Overlooked No More: NYT Obits

For 167 years, the obituaries in “The New York Times” focused predominantly on white men. Famous people who were not recognized include Charlotte Brontë, Sylvia Plath, Scott Joplin, Bessie Coleman and Beatrix Potter. To correct this bias, the newspaper initiated a weekly series in 2018, featuring “the stories of people who left indelible marks on the world, but whose obituaries were never written.” In 2023, editor Amisha Padnani selected 66 people for the book “Overlooked: A Celebration of Remarkable, Underappreciated People Who Broke the Rules and Changed the World.” So many interesting individuals and notable accomplishments in science, religion, civil rights, war, sports, music, dance, etc. We cannot cover them all in three sessions, but if you are interested in history and a fan of biographies, this class is for you.