"Grand Rapids Women & Their Work During the Great War," ends the 12th Annual Kutsche Local History Roundtable during March. The Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council’s Katelyn Bosch VerMerris will examine both the paid labor and volunteer contributions of women in Grand Rapids during WWI. Utilizing rich primary sources, this presentation will provide a […]
A Decade of Upheaval: Grand Rapids Women and Public Office in the 1910s will take us back to a heady decade when Grand Rapids women in increasing numbers stepped onto the public stage. Women had long participated in civic affairs and could even run for elective office before the Nineteenth Amendment took effect in 1920. […]
Hats off to the trailblazing women of Grand Rapids! Decades before the Nineteenth Amendment granted American women the right to vote, many had led serious political lives and even run for office. In fact, before the certification of the federal amendment in 1920, 47 different Grand Rapids women had run 82 campaigns for public office between […]
On this 51st Earth Day we are remembering and celebrating the life and work of environmentalist Joan Luedders Wolfe who founded West Michigan Environmental Action Council in 1968 and was the first woman appointed to the Natural Resources Commission in 1973. Her work with WMEAC still impacts conservation efforts in Michigan today. Legislature such as […]
Join us on Zoom for our Virtual Annual Meeting on May 10th from 5:30pm - 6:00pm for organizational news and planning. Dial-in number: 1(312)626-6799 Meeting ID: 99376667258 Renew or become a member now and participate in the election of this year's board nominees!
Lottie Wilson Jackson (1854-1914) was a well-known artist, activist, and self-made African American woman who defied difficult odds during the Progressive Era. Along with her eye-opening portraits of famous Black Americans, this talented artist became one of America's prominent Black suffragists. During the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) convention in 1899 at St. Cecilia […]
Save the dates! Ebony Road Players Presents: Loving Day 2021: June 11th. Every year Ebony Road Players has brought together all racial and cultural facets of the community in celebration of Loving Day, commemorating the 1967 US Supreme Court decision that struck down the criminality of interracial marriage. This year they've lined up a weekend […]
For the 87th time since 1934, the Hollyhock Lane neighborhood parade in July will march once again at 8:30 am on July 3rd! Mark your calendars for this fun event. Meet us at the corner of Calvin and Alexander at 8am & join the fun with bands, bicyclists, candy, and placards! To quote a past […]
In 1917 American women were granted a federal mandate by the Council of National Defense when the wartime government established the CND’s Woman’s Committee, and 17,000 local committees sprang up immediately. Join Katelyn Bosch VerMerris (former GGRWHC board member and secretary, now director of the Zeeland Historical Society) for the next installation of the School […]
Celebrate Women’s Equality Day with GGRWHC! August 26, 2021 Help us to honor and continue the legacy of local women who progressed suffrage efforts and equal rights activism in our community by visiting the grave(s) of four women we are featuring for 2021. This year, we will mark four gravesites with purple […]
