National Women's History Museum

AAUW CHAPTER AND NWHM HONOR THE REAL WOMEN OF “NORTH COUNTRY”
Susan Jollie’s Letter to the Eveleth Mill Women on Behalf of the NWHM

The National Women’s History Museum is pleased to join with the Hibbing, Minnesota, branch of the American Association of University Women in honoring Lois Jenson and her fellow plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit that established important legal precedents on sexual harassment in the workplace. These courageous women initially had very modest goals, but their struggle ultimately improved the working conditions of women nationwide. The women who banded together to challenge the hostile environment at the Eveleth Mines are part of a long and proud tradition of women who have made America a better place to live. Read the rest of this entry »

AAUW CHAPTER AND NWHM HONOR THE REAL WOMEN OF “NORTH COUNTRY”
BACKGROUND ON THE CLASS ACTION SUIT BROUGHT AGAINST EVELETH MINES
(Provided by Stephanie Carlson of the AAUW Chapter in Hibbing, Minnesota)

Northern Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range is home to the largest Iron ore deposit in the world.  Since red iron ore was discovered in 1890 by the Merritt brothers, men have toiled in the iron mines, that is until 1974 when 9 of the country’s largest steel companies signed a consent decree with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Labor Department requiring the industry’s mines to provide 20% of its new jobs to women and minorities. Read the rest of this entry »

GWU INTERIOR DESIGN CLASS DOES PROJECT ON NWHM SITE

In March 2006, Susan Jollie and NWHM Program Director Holly Kearl met with a George Washington University Advanced Interior Design class from the Master’s Program to discuss the class’s upcoming project on designing the interior of the Annex of the Old Post Office – NWHM’s desired museum space. The class received floor plans of the three-floor building, a history of the building, Ms. Jollie’s ideas for renovating the building, and then were able to tour the outside of the building itself. Two months later in May, the GWU class presented their finished project to Ms. Jollie, staff, and board members. Read the rest of this entry »

As its first major achievement, the NWHM spearheaded the effort with other women’s organizations to raise $85,000 and generate public support to move this monument of Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony out of its 76‑year confinement in the Capitol Crypt to the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.  Now over 4 million visitors a year can see the contributions of these leaders of the Women’s Suffrage Movement.

Women History Trail Act authorizes the National Park Service to establish an auto trail in upstate New York

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Representative Louise Slaughter, both members of the NWHM Honorary Board of Directors, have introduced legislation to establish the “Votes for Women History Trail.” The Votes for Women History Trail Act authorizes the National Park Service to establish an auto trail in upstate New York. Read the rest of this entry »

Once proper facilities are available, the National Women’s History Museum will become a collecting institution. Material culture serves as a tangible reminder of women’s active participation in historical events. Read the rest of this entry »

NWHM CAMPAIGN RECEIVES ENORMOUS SUPPORT FROM ITS COALITION MEMBERS

The National Women’s History Museum launched a nationwide Campaign on March 2, 2006, at the National Press Club to promote enactment of The National Women’s History Museum Act during this session of Congress. The NWHM’s 31 member National Coalition of over 8 million women (including the newest member Federally Employed Women) have joined NWHM in calling for women and men around the country to express their support of the passage of the National Women’s History Museum Act. Read the rest of this entry »

HONORING BETTY FRIEDAN

Women’s rights leader and activist Betty Friedan passed away on February 4th, 2006, at the age of eighty-five.  Friedan’s book The Feminine Mystique (1963) is regarded as one of the most influential nonfiction books of the twentieth century as it helped ignite the women’s movement of the 1960’s and ‘70’s, transforming American society and culture. Read the rest of this entry »

Coretta Scott King passed away early this morning, January 31, 2006, at the age of 78. King was born on April 27, 1927, in Perry County, Alabama. She said that she was determined, even in girlhood, to do something positive for the cause of human rights. Like many women in history, King was known for much of her life as a helpmate to her famous husband, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; raising their children and working behind the scenes as he led the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and ’60s. Read the rest of this entry »

NATIONAL MALL SITE IS CHOSEN FOR THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE

On January 30, 2006, the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents approved a museum site for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Congress, which has had the museum under consideration since the 1980′s, instructed the Regents to choose from four sites, two on the Mall and two nearby. The location they have selected is at the southwest corner of 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, a central location near the Washington Monument. NWHM extends its congratulations to the Museum! Read the rest of this entry »