2018
We Have a Lot Going On
Mark your calendars and plan ahead
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A Team of Her Own:
Minnie Forbes
& Negro League Baseball
Sunday, February 18, 1:30 pm and repeated at 3:00 pm
Grand Rapids Public Library, downtown
Free and open to the public
Co-sponsored by the Grand Rapids Study Club and the GGRWHC as part of
Taste of Soul Sunday
, Minnie Forbes will talk with former
Grand Rapids Press
columnist J
aye Beeler
about her role as the last female owner of a Negro League baseball team; playing softball in 1947 for Cook's Brown Dolls, a Grand Rapids African American girls traveling team; and the time she played third base for the Kansas City Monarchs against the Grand Rapids Black Sox. In 1956, as black baseball was winding down, Minnie Forbes took over her uncle Ted Rasberry's team, the Detroit Stars. In her roles as secretary to the team, player, and then owner, Forbes interacted with such All-Stars as Satchel Page and Ozzie Guillen and visited the White House in 2013 as the guest of President Barack Obama.
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Links to the Local:
Building a National Women's Elective History
Wednesday, February 21, 1:30 pm
GVSU Allendale Campus, Kirkhoff Ctr 227
Free and open to the public
Sponsored by the Kutsche Office of Local History, Julia Bouwkamp and Jo Ellyn Clarey and will offer a version of their History Detectives presentation at GVSU for students, staff, and anyone who missed it in January! Their "Elective Detectives" talk reported how the historical charting of Grand Rapids women's candidacies for public office offered surprises about dates, the numbers of races, and the identities of women who participated in local politics beginning in 1887. Now the national crowdsourcing project
Her Hat Was in the Ring
has invited the GGRWHC to share its data with the world, helping others complete and complicate American women's history by seeking out every woman who ran before 1920. This unique historical accounting hopes to inspire cities across the nation to create their own comprehensive elective histories.
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The GGRWHC Annual Reception
Thursday, March 15, 5:00 - 7:00
John F. Donnelly Conference Center at Aquinas College
The annual reception moves to the Aquinas College campus this year where we will celelbrate our 30th anniversary along with a follow-up to author Rebecca Traister's visit to Grand Rapids on March 14 discussing her book
All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation
sharing our own local examples. Mark the date and watch for details in March.
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Who in the World is Merze Tate?
Thursday, March 22, 7:00 pm
Grand Rapids Public Library, Ryerson Auditorium
Free and open to the public
Author Sonya Bernard Hollins will update us on her research into the amazing life and mysteries of Merze Tate. An African American girl born in 1905 in rural Michigan, Tate graduated first in her class from Western Michigan University in 1927, earned a doctorate from Oxford University, worked for the State Department, and traveled around the world twice. Bernard Hollins will release a book on Tate soon. Maybe in March! Stay tuned.
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Michigan in Perspective:
The Local History Conference
Friday & Saturday, March 23rd & 24th
Wyndham Garden in Sterling Heights, Michigan
At this annual two-day conference sponsored by the Historical Society of Michigan, board members Ruth Stevens and Jo Ellyn Clarey will present
"Untangling Legalities and Legends in Michigan Women's Suffrage History;" and the Women's History Council will show who we are and what we do by setting up a display table in the exhibit hall of the state's largest local history audience. See the full
conference offerings and join the GGRWHC on
Friday, the 23rd, at 1:45pm. Our program will lay out the history of legislative initiatives and court decisions and reveal the crucial role played by nineteenth-century school board elections. We will evaluate the local and state history’s effect on the national story, illustrating the importance of full and accurate research about local women throughout the nation.
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National Genealogical Society
2018 Family History Conference
Wednesday - Saturday, May 2 - 5
DeVos Place Convention Center and
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
This large national organization is bringing their annual conference usually attended by around 2000 people to Grand Rapids this year. Once again the Women's Council will show their colors at an exhibit table on
Wednesday evening, May 2, from 5:00 to 8:00 on the Center Concourse of the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.
This event is free and open to the public.
On Saturday, May 5 at 2:30 Jo Ellyn Clarey will team up with Julie Tabberer, manager of the GR Public Library History and Special Collections and also a GGRWHC board member, will present
"Bringing Your Female Ancestors to Life with Archival Resources."
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Watch for updates in emails and on our website
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Hats off to the historical women who've shaped West Michigan!
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Please take a moment to forward this message to others you know who may be interested in Women's History. If you've received this message as a forward, consider joining our mailing list in order to receive future updates about programming.
Thank you for your interest in preserving and celebrating the history of the many phenomenal women who've helped to shape West Michigan! If you aren't already a member of the Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council, consider showing your support through annual membership. Visit our
website
for more information and the ability to register using PayPal online!
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