, (1833–1858), "who killed her own daughter rather than return her to the horrors of slavery".
  4. Major Taylor, (1878–1932), "a world champion bicycle racer whose fame was undermined by prejudice".
  5. Zelda Wynn Valdes, (1905–2001), "a fashion designer who outfitted the glittery stars of screen and stage".
  6. Alfred Hair, (1941–1970), "a charismatic businessman who created a movement for Florida's black artists".
  7. Nina Mae McKinney, (1912–1957), "an actress who defied the barrier of race to find stardom in Europe".
  8. Granville T. Woods, (1856–1910), "an inventor known as the 'Black Edison'".
  9. Oscar Micheaux, (1884–1951), "a pioneering filmmaker prefiguring independent directors like Spike Lee and Tyler Perry".
  10. Mary Ellen Pleasant, (1814–1907), "born into slavery, she became a Gold Rush-era millionaire and a powerful abolitionist".
  11. Elizabeth Jennings Graham, (1827–1901), "Life experiences primed her to fight for racial equality. Her moment came on a streetcar ride to church."
  12. Philip A. Payton Jr., (1876–1917), "a real estate magnate who turned Harlem into a black mecca".
  13. Moses Fleetwood Walker, (1857–1924), "the first black baseball player in the big leagues, even before Jackie Robinson".

Other honorees

Series

In April 2019, Netflix and Higher Ground Productions (the production company founded by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama) announced that they would be adapting Overlooked into a scripted anthology series. The series would be produced by Liza Chasin of 3dot Productions and Joy Gorman Wettels of Anonymous Content.[35]

Musical

In May 2019, The Waa-Mu Show at Northwestern University presented a new, student-written musical based on Amisha Padnani and the Overlooked series, entitled For the Record.[36]

References

  1. ^ Padnani, Amisha (2018-03-08). "How an Obits Project on Overlooked Women Was Born". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  2. ^ "Jessica Bennett, Our New Gender Editor, Answers Your Questions". The New York Times. 2017-12-13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  3. ^ "The New York Times Is Writing Obituaries for the Historical Women They Ignored". InStyle.com. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  4. ^ Stevens, Heidi (8 March 2018). "NYT runs obits for 'overlooked' women on International Women's Day". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  5. ^ ""We want to address these inequities of our time": NYT starts new series featuring overlooked obituaries". www.cbsnews.com. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  6. ^ Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (2018-05-21). "'Overlooked' Female Anthology Series Based On NY Times Obituaries Feature Set At Anonymous Content & Paramount TV". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
  7. ^ Dickerson, Caitlin (2018-03-08). "Ida B. Wells, Who Took on Racism in the Deep South With Powerful Reporting on Lynchings". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  8. ^ Qin, Amy (2018-03-08). "Qiu Jin, Beheaded by Imperial Forces, Was 'China's Joan of Arc'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  9. ^ Padnani, Amisha (2018-03-08). "Mary Ewing Outerbridge, Who Helped Bring Tennis to the United States". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
  10. ^ Estrin, James (2018-03-08). "Diane Arbus Called Her Portraits 'A Secret About a Secret'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
  11. ^ Padnani, Amisha; Chambers, Veronica (2019-01-31). "For Black History Month, Remarkable Women and Men We Overlooked Since 1851". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-02-17.
  12. ^ Padnani, Amisha (2019-01-31). "A Year Into the Overlooked Project, Widening the Lens". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-02-17.
  13. ^ Shmerler, Cindy (10 November 2023). "Overlooked No More: Ángela Ruiz Robles, Inventor of an Early E-Reader". The New York Times. (subscription required)
  14. ^ Mydans, Seth (29 September 2022). "Overlooked No More: Maria Orosa, Inventor of Banana Ketchup". The New York Times. (subscription required)
  15. ^ May, Rachel (April 22, 2023). "Elizabeth Wagner Reed: Who Resurrected Legacies of Women in Science". New York Times. New York, New York. Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  16. ^ Mydans, Seth (21 March 2023). "Overlooked No More: Lilian Lindsay, Britain's First Female Dentist". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  17. ^ Edwards, Gavin (2 September 2022). "Overlooked No More: Vera Menchik, First Women's Chess Champion". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  18. ^ Popkin, Gabriel (August 19, 2022). "Overlooked No More: Regina Jonas, Upon Whose Shoulders 'All Female Rabbis Stand'". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  19. ^ Connelly, Eileen AJ (2020-07-20). "Overlooked No More: Brad Lomax, a Bridge Between Civil Rights Movements". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  20. ^ Slotnik, Daniel E (11 December 2019). "Overlooked No More: Bessie Coleman, Pioneering African-American Aviatrix". New York Times.
  21. ^ Rosenberg, Karen (20 November 2019). "Overlooked No More: Pauline Boty, Rebellious Pop Artist". New York Times.
  22. ^ Weber, Bruce (2019-11-06). "Overlooked No More: Annie Londonderry, Who Traveled the World by Bicycle". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  23. ^ Ives, Mike; Li, Katherine (2019-10-23). "Overlooked No More: Sanmao, 'Wandering Writer' Who Found Her Voice in the Desert". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  24. ^ New York Times (September 6, 2019). "Overlooked No More: Alice Guy Blaché, the World's First Female Filmmaker". New York Times.
  25. ^ "Overlooked No More: Alan Turing, Condemned Code Breaker and Computer Visionary". The New York Times. 2019-06-05. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  26. ^ "Overlooked No More: Dorothy Bolden, Who Started a Movement for Domestic Workers". The New York Times. 2019-02-20. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  27. ^ "Overlooked No More: Dudley Randall, Whose Broadside Press Gave a Voice to Black Poets". The New York Times. 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  28. ^ "Overlooked No More: Mabel Grammer, Whose Brown Baby Plan Found Homes for Hundreds". The New York Times. 2019-02-06. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  29. ^ "Overlooked No More: Forough Farrokhzad, Iranian Poet Who Broke Barriers of Sex and Society". The New York Times. 2019-01-30. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  30. ^ "Overlooked No More: Mabel Stark, Fearless Tiger Trainer". The New York Times. 2019-01-23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
  31. ^ "Overlooked No More: Isabelle Kelley, Who Developed a Food Stamp Program to Feed Millions". The New York Times. 2019-01-16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  32. ^ "Overlooked No More: Laura de Force Gordon, Suffragist, Journalist and Lawyer". The New York Times. 2019-01-09. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  33. ^ "Overlooked No More: Karen Sparck Jones, Who Established the Basis for Search Engines". The New York Times. 2019-01-02. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  34. ^ "Overlooked No More: Charley Parkhurst, Gold Rush Legend With a Hidden Identity". The New York Times. 2018-12-05. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  35. ^ "HIGHER GROUND ANNOUNCES UPCOMING SLATE OF PROJECTS EXCLUSIVE TO NETFLIX". Netflix Media Center. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
  36. ^ "The 88th annual Waa-Mu Show 'For the Record' will feature the untold stories of history-making women". news.northwestern.edu. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
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