Barbara Hillary

Barbara Hillary (June 12, 1931 – November 23, 2019) was an American Arctic explorer, nurse, publisher, adventurer, and inspirational speaker. Born in New York City, she attended The New School, from which she earned bachelor's and master's degrees in gerontology. Following her education, she became a nurse as well as founding the Arverne Action Association and the Peninsula Magazine.

In 2007 at the age of 75, Hillary became the second known black woman to reach the North Pole. She reached the South Pole in January 2011 at the age of 79, becoming the first African-American woman on record to make it there and simultaneously the first black woman to reach both poles. Following her ventures to the North and South poles she became an inspirational speaker, addressing organizations such as the National Organization for Women.

Having survived breast cancer in her 20s and lung cancer in her 60s, her health began to decline in 2019. After being admitted to a hospital in Far Rockaway, New York, she died on November 23, 2019, at the age of 88.

Personal life Hillary was born on June 12, 1931, in New York City in an area now known as the Lincoln Square neighborhood (formerly San Juan Hill, Manhattan). She was raised in Harlem by her mother Viola Jones Hillary, her father having died while she was two. Hillary grew up impoverished—her mother cleaned homes to support the family—but she spent much of her time reading: "there was no such thing as mental poverty in our home." Despite the illness, she still managed to travel to Mongolia to raise awareness of the effects of climate change on societies there. After visiting the poles, Hillary took interest in the effects of climate change on the polar ice caps and the world beyond and took to public lecturing on the topic. In 2019 she traveled to the Mongolian steppe to visit a community whose cultural traditions are threatened by climate change. 2008 – Received the Woman of Courage Award from the National Organization for Women. 2020 - Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.