Meherunessa Islam (1920-2002) was an educator and leader in the women’s movement in India, East Pakistan, and Bangladesh. She graduated from Eden College in Dhaka and Victoria Institution in Calcutta. Her first job was as Superintendent of Test Orphanages in Chandina, in the Chittagong District of East Bengal. From 1944-1947, she was the Assistant Mistress at Calcutta Shakhawat Memorial Government Girls’ School for Muslims, founded by Begum Rokeya. After Partition, she moved to Dhaka and became a School Inspector for the government, focusing on girls’ education. She served 32 years in the government and 10 years consulting and traveling internationally with the UN and other governmental and non-governmental agencies. She is survived by three children, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.