On the morning of Wednesday, March 23, Madeleine Albright’s death was announced on social media. Her family made a statement to the public, announcing the cause of her death was cancer. It is unclear to the public what kind of cancer she was diagnosed with.
In the statement made by her family, they expressed that she died “surrounded by friends and family.”
The 84-year-old woman reached the end of her life leaving a legacy behind for future generations to follow. She held a long career invested in politics, diplomacy and education. Her political career took off after the communist coup in 1948, around the time the family immigrated to Denver, Colorado. Her birth name is “Marie Jean “Madlenka” Korbel, which was Americanized when her family fled from Czech Slovakia.
During her attendance at Wellesley College in 1959, womenofthehall.org revealed that Marie Jean earned a B.A. in political science with honors. Beyond that, she earned a Ph.D. in Public Law and Government at Columbia University in 1976.
Some of her most well-known contributions to society include her involvement in women’s rights through movements such as the National Women’s Safety Summit. This is an annual event that addresses violence prevention, technology, coercive control and other problems women in America face. During the event, a panel of discussions and closed roundtables are used to facilitate hard conversations.
Albright spoke out on her contribution to the women’s rights movements many times over the years.
Madeleine stated “Women have to be active listeners and interrupters-but when you interrupt, you have to know what you are talking about.” according to internetpoem.com.

Albright’s political investments don’t stop there. In an article published by history.state.gov Madeleines’ hand in the expansion of NATO eastward into the former Soviet bloc nations is mentioned. Working with NATO, Madeline supported the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons from the former Soviet republics to rogue nations and successfully pressed for military intervention under NATO auspices during the humanitarian crisis in Kosovo in 1999.
Albright also spent some time as an educator and argued that her time in the senate improved her style of teaching.
Albright went on to say “I wasn’t a normal professor. I had worked in government. I hadn’t written nine zillion books. I was a hands-on professor.” quotemaster.org
After leaving the Secretary of State post in 2001, she authored several bestsellers, launched a private investment fund and provided global strategy consulting. In 2012, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Madeleine Albright was a trailblazer and a well-respected leader in international relations. She created her course in history and, in doing so, illuminated a new standard for women around the world.