Dear NWHM Member,

Welcome and thank you for your continued support.  This page is designed to give you a little more inside information on our legislative efforts, as well as more detailed information about our past accomplishments. NWHM continues to build momentum with the help of many -- especially loyal Members like you.  It's a long process but we are dedicated to making this happen.  Each day we move closer to our goal and on this page you can read about some of our successes!

NWHM Board Members Report on Their Recent Actions

April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006

UPDATES:

April 2008

NWHM President Joan Wages and NWHM Sr. VP Ann Stone attended the opening night event of the Newseum in Washington, DC.

March 2008

On March 11, NWHM President Joan Wages spoke to the Alexandria Chapter of Business and Professional Women about the history of women in journalism.

On March 11, NWHM Sr. VP Ann Stone traveled to Houston, TX to speak at Chevron to celebrate Women's History Month.

On March 8, NWHM Sr. VP Ann Stone spoke with a group of Girl Scouts for a career day in MD. Notable from the Girl Scouts speech was a comment from gentleman who attended.  He approached NWHM Board member, Ann Stone, and told her that he really felt men's attitude towards women would be improved because of our work.  She thanked him and said yes that was one of the things we hoped to achieve....

On March 6, NWHM hosted "First But Not the Last: Women Who Ran for President" at the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum. C-Span was there to cover the event that was held to celebrate the launch of NWHM's new CyberExhibit of the same name for Women's History Month.

On March 5, NWHM Sr. Vice President Ann Stone spoke at Cobblestones Assisted Living Home in VA. She spoke about women in WWII.

 

February 2008

On February 15, 2008, NWHM President Joan Wages was a panelist at American University convened to discuss the play "Machinal," a play written in 1928 about a woman's many difficult decisions in times of change.   Ms. Wages told the group about the upcoming NWHM CyberExhibit, "First But Not the Last: Women Who Ran For President" and talked about how women's roles changed during the Progressive Era.

 

January 2008

Requests from outside entities for speakers from NWHM keep pouring in.  We are going to Houston to address a large gathering of employees from Chevron and are working on other requests.

If you or your organization would like someone from NWHM to come and speak on women's history please contact Nikki Emser at  programdirector@nwhm.org 

Pledges and bequests from our supporters are also starting to come in help fund our building.  Most have come in response to our mailing asking for support for our pursuit of the Arts and Industries Building.  We received just under $3 million dollars in pledges and bequests from Charter Members in the first few weeks of our campaign. 

 

December 2007

Board members  Linda Denny, General Wilma Vaught, Ann Stone and NWHM President Joan Wages along with NWHM staff and Advisors and some of our architect/designers and developers officially toured the incredible Arts and Industries Building on the National Mall in Washington,DC.  Officials from the Smithsonian who are overseeing the process for outside parties to bid on this property led the tour.  As you know NWHM is pursuing this site by responding to the RFQ put out by the Smithsonian. 

General Vaught commented that the building was even more impressive than she expected.  All who went through the building agreed that this truly could become a real central point for all women nationwide.  Intial thoughts are that besides our own Museum we would look at including a Child Care center for parents visiting the Museums on the Mall as well as creating a Visitor Center to make it an even more appealing point of destination for our Nation's Capital!! 

Right now responding to the RFQ is the major focus of NWHM between now and January 7th which is the deadline for our submission.

 

On December 5, NWHM President Joan Wages met with architects and the developer to discuss strategy for responding to Smithsonian's request for qualifications on the Arts and Industries Building.

 

 

On December 4, NWHM President Joan Wages and Advisor Rick Barnett met with Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton and her staff concerning the Arts and Industries Building.  Rep. Norton thought it was an "inspired" idea for NWHM to go for the AIB.  Rep. Norton chairs the House Public Buildings Subcommittee which has some jurisdiction over Smithsonian facilities.

 

 

 

 

Back to the Top of the page

 

November 2007

On November 29th  Board member Ann E W Stone and Charter Member Becky Schergens went to the Washington Business Journal's event honoring women entitled "Women Mean Business"  to make sure the honorees knew about our work and the push to get the site on the Mall.  Everyone was very excited.  Representatives of Washington Business Journal expressed interest in doing an article on our quest for a site.  Even more exciting is the interest they had in running factoids on women in history which we will supply them.  They want to make it a regular feature in every issue!!  We are pursuing both opportunities.

Back to the Top of the page

 

October 2007

NWHM President Joan Wages and Secretary Johanna Hardy met with Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) on October 23, 2007  to discuss possible building sites.  Rep. Maloney is very supportive of NWHM’s mission and offered to help.  She will be contacting other members of Congress seeking their support.

On October 11-13, NWHM President Joan Wages attended the annual conference of the National Federation of Women Legislators held in Louisville, KY.  Ms. Wages addressed the NFWL Leadership Council and then the full membership about the need for a National Women’s History Museum.  NFWL passed a resolution in support of NWHM and urged its members to sponsor state resolutions supporting NWHM’s efforts for a building site.

Back to the Top of the page

 

September 2007

On September 21, 2007, NWHM Sr. Vice President Ann Stone and NWHM Adviser Becky Schergens attended the 70th anniversary celebration of the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) .  Ms. Stone spoke to their conference attendees and launched the newest NWHM Cyberexhibit “Women With A Deadline: Female Printers, Journalists and Editors from the Colonial Period to World War I.”  NFPW members were thrilled with the new exhibit.

Back to the Top of the page

 

July 2007

In July 2007, NWHM moved its office and elected new officers.  See the press release issued on the newly elected officers.

Back to the Top of the page

 

June 2007

NWHM President Susan Jollie attended the Opening Night Ceremonies of the One Hundred Sixteenth Continental Congress of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution on June 27 at Constitution Hall in Washington, DC.  The DAR is a member of NWHM's National Coalition. The elegant evening included music by the United States Marine Chamber Orchestra, a message from President George W. Bush, greetings from the Mayor of the District of Columbia Adrian Fenty, award presentations, and a keynote address by Presidential Historian Richard Norton Smith.

NWHM President Susan Jollie and Senior Vice President Joan Wages attended a reception on June 7 celebrating the end of the project season for COMPASS, the volunteer group that provides pro-bono business consulting to Washington, D.C.-area non-profits. COMPASS volunteers and clients were honored at the event. Over the past six months, COMPASS has assisted NWHM with market research, developing a member survey and conducting a focus group to assess the Museum’s messaging and to offer recommendations for presentations to potential donors. According to Ms. Jollie, “NWHM was energized by the enthusiasm, intelligence, and insight that the COMPASS team brought to the project. Given the scope of our fundraising goals, NWHM hopes to pursue a multi-year relationship with COMPASS to support the Museum’s challenging mission to raise funds for a Washington-based women’s history museum.”

Back to the Top of the page

 

May 2007

On May 17, NWHM Board Member Doris Weatherford gave a speech at a fundraising event for WOMEN (Women Organized for Medical Emergency Needs), a Tampa-based group that she helped to found in 1990. WOMEN provides patients with emergency medical funding, working with eight clinics in the Tampa area. The topic of the speech was the history of birth control in the early twentieth century, focusing on Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett. Ms. Weatherford paired a well-known woman with a lesser-known woman to highlight the similarities and differences between the two. She hopes to expand this concept, “The Woman You Know, and the Woman You Should Know,” into an exhibit when NWHM obtains a building site. Ms. Weatherford said to the group, “Let’s build that museum!” Parts of Ms. Weatherford’s speech were derived from material in her first book, Foreign and Female: Immigrant Women in America 1840-1930. For an autographed copy, send an email to doris@dweatherford.com.

On May 15th, NWHM Board Members Joan Wages and Ann Stone attended an event presented by Advisory Board member Robin Read, president of the National Foundation of Women Legislators (NFWL). Ms. Wages and Ms. Stone made two important contacts at the meeting. One woman is a documentary film producer who focuses on projects concerning women's rights in the Middle East. (She was imprisoned in Iran and Saudi Arabia for filming women in those countries.) Her films attempt to encourage American viewers to reflect on and to reassess their rights. The second woman works for a human rights organization. She has with many contacts with celebrities and offered to use those contacts to help NWHM.

At the May 5th opening of an art exhibition, "Strong Waves," at the Claudia Chapline Gallery in Stinson Beach, California, NWHM Board Member Judith Kaplan informed the audience about NWHM, its history, goals, and current status and distributed NWHM buttons and brochures. "Strong Waves" is a collaborative effort between the Florida and Northern California chapters of the Women's Caucus for Art, a 35-year-old national organization promoting women's art and women artists. "Strong Waves" is a part of Rutgers University's national, multiyear feminist art initiative.

Back to the Top of the page

 

April 2007:

In April NWHM President Susan Jollie and Board Members Johanna Hardy and Joan Wages continued to work with Senator Susan Collins’s (R-ME) office on legislation to provide a building site for NWHM.

On April 26h, NWHM Board Members Ann Stone and Joan Wages went to the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) in Baltimore, Maryland, to meet with the AVAM founder at the request of a prominent AVAM Board Member. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss potential collaboration between NWHM and AVAM on future projects or funding.

On April 17 NHWM President Susan Jollie and Board Members Kathleen Sander and Joan Wages met with representatives of COMPASS, a volunteer consulting alliance that provides business consulting to Washington, D.C.-area non-profits.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss various aspects of a feasibility study that COMPASS is completing for NWHM.

NWHM President Susan Jollie attended the 83rd Annual Conference of the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century on April 12.  The National Society is an organization of members who share a common interest in American history, patriotism, and historic preservation and education.  Ms. Jollie was introduced as an honored guest at the event and made brief remarks about women’s history and the mission of the NWHM.  The evening’s featured speaker, Hon. Judge John F. McAuliffe, spoke about “Justice in Colonial Maryland.”

NWHM Board Member Doris Weatherford attended the annual convention of the Organization of American Historians in Minneapolis from March 28-April 1.  She spoke at a session entitled "The Houston 1977 National Women's Conference After Thirty Years," chaired by Marjorie Spruill of the University of South Carolina.  Ms. Weatherford addressed the audience with a speech entitled "Putting Houston in Context:  International Feminist Gatherings Prior to World War I."  She discussed the large meetings that occurred all over the world between 1883 and 1913.  The largest, in Chicago in 1893, attracted 150,000 women to 330 simultaneous seminars on women's issues.  The NWHM can help to educate the public on women's important roles as internationalists.

Back to the Top of the page

 

March 2007:

On March 29 NWHM Boad Member Ann Stone spoke to a group of about 50 employees from national law firm Holland & Knight as part of the firm’s Women’s Initiative.  Several attendees expressed interest in joining the museum.  Holland & Knight representatives offered to put NWHM in touch with their Foundation, and they generously offered the museum the use of their conference space in Washington if needed.

In conjunction with Women’s History Month, NWHM Board Members Kathleen Sander and Joan Wages attended the Alexandria Commission for Women’s 27th Annual Salute to Women Awards Banquet on March 26. (Ms. Sander is also a member of the Commission for Women.) The banquet is an event honoring the individuals who have made a significant impact on women in Alexandria, Virginia.

NWHM exhibited a display at the Women’s Equality Summit at the National Education Association headquarters on March 26. President Susan Jollie and Program Director Charlotte Reineck represented the museum, handing out printed materials (including the always-popular “Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History” buttons), and answering questions about the museum. The National Council of Women’s Organizations, which sponsored the event, was grateful for the museum’s support and presence.

Board Member Ann Stone promoted the NWHM by attending the Section for Women in Public Administration (SWPA) awards breakfast featuring keynote speaker Eleanor Clift.  Ms. Stone spoke with Ms. Clift and Karen O’Connor of the Women and Politics Institute about the NWHM. This annual event was held on March 26.

Women in Aerospace (WIA) hosted a Women’s History Month event called “Skyward Through the Glass Ceiling: Historical Perspectives on Women in Aviation and Aerospace” on March 26. NWHM President Susan Jollie presented a speech for the lunchtime “brown bag” program. NWHM National Advisor Becky Schergens, who is also a former Board Member and Vice President of WIA, arranged the speaking engagement. Ms. Jollie discussed the history of women in commercial aviation, including early pioneers such as Blanche Stuart Scott, Harriet Quimby, Bessie Coleman, and the Ninety-Nines. World War II brought many women into both the civil and the military aviation fields. In the post-war era, women have slowly but surely broadened their presence in all areas of aviation, including commercial pilots, aerospace, and government agencies involved with aviation. Approximately 20 people attended the event.

NWHM Board Member and women’s historian Doris Weatherford appears in a new documentary film, “Ten at the Top in Tampa Bay.” The film, which premiered on Central Florida’s PBS station on March 25, highlights women in the Tampa area who currently hold high positions in local government. Clips of an interview with Ms. Weatherford are interspersed throughout the documentary, providing historical background and context for the achievements of these “Ten at the Top.” To go to the documentary’s Web site, which includes a trailer, please click here.

Ann Stone hosted a “Women’s History” event in her home to benefit Empowered Women International on March 24. She gave a brief talk about the founding of NWHM along with some women’s history tidbits. She was invited to speak to the Soroptimists group as a follow-up to this presentation.

NWHM was well-represented at a reception on March 21 honoring “Generations of Women Moving History Forward.” The event, sponsored by the National Women’s History Project, was held at the Hotel Washington in downtown D.C. NWHM President Susan Jollie and Board Members Ann Stone and Joan Wages were in attendance, and Board Member General Wilma Vaught introduced and presented an award to fellow military pioneer Brigadier General Rebecca Halstead. The awards reception is an annual celebration of prior and future generations of women working together.

NWHM President Susan Jollie attended a dinner and musical revue at the Arts Club of Washington on March 10.  The revue, titled “The Women of Tin Pan Alley,” was a one-woman show by singer and cabaret artist Joanne Schmoll.  The performance provided historical insight into the role of little-known women composers and lyricists.  After dinner, Arts Club member Leslie Sorg Ramsey gave a short presentation about NWHM.  Ms. Jollie distributed museum materials to the attendees and answered questions about the museum.

On March 8, NWHM President Susan Jollie and Sr. Vice President Joan Wages attended the Latina Legislative Issues Dialogue, sponsored by MANA, A National Latina Organization.  Board member Alma Morales Riojas, the National President of MANA, helped to host and facilitate the event.  The Issues Dialogue was a half-day educational program dealing with Latina health and wealth.  A reception in the U.S. Capitol honoring women leadership followed the discussion.

On March 7, NWHM Sr. Vice President Joan Wages met with the lead fundraiser of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to discuss fundraising techniques and opportunities.

Board Member Ann Stone met with Senator Kit Bond's (R-MO) wife Linda Bond on March 7 to brainstorm ways for NWHM to engage Congressional spouses in the long term.  Several ideas from this meeting will be tried to see whether they provoke interest from this busy group.

Board Member and women’s historian Doris Weatherford spoke to the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association on March 7. The talk was held in honor of Women's History Month. Ms. Weatherford discussed the evolution of women’s rights and the history of women’s admission to state bar associations. She was sure to mention NWHM in her introduction! Read a news article about Ms. Weatherford’s speech here.

On March 6, NWHM Board Member Judith Kaplan brought an exhibit called "Art of Women of Mithila" to the Comma Gallery in Orlando, Florida which runs through May 8, 2007. Mithila is an ethnic art form from the Mithila region of Northern India. Ms. Kaplan presented some opening remarks about the origin of the art, discussing its evolution over more than 2000 years from a tradition of local religious and cultural artistic expression by women to a nationally recognized art form. Her talk, titled "Parallels between Art of the Women of Mithila and the Gee's Bend Quilts," emphasized how women's art is often overlooked and/or not considered art and the need for a museum to help correct that.

On March 5 Ms. Stone made a pitch for continued support of NWHM on her regular public affairs television show that appears on Alexandria (Virginia) cable.

NWHM Board Member Ann Stone kicked off Women’s History Month on March 1 with a well-received speech about women’s history to a group of about 200 very engaged students at American University. The group of male and female students asked many questions and couldn't believe that Congress hasn't yet authorized a building for NWHM!

Back to the Top of the page

February 2007:

Over Presidents’ Day NWHM Sr. Vice President Joan Wages attended a by-invitation-only Renaissance Weekend in Santa Fe, NM.  These events have been held for the last 26 years, providing Nobel Laureates, politicians, Supreme Court Justices, and other notables the opportunity to exchange ideas.  Ms. Wages served on a panel on nonprofit governance and one on women in business.  She made numerous contacts, received offers to help with NWHM legislation and state resolutions supporting NWHM, and met many potential donors.

Back to the Top of the page

January 2007:

In early January, NWHM staff and board have been doing preparation for the upcoming legislative session and launching a new section of the website.  More will be announced soon.

Back to the Top of the page

December 2006:

 

Back to the Top of the page

November 2006:

NWHM board members, staff and coaliton members continue to meet with key staff and Representatives to obtain support of the NWHM Bill.

American Association of University Women in Minnesota have taken the lead in contacting Representative Jim Oberstar and his staff to move the Museum legislation out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that he will chair in the new Congress.

NWHM President Susan Jollie participated in the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) Annual Conference in November. Jollie adressed the NFWL Executive Committee and the Education Committee and the NFWL's previous Resolution supporting the NWHM museum site has been reaffirmed and strengthened for their 2007 agenda.

NWHM coalition member the General Federation of Women's Clubs included an article on the NWHM site in its November issue of the GFWC Clubwoman. Senior V.P Joan Wages partipated in a GFWC seminar about the importance of organizational history.

Back to the Top of the page

 

October 2006 :

On October 18th, NWHM President Susan Jollie and Board Members Ann Stone and Joan Wages sent a thank you letter to Representative Deborah Pryce (R-OH) for all of her help and support in the NWHM legislative efforts.  Click HERE to read the letter.

On October 13th, 2006, the NWHM hosted a luncheon for the executive directors of the Coalition Member Organizations to discuss new legislative strategies.  The luncheon was held at the headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women.  The following organizations attended:

• American Association of University Women
• American Society for Public Administration – Section for Women in Public Administration
• Business & Professional Women/USA
• General Federation of Women’s Clubs
• National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity
• National Education Association
• National Foundation of Press Women
• National Foundation for Women Legislators
• Sewall Belmont House & Museum
• Women’s Business Enterprise National Council
• Women in Military Service for America Foundation

CBS News in Alaska interviewed NWHM Founder Karen Staser about the NWHM and its legislation on October 12th.  The story aired twice that evening.  To read about the story, click here: http://www.ktva.com/topstory/ci_4483009

On October 11th, NWHM Founder Karen Staser hosted a luncheon/petition signing in Alaska.  Some of the distinguished women in attendance included: Michele Brown, CEO, United Way; Carol Comeau, Superintendent of Anchorage Schools; Stacey Fager, News Director, AK CBS News Susan Fischetti, member of the Governor’s Office; Cheryl Heinze, former Alaska state legislator; Irma Lee Hickel, wife of two-term Alaska Governor and U.S. Secretary of the Interior; Myrna Maynard, Chief fundraiser for Alaska Representative Don Young; Gail Phillips, Former Speaker of the House, AK State Legislator; Kathy Rasmuson, of the Rasmuson Foundation; Arliss Sturgelewski, former State Legislator and the first female candidate for Lt. Governor; Fran Ulmer, former Lt. Governor, State Legislator, and Mayor of Juneau.

On October 10th, Public Radio International interviewed NWHM President Susan Jollie for their show Fair Game with Faith Salie.  The interview focused on the NWHM’s efforts to pass legislation for a permanent museum site using the vacant Old Post Office Pavilion Annex in downtown Washington, DC.  The program will launch in three cities in November and will air nationally in January 2007. 

Also on October 10th, NWHM President Susan Jollie and Board Members Joan Wages and Johanna Hardy met with staff from Senator Susan Collins’ (R-ME) office to continue discussing legislative strategies for the museum.  

On October 5th, NWHM Board Member Alma Morales Riojas, also President and CEO of MANA - A National Latina Organization, was honored as a "Primera" at the 17th Annual Las Primeras Awards. Morales Riojas received the award for being the first Latina to serve on the board of the NWHM and for serving as Chair to the Hispanic Association on Disability.

Back to the Top of the page

 

September 2006 :

Although NWHM staff and supporters had been told that the NWHM Act, S. 501, would be placed on the Suspension Calendar for the House for a pre-recess vote, staff for the Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee could not calendar the bill because of the standing objection of the Ranking Minority Member James Oberstar. The next strategy will be to work towards having S. 501 passed on a simple majority vote. 

On September 29, NWHM faxed THIS letter to all members of the House of Representatives in anticipation of a vote on S. 501. 

During the week leading up to the 29th, National Advisor Becky Schergens and NWHM President Susan Jollie were coordinating lobbying efforts with NWHM legislative advisors and NWHM Coalition organizations who in turn were contacting House offices and mobilizing their membership to contact their Congressional representatives.

During the week, NWHM Coalition Member Organizations encouraged their membership to call and fax the above letter to the members of the House, asking them to support S. 501.  Many individuals did take action because of the encouragement of the Coalition Member Organizations.  Click HERE to read the memo that the National Foundation for Women Legislators sent out. 

On September 28, NWHM Board Members Ann Stone and Joan Wages delivered petitions signed by NWHM supporters from Alaska to Representative Don Young (R-AK), the chairman of the T&I Committee, asking him to support the NWHM Bill S. 501. 

On September 27, NWHM Board Members Joan Wages and Ann Stone met with Representative Jim Oberstar (D-MN), who is the Ranking Minority of the T&I Committee, asking him not to object to NWHM Bill S. 501. 

Also on September 27th, Alaska Representative Pete Kott (Chair of the Alaska State Legislative Council) sent a memo to U.S. Representative Don Young, urging him to support S. 501.  Click HERE to read the memo. 

Also on September 26, NWHM Board members Ann Stone and Joan Wages met with Representative Jim Moran’s Legislative Director to discuss strategy for getting S. 501 to the House floor for a vote.  

On September 26, NWHM Board member Joan Wages phoned House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s office and was assured that Mrs. Pelosi supports S. 501.  No assurances were made that Mrs. Pelosi would help move the bill if it came to the House floor. 

Also on September 26, NWHM Board member Joan Wages phoned Representative Marcy Kaptur’s office (D-OH) asking her to speak in support of S. 501 if a vote was scheduled for the House floor.

On September 22, President Susan Jollie, Sr. VP Joan Wages, and Board Member Johanna Hardy met with Michael Bopp, a newly installed Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to outline positive developments concerning NWHM efforts to obtain use of the vacant federal property on Pennsylvania Avenue. NWHM was assured once again that the Administration does not oppose Congressional enactment of S. 501.

On September 20, President Susan Jollie, Sr VP Joan Wage, and VP Ann Stone attended a Capitol Hill reception honoring the 15th Anniversary of "To The Contrary," a PBS program featuring only women politicians and political commentators (including NWHM's own Ann Stone). Senator Susan Collins included the National Women's History Museum Act in a short list of legislation of interest to women that Congress must enact. Among the many members of Congress who were in attendance were Cong. Deborah Pryce, the lead sponsor of NWHM legislation in the House, and DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.


NWHM Founder Karen Staser, who had been ill until recently, has mobilized fellow Alaskans to make their support of NWHM museum legislation known to Chairman Don Young, who leads the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.

On September 6th, NWHM President Susan Jollie and Sr. Vice President Joan Wages met with a senior legislative director at the House of Representatives who informed them that the grassroots petition campaign was proving to be very successful in influencing Representatives to support the NWHM Act. Thank you to all of our members who signed the petition to their Representative!

On September 1st, the NWHM was informed that they had been selected by COMPASS as one of their new clients and will help NWHM with its strategic planning. COMPASS is a volunteer consulting alliance composed of MBA alumni from Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Wharton Business School, Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. COMPASS volunteers provide pro-bono business consulting to non-profit organizations.

Over the past few weeks Sr. Vice President Joan Wages has been meeting with select offices in the House to deliver petitions from our members in their districts. The meetings have been going very well.

The NWHM National Coalition Member the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) is previewing the Public Service Announcement (PSA) that was filmed by Meryl Streep at its September Annual Conference in Denver.  Some NFPW members control programming decisions or have contacts at TV stations that may broadcast the PSA in the future. 

Back to the Top of the Page

 

August 2006 :

On August 25, NWHM President Susan Jollie and Board Member Doris Weatherford provided an in-depth interview on Washington Post radio. Host Hilary Howard used the program on Equality Day (Aug. 26) to educate listeners on the woman's suffrage movement and the status of NWHM's efforts to secure a museum site in Washington DC.

NWHM President Susan Jollie and National Advisor Becky Schergens met with Jacquelyn Pierce, the newly installed International President of the General Federation of Women's Clubs on August 22. The GFWC will make another appeal to its membership to write or speak in favor of House enactment of S. 501, The National Women's History Museum Act.

A NWHM advisor met in New York City last week with representatives of the History Channel for preliminary discussions on showcasing NWHM.  Short and long-range projects were discussed and more meetings will take place soon to begin working through the details.  This seems like a good fit -- both parties are excited by the possibilities. 

On Friday, August 11, NWHM President Susan Jollie met with the new Director of the General Services Administration, Lurita Doan.

Congresswoman Deborah Pryce's office reaffirmed that they are shooting for a September date for a vote on our House bill.

NWHM Advisory Board Member Robin Read and NWHM Board Member Ann Stone are working on a date for a meeting with Speaker Hastert to deliver the last of the thousands of petitions that we have received asking for the House to pass our site bill.

Back to the Top of the Page

 

July 2006:

On Sunday, July 23, NWHM President Susan Jollie and Sr. Vice President Joan Wages attended an event honoring Linda Cropp who is running for Mayor of the District of Columbia.  Ms. Jollie and Ms. Wages previously met with Mrs. Cropp who currently heads the D.C. City Council.  Mrs. Cropp expressed her support for NWHM getting its building site and looks forward to having the museum in her city.

While at the event, Susan Jollie spoke with Congresswoman Diane Watson (D - CA 33rd) and was assured of her support for the NWHM campaign. --- Previously on June 22nd, board members Joan Wages and Ann E W Stone and Advisory Board member Becky Schergens met with Congresswoman Watson to discuss her support of the Museum.  The Congresswoman spoke to them passionately about the influence of women in her family on her life and career and also how some of her female relatives were trailblazers in their own time.  We asked her to write an article for our newsletter about those women.  Watch upcoming issues of the newsletter for the Congresswoman's article

Judith Kaplan, NWHM Secretary and Board Member attended the National Organization for Women (NOW) Conference honoring the 40th Anniversary of NOW on July 21st-23rd. She distributed NWHM brochures and gave an impromptu talk about the Museum. Two dozen petitions were signed there and many people took petitions to sign later.  Nearly a dozen attendees indicated that they would help NWHM by promoting the NWHM at their local chapters.

On July 17, President Susan Jollie attended and spoke briefly at the 80th Birthday Celebration for Virginia Williams, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams' mother and First Lady of the District of Columbia.

We are proud that Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), one of the largest groups representing women in business, are supporting the NWHM. In their July electronic newsletter, which is sent to approximately 7,000 members, WIPP included information about the NWHM campaign and asked its members to get involved in our fight for our building site.  Thank you to Terry Neese and Barb Kassof, the founders of WIPP for their partnership on this effort.

On July 13, NWHM hosted a benefit performance of "Little Women," at the Kennedy Center. The production got rave reviews from the attendees. NWHM President Susan Jollie and Senior Vice President Joan Wages were available to informally discuss pending NWHM legislation with NWHM members, some of whom pledged to  take follow up action.

On July 13, Susan Jollie accompanied Meg Hunt, President of NWHM Coalition Member National Federation of Press Women, to meetings with members of her home state delegation Congressmen Henry Brown and Bob Inglis.

On July 12, Susan Jollie met with Jennifer Hemmingway, Professional Staff Member of Senator Susan Collins' Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to review the meetings with various members of the House of Representatives and to inquire about legislative vehicles to incorporate the NWHM provision in other pending legislation. 

Susan Jollie and Joan Wages met last week with the Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for Chairman Bill Shuster, House Subcommittee on Public Buildings - the subcommittee where the NWHM legislation currently sits.  Jollie and Wages have previously met with other staff for Chairman Shuster and were assured by the new staff members that Chairman Shuster continues to supports the building site legislation and that they are working to move the bill through their subcommittee.

New Board member Doris Weatherford collected 636 petition signatures for our museum legislation after speaking to the Women's Caucus of the National Education Association in Orlando during the Fourth of July weekend. The signers represent the geographical range from Delaware to Washington State, with a half-dozen APO addresses from teachers who work in Department of Defense schools aboard. She intends to collect more at the American Federation of Teachers convention in Boston later this month.

Treasurer and VP Resource Development Ann Stone met the week before July 4th with Congresswoman Deb Pryce in a small private dinner.  Since she is the highest ranking woman in the Majority she is a key player for us.  Deb reiterated her support for the Museum and said, "I want you to know that this Museum is VERY important to me and I am going to push hard to get this done."  We have asked her for some specific steps and provided her with a briefing to bring her up to date.

On June 27, board member Kathleen W. Sander was appointed to the Alexandria, VA, Commission for Women.

Back to the Top of the Page

 

_____________________________________________________

National Women's History Museum
Administrative Offices
205 S. Whiting Street Suite 254
Alexandria, VA 22304
703-461-1920
info@nwhm.org

Copyright © 2007 National Women's History Museum.