Press Release

THE FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT: WOMEN AND ELECTIONS IN AMERICA

The Public Square at the Illinois Humanities Council co-hosts a film screening and discussion at the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum on May 21.

CHICAGO – How did a movement that spanned 70 years finally win women the right to vote? How have women used their right to vote since the 1920s and how do current voting patterns among women impact the 2008 elections?

Join The Public Square at the IHC and its co-sponsors for "The Fight for the Right: Women, Voting, and Elections in America" on Wednesday, May 21st from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum (Residents’ Dining Hall, 800 S. Halsted St., Chicago). The program will include a screening of part of the acclaimed documentary, One Woman, One Vote, which chronicles the decades-long battle for women’s voting rights. After scenes from the film, Professor Christine Stansell, Fallon Wilson, and Jamila Celestine-Michener will engage participants through a panel discussion that further examines how women have influenced the direction of our nation.

This event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required and can be made by e-mailing events@prairie.org or calling 312.422.5580 . It is presented by The Public Square at the IHC, the Chicago Freedom School, and the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS
Jamila Celestine-Michener is a PhD candidate in the Political Science department at the University of Chicago. Originally from Queens, NY, she received her B.A. in politics from Princeton University in 2003 and her M.A. in political science from the University of Chicago in 2006. Her research interests broadly center on race in American politics, gender politics, and everyday politics in the lives of marginalized groups in America. Celestine-Michener has worked as a research assistant and project manager for the Black Youth Project and has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards including the Ford Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship and the University of Chicago Trustees Fellowship.

Christine Stansell is the Stein-Freiler Distinguished Service Professor in United States History and the College in the Department of History at the University of Chicago. She is a leading historian of American women, with interests in women’s and gender history, antebellum U.S. social and political history, American cultural history, and how societies reconstruct themselves after catastrophes. Professor Stansell is currently at work on Feminism, a history of feminism from 1792-2002 to be published as a Modern Library volume for Random House. Future projects will focus on social and political activity across the color line in antebellum America and England, the history of motherhood, the home front in World War II, and post-catastrophic societies.

Fallon Wilson is a graduate student in the Political Science Department at the University of Chicago. She is a graduate of Spelman College. Currently, her research interests broadly center on race and gender politics, the politics of young Black women and the politics of marginalized groups in the US. In addition to her academic work, Fallon is an activist working to end violence against women of color. She was one of the main organizers of the Be Bold Be Brave Be Red: End Violence against Women of Color Wear Red on October 31, 2007 Campaign.

ABOUT THE PUBLIC SQUARE AT THE IHC
The Public Square at the Illinois Humanities Council fosters debate, dialogue, and exchange of ideas about cultural, social, and political issues with an emphasis on social justice. Programs promote participatory democracy by creating space for public conversations.

For more information about The Public Square at the IHC, please visit www.thepublicsquare.org or call 312.422.5580.

The Illinois Humanities Council is a nonprofit educational organization [501 (c) 3] dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Organized in 1973 as the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the IHC creates programs and funds organizations that promote greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. The IHC is supported by state, federal, and private funds.

D A R E T O K N O W
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