More about the 92Y Extraordinary Women Awards
92nd Street Y’s innovative programming has supported generations of women and girls at all stages of their lives. Being there for our community in times of need is a tradition that has grown into our legacy. Emma Lazarus, the poet whose words grace the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in the 1880s, taught English to Russian Jewish immigrants at the 92nd Street Y. Clara de Hirsch founded a trade school for young, largely immigrant girls could live, learn, and become self-sufficient, the first of its kind in New York City, which evolved to become what’s now the 92Y Residence. In the 1930s, Martha Graham found a safe, open space in which to develop her art—and created what we now know as modern dance here at 92Y.
For 146 years, 92Y has brought together the female leaders, trailblazers and independent thinkers whose commitment to changing the status quo helped shape the world around us.