In 1978, eight women transformed the rules of money with just $1,000 and a clear mission.
Not long ago, women in the U.S. couldn’t open a bank account or get a credit card without a man’s co-signature. Until 1974, financial independence wasn’t a right—it was a privilege granted by others.
Determined to change this, Carol Green, Judi Wagner, LaRae Orullian, Gail Schoettler, Wendy Davis, Joy Burns, Beverly Martinez, and Edna Mosely came together in Denver, Colorado. Each invested $1,000 of their own money.
Their goal? To create the first Women’s Bank—a place where women could open accounts, apply for credit, and be treated as equals, not exceptions.
On July 14, 1978, the Women’s Bank opened its doors.
The line to get in stretched down the block.
By the end of that first day, over $1 million had been deposited.
It wasn’t just a bank.
It was a statement.
A stand against centuries of exclusion.
These women didn’t wait for the system to change.
They built a new one.
Because of their courage, millions of women today confidently control their financial futures.
