Museum of the Grand Prairie will begin its fall speaker series Thursday, September 24th. All events will be virtual, and free, and will stream live on their Facebook and YouTube pages.
Thursday, September 24 at 7 p.m.
FROM THE LOBBY TO THE STREET: STRATEGIES USED BY VOTING ACTIVISTS IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY
Lecture presented by Kyle Ciani, Historian, Activist, and Professor in Illinois State University’s Department of History
Activism to secure women’s right to vote changed in the 20th century as activists traveled across the country to educate communities. From lobbying politicians to staging spectacular pageants and marching in street protests, suffrage activists engaged in a wide array of strategies to communicate their message of voting rights. Kyle Ciani will virtually
present this engaging talk and will discuss some of those strategies and their outcomes.Sunday, October 4 at 2 p.m.
HARRIET BEECHER STOWE: THE ROAD TO ANTI-SLAVERY ADVOCATE
Lecture presented by Christina Hartlieb, Executive Director of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati.
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the important anti-slavery novel, based on her experiences living in the border city of Cincinnati. Learn more about the woman Abraham Lincoln credited with writing the “book that started the Civil War”, as well as other members of her large, social reform minded family – including suffragist Isabella Beecher Hooker and Illinois abolitionist, Edward Beecher. Christina Hartlieb is a former HS educator, she loves bringing together ideas of social justice advocacy, women’s history, and historical literacy.
Thursday October 22 at 7 p.m.
THE DANGERS OF GIVING WOMEN THE VOTE: POLITICAL CARTOONS AND SUFFRAGE
Lecture presented by Dr. Julia diLiberti, Professor of Humanities at the College of DuPage and serves as the Global Education Faculty Liaison.
Many political cartoons of the late 19th century and early 20th century centered on the suffrage debate, Dr. Julia diLiberti will compare political cartoons from the suffragist era and those depicting female candidates today.
Sunday, November 1 at 7 p.m.
HISTORY BROUGHT TO LIFE: SUSAN B. ANTHONY
First-Person Interpretation presented by Annette Baldwin, Historian, Director, and Professional Actor.
It had been a 72-year struggle for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing women their right to vote, with thousands of women dedicating themselves to “getting the vote,” but it was Susan B. Anthony, a former school teacher and advocate for temperance and abolition who through her leadership for women’s political equality, became affectionately and respectfully known as the “mother of The Cause.” Hear from Ms. Anthony herself as she describes her tireless work towards a more just society. Join Annette Baldwin, as Susan B. Anthony, for this informative and inspiring presentation.
Sunday, November 15 at 2 p.m.
WOMEN, POLITICS, AND ABOLITION – A COMPLICATED COLLABORATION.
Lecture presented by Stacey Robertson, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at the State University of New York, Geneseo
Professor Stacey Robertson will reveal in this how women abolitionists in Illinois and the Old Northwest engaged in partisan politics as an avenue to end slavery and through this process found themselves increasingly aware of their own gendered disempowerment. Their efforts to expand their influence and power laid the groundwork for future women’s rights accomplishments.
Thursday, December 10
HISTORY BROUGHT TO LIFE: ANN BRADFORD STOKES, AFRICAN AMERICAN CIVIL WAR NURSE
First-Person Interpretation presented by Marlene Rivero, Historian and Professional Actor
Ann Bradford Strokes worked aboard the Navy’s first Hospital Ship Red Rover of Mound City, Illinois. She worked with sick and wounded soldiers aboard the United States Naval Hospital Ship throughout the Western Theater of the Civil War on both the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and their tributaries. She volunteered with the Sisters of the Holy Cross and Naval ship officers working as “first class boy,” cook, laundress, mender- anything to get food to eat. Eventually, Ann assumed the role of a nurse, leading to the beginning of a profession that would last generations. She was the first woman to earn a pension for her work with the U.S.N. Red Rover. After 18 months as an African American Civil War nurse, she left service in November 1864. Several years later, Ann learned to read and write. She settled, remarried, and remained in Southern Illinois for the rest of her life. In a fascinating reenactment, Marlene Rivero will breathe life back into Ann Stokes and her story, captivating audiences and informing new learners. Program is supported in part by Illinois Humanities.
Image from Museum of the Grand Prairie Facebook page.