NEWSBYTE ARCHIVES

Smithsonian Magazine honors NWHM’s Dr. Sally Ride

Smithsonian Magazine has named NWHM Membership Chair Sally Ride as one of its “35 Who Made A Difference” in the November 2005 special anniversary issue. In addition, to Dr. Ride’s extraordinary record as the nation’s first female astronaut and her stellar NASA career, her current work is aimed at assuring that girls get to share in the field of science.

As the founder of her company Sally Ride Science, Dr. (she has her doctorate in physics) Ride sees that girls are encouraged early on to pursue studies and careers in science. Quoted in Smithsonian Magazine, she marvels that when speaking with fourth-graders there are equal numbers of boys and girls who want to be astronauts. In meeting college students in physics classes, she notes that the number of girls drops dramatically.

To sustain the girls in their pursuit of scientific studies and careers, Sally Ride has created the Sally Ride Science Club, science festivals, summer camps, newsletters and career guides for girls. We congratulate our own Sally Ride on her newest mission and invite you to learn more about her work by clicking on www.sallyrideclub.com

NWHM CyberMuseum Exhibitions featured on GREAT MUSEUMS Virtual Museum Tours

The GREAT MUSEUMS Web site www.greatmuseums.org is featuring the NWHM CyberMuseum’s exhibitions on its current Virtual Museum Tours. The CyberMuseum contains the NWHM online exhibitions at www.nwhm.org. Also featured museum Web sites include George Washington’s Mount Vernon and the Newseum’s Interactive Museum of News. GREAT MUSEUMS is the only nationwide TV series devoted to America’s museums and is broadcast nationwide on public television.

Nation Mourns Three Civil Rights Leaders

The Nation mourns the loss of three of its women civil rights pioneers and leaders during October 2005. Each of these women made significant contributions to furthering societal justice and civil rights during their lifetimes. Each of them arrived at their moment in history through courageous acts and the belief that one person can make a difference in changing the course of history. We pay tribute to the following leaders (listed in order of passing).

In Memoriam

Dr. C. DeLores Tucker – October 12, 2005

As a longtime civil rights activist, Dr. Tucker was the first African-American woman to serve as Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State from 1971 – 1977. Among the many achievements during her tenure, she made changes to the election system introducing voter registration by mail and instituting the first Commission on the Status of Women in Pennsylvania. Dr. Tucker also was responsible for the Governor’s appointment of more women judges and more women and African Americans to boards and commissions than ever before in the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She also led the effort to make Pennsylvania one of the first states to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.

She founded the National Political Congress of Black Women in 1985 to assure that black women would have a share and parity in American politics. The organization is now known as the National Congress of Black Women and is a member of the NWHM National Coalition. Among the many issues Dr. Tucker and the group undertook w the campaign against violent and misogynistic lyrics in rap and hip-hop music. Dr. Tucker was founder and president of the Bethune-DuBois Institute, which she established in 1991 to promote the cultural development of African American youth through scholarships and education programs.

Her record of awards spans virtually all of the major civil rights organizations. She was the recipient of three honorary doctorates.

Vivian Malone Jones – October 13, 2005

Vivian Malone Jones was the first African-American woman to enter the University of Alabama in 1963 along with fellow black student James Hood. Their entry resulted in then Governor George Wallace standing in the door of the university in an attempt to halt their admission. They entered the university but only after an agreement was reached between the White House and Wallace's aides. Ms. Jones further distinguished herself as the first African-American to graduate from the University of Alabama in 1965 with a degree in management. She moved to Washington, DC and joined the U.S. Department of Justice as a staff member of its Voter Education Project.

Following that assignment, she moved to Atlanta and took a position with the Environmental Protection Agency, where she was director of civil rights and urban affairs. She also helped pioneer the concept of environmental justice at the EPA regional office. She retired in 1996 remaining active in civil rights organizations. Her alma mater endowed a Vivian Malone Jones Scholarship Fund and in her honor hung her portrait in the building that houses the College of Commerce and Business Administration.

Rosa M. Parks - October 24, 2005

A simple act of defiance in 1955 ignited the modern civil rights movement that earned Mrs. Rosa Parks the title “mother of the civil rights movement.”

As a seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama and an active member of the local NAACP chapter, Mrs. Parks refused to give up her seat in the “assigned section” for blacks in the bus to a white man. This action led to her arrest that triggered a 381-day boycott of the bus system organized by a little-known Baptist minister, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. The modern civil rights movement had begun, finally culminating in the 1964 federal Civil Rights Act, which banned racial discrimination in public accommodations.

Speaking in 1992, Mrs. Parks stated that her reasons for refusing to vacate her seat were misunderstood when people said, “that my feet were hurting and I didn’t know why I refused to stand up when they told me. But the real reason of my not standing up was I felt that I had a right to be treated as any other passenger. We had endured that kind of treatment for too long.”

In 1957, Mrs. Parks and her husband moved to Detroit in search of employment and to escape the harassment and threats in Alabama. She worked for Congressman John Conyers until 1987 and then devoted much of her time to the Institute for Self-Development that she and her husband founded.

In 1996, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded to civilians making outstanding contributions to American life. In 1999, she was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor. On Sunday, October 30 and Monday, October 31, her body was laid in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, the first woman in history to be so honored by the required Act of Congress.

Library Of Congress Unveils Online Photographs “Women Of Protest”

New Presentation Celebrates 85th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage

In celebration of the 85th anniversary of women’s right to vote in the United States, the Library of Congress has created a new online presentation of photographs entitled “Women of Protest: Photographs from the Records of the National Woman’s Party.” The online photographs became available on August 24, 2005 and can be accessed at: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/.

This presentation is a selection of 448 of the approximately 2,650 photographs in the Records of the National Woman’s Party, housed in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress.

“ ‘Women of Protest’ presents images of the party’s broad range of tactics as well as individual portraits of organization leaders and members. The photographs range from circa 1875 to 1938, but largely date from 1913 to1922. They document the party’s push for passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment as well as its later campaign for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment that has never been ratified.

The National Woman's Party was one of the most important national suffrage organizations in the United States as well as a leading advocate for women’s political, social and economic equality throughout much of the 20th century. An offshoot of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, the party was instrumental in achieving passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment, which extended suffrage to women nationally on Aug. 26, 1920.” (LOC press release)

The Sewall-Belmont House and National Woman’s Party are members of the NWHM National Coalition. The Sewall-Belmont House has been the historic headquarters of the National Woman’s Party since 1929. For more information, please see: http://www.sewallbelmont.org

The National Women’s History Museum’s Online Exhibition “Motherhood, Social Service and Reform; the Political Culture and Imaging of American Suffrage” and the NWHM Walking Tour “In Their Footsteps” are both linked as online resources in the Related Resources Section of the NWP site. See: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/related6.html. See also - Library of Congress – Press Release – August 2005

National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity Joins NWHM National Coalition

The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) has joined the NWHM National Coalition. The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) is a consortium of state and local agencies, corporations, and national organizations that collaborate to create equitable and diverse classrooms and workplaces where they are no barriers to opportunities.

The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, Inc. was chartered in 1990 in response to the states’ need for support in carrying out the vocational equity duties prescribed in federal legislation. In 1993 NAPE became independent and began the process of incorporating and obtaining its nonprofit status. The organization now numbers 35 states as members and has a growing list of local affiliates. More information about NAPE is available on www.napequity.org.

The NWHM welcomes NAPE into the National Coalition.

Susan B. Anthony House Joins NWHM National Coalition

The Susan B. Anthony House has formally joined the NWHM National Coalition. While leaders had served on the NWHM Advisory Board in the past, the Susan B. Anthony House has joined the Coalition in recognition of advancing the missions of both organizations.

“The Susan B. Anthony House shares the story of Susan B. Anthony’s lifelong struggle to gain voting rights for women and equal rights for all. We keep her vision and struggle alive by owning and protecting Anthony’s National Historic Landmark home; collecting artifacts and research materials directly related to her life and work; and making these resources available to the public through tours, publications, the Internet and interpretive programs.” (Source – Susan B. Anthony House).

In honor of the 85th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote, the Susan B. Anthony Park located near the House was the scene of a celebration on July 21. Acting Executive Director Patrice Sampson-Bouchard welcomed U.S. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter and County Executive Maggie Brooks, who both delivered remarks. Even Miss Susan B. Anthony made an appearance in a horse-drawn carriage and offered her observations on the need for women to gain the right to vote.

We welcome the Susan B. Anthony House as a new member of the NWHM National Coalition.

For more information see: www.susanbanthonyhouse.org or write to: Susan B. Anthony House, 17 Madison Street, Rochester, NY 14608 - (585) 235-6124

Sarah Winnemucca, Native American Activist, honored as Nevada places her statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol.

The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is comprised of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. The entire collection now consists of 98 statues contributed by 50 states. Nevada officially dedicated the statue of Sarah Winnemucca, Native American activist, as its second statue on March 9, 2005. New Mexico and North Dakota remain as the two states eligible to add a second statue.

The Nevada Women’s History Project initiated the project to designate Sarah Winnemucca as Nevada’s second statue. With the addition of Winnemucca to the U.S. Capitol Collection, there are now seven women so honored. The National Women’s History Museum spearheaded the moving of the Suffragist Statue from the Crypt to Statuary Hall. The three suffragists depicted in that sculpture are not counted in the “state total.”

Congratulations to the Nevada Women’s History Project on this remarkable achievement.

Click on www.nwhp.org to learn more about this exciting project. Remember that your search engine will probably need the whole title, Nevada Women’s History Project, to distinguish it from the National Women’s History Project. Click here for more.

Archived Press Releases

May 2004
New exhibition "Partners in Winning the War: American Women in World War II" opens

March 25, 2002
NATIONAL WOMEN'S HISTORY MUSEUM EXHIBITION
ON WOMEN SPIES OPENS TODAY

News Bytes 2000

November 14, 1998
Scholars and Museum Professionals Chart the Development and Program Design of a National Museum Dedicated to the History of Women in America

September 28, 1998
The Launch of the NMWH CyberMuseum

NMWH Educates America with the Launch of its Historical CyberMuseum: www.nmwh.org

First Annual "Women Making History" Awards

June 8, 1998:
National Museum of Women's History Testifies at Hearing of Dollar Coin Advisory Committee

June, 1998
National Museum of Women's History Works in Association with Forbes and American Heritage to Produce Special Advertising Section

The National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) announced in November 2003 that twenty-three national organizations have joined forces to support the mission of the Museum and work with its leaders to acquire a site for a permanent Museum near the National Mall in Washington, DC. The NWHM National Coalition members, comprised of leading women’s service and professional organizations, represent constituencies reaching over 8 million members.

NWHM National President Susan B. Jollie hailed the creation and support of the Coalition.

“Historically, women’s organizations have banded together to effect change and progress at all levels of American life. We are privileged to have these outstanding national organizations join with us in assuring that a permanent National Women’s History Museum in Washington DC is an accomplished fact. It is our collective obligation that the achievements and contributions of women to American history form a continuing legacy for future generations of men and women alike.”

Click here to view the press release on the National Coalition.

June 26, 1997
Finally!!! Woman Suffrage Statue Honored in U.S. Capitol Rotunda

NWHM Honorary Board of Directors now includes 100% of the women members of the U.S. Congress

The NWHM Honorary Board of Directors now includes ALL women members serving in the U.S. Congress. The NWHM Board extends its thanks to the bi-partisan House of Representatives Women's Caucus for helping bring the Board to its full female complement. Heeding Abigail Adams advice "not to forget the women," the NWHM has not forgotten the men. The Museum has been privileged to have strong support from a distinguished number of male U.S. Congress members since its founding in 1996. The Honorary Board now numbers over 160 members of Congress and is growing at a rapid pace.
If your Congressperson or Senator is not on the list, please ask them to join!

New Features in Membership - Online Sign-up and New Database System

The NWHM is always seeking new ways to improve its membership services. Two new features that will benefit our members are an online sign-up for membership and to make additional donations at any time. Check this out this new feature in the Join Us section of our Web site.

The NWHM has also recently installed an in-house membership database system for better quality control and improved service to our members. We are still working to update and correct any member information, so please be patient. If your name is misspelled or you receive multiple copies of the newsletter or correspondence, please contact us at the following: