NWHM has partnered with Good Housekeeping to celebrate their 125th anniversary with a star-studded gala being held at City Center in NYC.
April 12, 2010 8pm.
For more information, please click here.

The National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) is pleased to announce the launch of its newest cyberexhibit today entitled “Claiming Their Citizenship: African American Women From 1624-2009.” The exhibit seeks to present African American women collectively and exceptionally throughout American history. Starting with Isabel, the first known African American woman, in 1624 and climaxing with First Lady Michelle Obama in 2008, African American women have contributed to the warp and woof of American history, culture and character. To view the exhibit, please go to www.nwhm.org/exhibits/AfricanAmerican/index.html.

The exhibit is part of NWHM’s observance of African American History Month and honors the historic contributions, achievements, struggles and captivating stories of African American women throughout their presence in America. The exhibit was written and curated by Dr. Ida E. Jones, of the Moorland Spingarn Research Center at Howard University.

Joan Wages, NWHM President & CEO, stated, “The extraordinary strength, courage and perseverance demonstrated by African American women from the time of their arrival in this country should inspire all Americans to greater heights. African American women’s history offfers us insight into the breadth and depth of our nation’s history.”

Curator Ida Jones stated, “When I learned that the National Women’s History Museum was considering a virtual exhibit on African American women, I was excited. Currently, there is a plethora of information on the web about women in general and African American women in particular and some offer a synthesis of the gendered experience. The unique feature of the NWHM site on African American women is two-fold; there is a synthesis of exceptional people and events, with an abbreviated timeline and sample bibliography to encourage further study. The site lends credibility to the efforts American women have employed in the distant and recent past to portray the full dimensions of American womanhood.”

The release of “Claiming Their Citizenship: African American Women From 1624-2009,” marks NWHM’s eighteenth cyberexhibit.

Did you know that Vera Anderson, a welder at the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation in Mississippi, was named one of The American Magazine’s “Interesting People” in its May 1944 issue?

To learn more about women’s roles during WWII, visit Partners in Winning the War.

Celebrate the birthday of author Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891) by reading her biography here.

Did you know that TV chef Julia Child was a spy during WWII? This exhibit covers women in the intelligence community from the American Revolution through the Cold War. Notable women such as Harriet Tubman, Virginia Hall, and Ethel Rosenberg are profiled. Learn more about the roles women played in the intelligence community in Clandestine Women: Spies in American History.

NWHM has a new mission statement:

The National Women’s History Museum affirms the value of knowing Women’s History, illuminates the role of women in transforming society and encourages all people, women and men, to participate in democratic dialogue about our future.

Did you know that as a teen, Eliza Pinckney increased indigo production by 2,500% in just two years? Read more about the amazing girls who demonstrated bravery and courage in our nation’s history and are ideal role models for today’s girls in Young and Brave: Girls Changing History.

Did you know that there were thousands of women’s clubs founded during the Progressive Era? Read more about the amazing women who worked to reform the nation in Reforming Their World: Women in the Progessive Era.

On October 29th, Senator Susan Collins introduced S. 2129, the National Women’s History Museum Act. There are 19 original cosponsors of the bill including Senators Barbara Boxer, Maria Cantwell, Dianne Feinstein, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kay Hagan, Amy Klobuchar, Mary Landrieu, Blanche Lincoln, Claire McCaskill, Barbara Mikulski, Lisa Murkowski, Patty Murray, Jeanne Shaheen, Olympia Snowe and Debbie Stabenow, as well as Joe Lieberman, Chuck Grassley, Mark Pryor, and George Voinovich. It is identical language to the bill that recently passed the House.

In introducing the bill, Senator Collins stated, “This museum would help ensure that future generations understand what we owe to the many generations of American women who have helped build, sustain, and advance our society. They deserve a building to present the stories of pioneering women like abolitionist Harriet Tubman, founder of the Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and astronaut Sally Ride.”

The bill will be referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works chaired by Senator Boxer. We’re told the Committee could take up the bill before year’s end.

Washington, D.C. - The National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) is pleased to announce that today the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 1700, also known as The National Women’s History Museum Act of 2009.

This legislation is the first critical step, to be followed by action in the U.S. Senate, that will allow NWHM to purchase federal land at 12th and Independence upon which to build a World Class National Women’s History Museum.

“For the first time in our Nation’s history, it appears Women will finally have a front row seat on our National Mall!” said Joan Bradley Wages, President & CEO of NWHM.

“We want to especially thank Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY 14) for her leadership as our chief sponsor in initiating and guiding this bill through Congress,” Ms. Wages continued.

“There are museums for stamps and spies, for news and for poetry–but today’s action by the House means women are on our way toward a ‘museum of our own’. What women have contributed to the building of our country is a story long overdue for the telling,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).

The mission of NWHM is to gather and chronicle the amazing history, heretofore untold and/or under represented in our Nation’s Capital, of women’s role in helping build our Nation and our society. The Museum’s organizers promise all Americans will be surprised and delighted at what NWHM can and will teach them and future generations about the accomplishments and stories of women who, individually and collectively, have woven our nation’s fabric. “Prepare to be amazed…” Ms. Wages added.