Talking About Women’s History: Three Questions and an Answer from the Working Women’s History Project
The Working Women’s History Project (WWHP) preserves and promotes the stories of historical and living Chicago women who have made contributions toward achieving justice and equality in the areas of labor, women’s, human and civil rights.
WWHP was born at a workshop on Women and Labor History in Chicago chaired by Yolanda “Bobby” Hall at the Fourth Annual Teaching Women’s History Conference for K-12 Teachers. Kathlyn Miles, an actor, had the idea of creating theatrical vignettes that would tell the story of one or more women who had been active in labor history and presenting these vignettes to the public. The first project was “Come Along and Join,” a play written by Miles about union women. A curriculum was also developed around the play for use in schools. The play was shown with great success to the general public, to unions, and to schools and colleges.
Since then, WWHP had researched, written, and produced dramas about historical Chicago women who had made significant contributions on behalf of working people. Created workshops to teach union women to write their own stories, participated in conferences for teachers to bring women’s history into the classroom, and collaborated in holding roundtable discussions on issues affecting working women.
WWHP president Amy Laiken agreed to answer some questions about the project.
Take it away, Amy:
WWHP focuses on women who are not generally included in the history of feminism or the history of the civil rights movement. How does the addition of women of color and working class women change our understanding of the feminist movement?
For too long the mainstream media, when it covered the women’s movement at all, showed images of primarily white women. Many feminist groups had mainly white leadership. That gave the false impression that women of color and working class women were not involved in the feminist movement. Research has taught us that that was (and is) far from the truth. Going back more than a century, for example, there was Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a Black woman who was an abolitionist and who also fought for women’s suffrage. She died in 1911, 9 years before the 19th Amendment was ratified. In 1913 Ida B. Wells-Barnett, among her other activities, founded the Alpha Suffrage Club, the first Black women’s suffrage club in Chicago. Immigrant garment worker Hannah Shapiro Glick inspired a walkout at a Chicago shop, Hart, Schaffner & Marx in 1910 to protest a pay cut for piece work. A month later, 40,000 garment workers were out on strike. Olgha Sierra Sandman, now retired, came to Chicago from Mexico and worked to help improve wages for farm workers in central Illinois. She was inducted in the Union Hall of Honor by the Illinois Labor History Society in 2015. When the struggles and achievements of women of color and working class women are elevated, our understanding of feminism is broadened to include issues that do not always get widespread coverage, such as the way the lack of equity in public transportation can have a negative effect on women’s job opportunities. Their stories also expand our knowledge of history so that it is more widely known that women of color and working class women have been and are leaders in movements to expand rights for all women.
In addition to promoting the stories of women who have made contributions in the areas of labor, women’s rights and civil rights, you also actively preserve those stories for future generations. What are some of the ways the organization does this?
Our website has the transcripts of interviews WWHP board members conducted with the late Rev. Addie Wyatt, and with one of the founding members of WWHP, the late Yolanda (Bobby) Hall. We also have several years of newsletters on the site, some of which contain interviews with women who are currently making contributions in those arenas. Many of our programs have been video recorded, and links are available on our website. We also have a collection of video tapes of many of our plays. In addition, in 2017, we donated 20 years of our papers to Special Collections at the Richard J. Daley Library of the University of Illinois at Chicago, where researchers can access them.
How can people help if they want to support the Working Women’s History Project?
Check out our website at www.wwhpchicago.org We’re always interested in ideas for stories, or if you’d like to tell a story about a woman or women working for rights on the job or other arenas, please contact us. We currently have someone working with us on social media, but are interested in having more people adept at using it. During this past year, we had to schedule events virtually, and we could use the help of someone who knows how to use the technology to effectively present programs that way. And, of course, for those who are able to donate, we would appreciate contributions. More info on how to volunteer/donate is on this page of our website https://wwhpchicago.org/contact-us.html . WWHP is a 501 (c)(3) tax deductible organization.
My question for you: I read that you received your PhD in South Asian history. Are you still doing research in that area, and if so, on which countries are you concentrating your research?
I’m still fascinated by South Asia, and occasionally I write pieces about its history. But today my goal is to write books about important historical topics that will engage history buffs and nerdy kids and the intelligent general reader. Accessible doesn’t mean easy. The history I write often turns what we think we know about history inside out, or at least looks at the familiar from an unfamiliar angle. In doing so, I ask us to look at the world today from a slightly different angle as well. The impact of this can be profound. If you are able to look at history from someone else’s perspective for even a short time, you are more apt to see her as a person rather than “the other.” When we re-introduce overlooked populations into the story, the historical framework gets a little bigger, a little more complex.
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Interested in learning more about the Working Women’s History Project?
In addition to checking out their website, you can:
Sign up for their free newsletter https://conta.cc/3trqzlm
Visit their Facebook page: Working Women’s History Project
Be one of the first to follow their brand new Twitter account: @WorkingWomensH1
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Check back tomorrow for three questions and an answer with historian Patti Loughlin, who specializes in the history of the American West, American Indian history, and women’s and gender history.
Talking About Women’s History: Three Questions and An Answer with Andrea Friederici Ross
Andrea Friederici Ross is the author of Edith: The Rogue Rockefeller McCormick and Let the Lions Roar! The Evolution of Brookfield Zoo. Bearing a degree in German Language and Literature from Northwestern University, Andrea put that knowledge to unconventional use in her zig-zag career path ranging from the administration of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, to working for the director of Brookfield Zoo, and working with young children at her neighborhood public school library. Published by Southern Illinois University Press, Edith was selected as the 2021 Book of the Year (Traditional Nonfiction) by the Chicago Writers Association.
Take it away, Andrea!
What path led you to Edith Rockefeller McCormick? And why do you think it is important to tell her story today?
I first learned about Edith Rockefeller McCormick while doing the research for my first book, Let the Lions Roar! The Evolution of Brookfield Zoo, because Edith gave the land that founded the zoo. I actually set out to write historical fiction, because I thought she was a quirky character and would make for fascinating fiction (spendthrift! scandals! reincarnation!). But somewhere along the way I came to realize that she’d been shortchanged in history. Most of what you read about her today is the family scandals, her unusual beliefs, and her outlandish spending. What’s missing from the historical record is the tremendous amount of good work she did in promoting the arts and culture in Chicago and supporting young intellectuals such as Carl Jung and James Joyce. Also usually absent is any mention of her own incredible intellect.
I came to understand that Edith had been crammed into an uncomfortable woman-shaped box for most of her life and that it took tremendous courage for her to break out of that limited role, despite considerable recriminations from her powerful male family members (her father was John D. Rockefeller and her husband was Harold McCormick, the harvester heir). I ended up writing the biography in large part to set the record straight.
Edith Rockefeller McCormick was a cultural powerhouse in her time. What important legacies did she leave that we don’t give her credit for today?
Ah, that’s just it! Edith did so much for the Chicago area (and beyond), yet few people know her name. She was a driving force behind the establishment of Chicago Grand Opera, founded Brookfield Zoo, and started a real estate firm that sold properties to over 16,000 Chicagoans. In addition, she supported many young composers, artists, and writers, including James Joyce as he wrote Ulysses and a yet little-known Carl Jung. Together with her husband Harold, she founded an infectious diseases institute that helped curb scarlet fever and they endowed the Journal for Infectious Diseases. But it seemed like no-one knew these things.
It is suspected that Edith’s papers were destroyed after her death. I can’t prove this but, given the paucity of materials on her compared to other members of the family, it seems likely. It almost seems as if there was a concerted effort to erase her from history. Edith: The Rogue Rockefeller McCormick was my attempt to hopefully give her some acknowledgement for what she accomplished as well as for her ill-fated but well-intended projects. It helps that, along the way, there are plenty of quirks and scandals to keep the reader interested!
Writing about a historical figure like Edith Rockefeller McCormick requires living with her over a period of years. What was it like to have her as your constant companions?
I’m pretty sure my son and daughter came to feel there was a third, very demanding child in my life! While attending soccer and basketball games, selling Girl Scout cookies and Boy Scout popcorn, my mind was constantly processing my latest archival finds and trying to figure out who this enigmatic woman was. It was strange to be in such a different headspace (and century) than most of the people around me. I had many, many dreams about Edith and actually came to feel somewhat haunted by her. It took me ten years to research and write about her, including numerous trips out of state to visit archives and other sites of interest. That’s a long time to feel haunted, a long time to be working solo on a project. Now that I’ve put it all on paper and the book is out, I no longer feel that she is with me. Not sure if I’ve set her free or vice versa!
Question for Pamela: What advice do you have for writers just starting out who might be frustrated by the difficulties inherent in breaking into publication?
Obviously the first step is writing a good book. After that, I think the most important thing is to learn as much as you can about the industry and the process. Too many people skip that step, and make the process harder than it is already.
Two resources I recommend when people ask me for a place to start:
- The #AmWriting podcast It’s hosted by three women who are successful writers with three very different career paths. They offer lots of nuts and bolts advice, with a healthy shot of inspiration.
- Almost anything by Jane Friedman, including her books Publishing 101 and The Business of Being a Writer. She knows her stuff.
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Interested in learning more about Andrea Friederici Ross and Edith: The Rogue Rockefeller McCormick ?
Check out her website: www.friedericiross.com
Follow her on Twitter: @friedericiross
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Check back tomorrow for three questions and an answer with Amy Laiken, a representative of the Working Women’s History Project, an organization which explores the point where women’s history and labor history meet.
Speaking While Female
In October, 2018, The Economist ran an opinion piece titled “Women’s Voices Are Judged More Harshly Than Men’s.” Considering the issue in the context of Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, the author reaches the conclusion that “Women seem to be damned whatever they do. Speak loudly and they are deemed shrill; speak softly and they are meek. A high voice is unserious.”
It seems like a small point at first. A pinprick in the universe of insults and glass ceilings. But in fact, voice is not a neutral issue. Historically, the voice of authority has been male, literally and figuratively.
Consultant and speaker Dana Rubin is the creator of a resource committed to showcasing women’s voices. The Speaking While Female Speech Bank showcases historic women’s speeches, from different times, places and ethnicities. It took me a while to realize that there are two sets of links in the database. If you click on a woman’s name, it will send you to a resources about the woman. (Often a wikipedia page.) If you click on the title of the speech, it will send you to the speech itself, in the form of a transcript, a recording, or a video. Once I figured it out, I found it to be a seductive little rabbit hole. Be warned.
If this is a subject you’re interested in, Dana has just begun a kickstarter campaign for a book titled Speaking While Female: 50 Extraordinary Speeches by American Women. Here’s the link if you’d like to know more: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/speakingwhilefemale/celebrating-womens-speech
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Check back on Monday for three questions and an answer with Andrea Friederici Ross, the author of Edith: The Rogue Rockefeller McCormick.