Serena Williams and Ruby Bridges will be chosen into the National Women' s Hall of Fame in March next year. The American organization in Seneca Falls, New York made the announcement Thursday.
The tennis superstar and the human rights leader were added to the list to be honored during Women' s History Month in March. Eight other winners were announced in the spring.
The 42-year-old Williams has won main events in tennis, called Grand Slam events, 23 times. She holds the record for the longest ranking（排名）as the top competitor. She retired from tennis last year. Earlier this month, Williams became the first athlete to win the Fashion Icon award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
The 69-year-old Bridges was six years old when she became the first black student at a Louisiana public school, where non-whites had been refused. The event took place in 1960. In 1963, painter Norman Rockwell recreated the event in his painting, The Problem We All Live With. Bridges built the Ruby Bridges Foundation in 1999. It offers educational programs and resources to guide and support the younger toward a peaceful future.
For the first time, the ceremony（典礼）will be broadcast（播出）nationally in the best time from New York City, the Hall of Fame said. The past 30 ceremonies have taken place in places around Seneca Falls, New York. The town was the site of the first Women' s Rights Convention and is home to the National Women' s Hall of Fame.
" The 2024 new numbers are scientists, activists, performers, and athletes who are changemakers of today and inspiration for the women of tomorrow," said National Women' s Hall of Fame leader, Jennifer Gabriel.
The American public chooses women to be considered for the Hall of Fame. A group of experts examines them and makes the final decision.
