These inspiring 6 Coast women make home a better place. Get to know them.
March 8 is International Women’s Day — and a great day to learn about some of the most inspiring female figures on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
From a beloved soul food chef in Gulfport to a prosecutor fighting childhood cancer on the Coast, these women are making South Mississippi better, one day at a time.
Here are their stories.
Angel Myers McIlrath
After the death of her beloved daughter, Sophia Myers, in 2017, prosecutor Angel Myers McIlrath co-founded the SoSo Strong Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure to DIPG, a rare type of pediatric brain cancer that killed Sophia and other children on the Coast. In 2018, McIlrath was appointed district attorney for Jackson, George and Greene Counties.
Lela Jordan
After Biloxi native Lela Jordan returned home to the Coast after 45 years, she set herself a simple task: demanding accountability from her city, Biloxi, for a string of broken promises to repair the damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina. “If I see something, I need to try and fix it,” she told the Sun Herald — and she’s getting results, with the city finally conducting road repairs and building ADA-compliant infrastructure.
Rachel Dangermond
When she took over leadership of a venerable Bay St. Louis blues club, the 100 Men Hall DBA, Rachel Dangermond had plans to do something different. She began hosting “gospel drag brunches” at the Hall, along with other events and musical acts. In January 2019, she also started the nonprofit 100 Women DBA, which was modeled off the hall’s original namesake, the Hundred Members Debating Benevolent Association. With 100 Women DBA, Dangermond seeks to promote and help women of color who want to open businesses in Hancock County.
Audrey Duncan
The eponymous owner of beloved Gulfport staple Ms. Audrey’s Southern Kitchen, Duncan is known across the Coast for her delicious soul food and as a mentor who has trained more than 100 aspiring chefs through her work with Climb CDC, a Gulfport nonprofit. Soon, some of Duncan’s culinary secrets could make their way to your kitchen: she plans to publish “Ms. Audrey’s Kitchen Bible,” a handwritten document in use at the restaurant for decades, as a cookbook.
Abby Bosarge
In the Sun Herald’s reporting on the death of Pass Christian teen Abby Bosarge, one thing stood out—her willpower and commitment to live life the remainder of her life fully despite her terminal diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia. As her symptoms worsened and even as the cancer kept her from attending school, Bosarge managed to maintain straight A’s and graduated with her Pass Christian High class in a special beachfront ceremony. Bosarge was also an athlete, playing on her high school soccer team, and a volunteer with the South Mississippi Humane Society. And she fulfilled a long bucket list in her final months, including video chats with celebrities like Seth Rogen and soccer star Abby Wambach, trips to Disney World and a Harry Styles concert.
Molly Kester
Conservative towns in the South are not the easiest place to live for transgender people, and it took Molly Kester more than 40 years to do so, after two marriages, three children and 20 years in the military. But after her transition, Kester found acceptance in her family and on the Coast—as well as a powerful role as an advocate for the rights of other LGBTQ people. Kester is a member of the Gulf Coast Equality Council and the president of the Mississippi Rainbow Center.
This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 3:42 PM.