Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 –
June 1, 1968) was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was
the first deaf-blind person to
earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.
The story of Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan, was made famous by Keller's
autobiography, The Story of My Life,
and its adaptations for film and stage, The Miracle Worker.
Her birthplace in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, is now
a museum and sponsors an annual "Helen Keller Day". Her June 27
birthday is commemorated as Helen Keller Day in Pennsylvania and, in the centenary year of her birth, was
recognized by a presidential proclamation from Jimmy Carter. A prolific author, Keller was well-traveled and
outspoken in her convictions. A member of the Socialist Party of America and
the Industrial Workers of the
World, she campaigned for women's suffrage, labor rights, socialism, antimilitarism, and other similar causes. She was inducted
into the Alabama Women's Hall of
Fame in 1971 and was one of twelve inaugural inductees to the
Alabama Writers Hall of Fame on June 8, 2015.