Chicago Women's History Center

06/01/2026

going through Lois Willie’s archives for her fellowship with

06/01/2026

Big thanks to the chicagowomenshistory Center board for engaging in a full day of conversations to envision the organization for the next three to five years.

05/29/2026

On Wednesday evening our Executive Director, Carron Little attended Doing History by at Haymarket Books. presented some biographical poems thinking about the relationship between city, architecture and how this informs who we become. created a multi-media performance talking about migration and connecting past present and future.
This was a wonderful evening of poetry, performance along with the sharing of Oral history video fused with personal biography amplifying Chicago women historically and in the present.

05/26/2026

The arts are a vital part of our culture and society. Our book Women Building Chicago took ten years to write and publish and this year we are thrilled to be supporting five Writing Fellowship at chicagowomenshistory and a publication in the Fall. Elisa Shoenberger is diving into archives to write about Lois Willie, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist.

05/25/2026

Did you know that we support five Writing Fellows chicagowomenshistory. This includes desiree_mcrays3746 working on a prose text to celebrate the work of Dr Margaret Burroughs. History can be documented and preserved through many form of the literary arts: poetry, prose, speculative fiction, and narrative biography.

05/23/2026

Thank you to Rev Dr Janette Wilson for inviting the chicagowomenshistory to Saturday Forum. A recent WBEZ conversation about "Driving the Vote for Equity" brought our organizations together behind a cause that is more urgent than ever. Big thanks to xylamarie96, chicagowomenshistory President for representing.

05/23/2026

Kate McGranahan, an archivist has been working behind the scenes with chicagowomenshistory to archive the founders of the network against domestic violence. This is multi-faceted work, doing oral histories, organizing archival material, conducting research. Here she is at the Center copying files for the reference collection Documenting Chicago Area Activism and Leadership in Chicago from 1945 - present.

Your membership helps us do the work to document, preserve and elevate ALL Chicago women’s histories.

05/23/2026

chicagowomenshistory we have an incredible team of women trained in Oral History Interviewing techniques and has been working as an archivist researching the founding of the network of organisations that worked to end violent against women. Yesterday we interviewed Vickii Coffey who received an Award from President Clinton for her work in Chicago and was critical in helping to implement the bill Against Domestic Violence Act in 1996.

Big thanks to Vickii Coffey welcoming us into her home and sharing the story of moving to Chicago as part of the Great Migration in the 1950s and then growing up on the West Side of Chicago and attending Austin High School and painting a picture of the day Dr Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated and sharing the poem she wrote and shared in the assembly.

Oral Histories are the primary documents of history-making where stories can be shared and researched to build a more profound understanding of society is created. Vickii Coffey is a trailblazer in our community who expanded her work nationally to create a profound impact.

Big thanks to our videographer __hayleyhawkins

05/22/2026

If you missed talking about the ERA on In the Loop with on WBEZ here is the link to the conversation: https://www.wbez.org/in-the-loop-with-sasha-ann-simons/2026/05/20/driving-the-vote-for-equality-campaign-drives-home-urgency-for-era-recognition

OR are you wondering what is the ERA? It’s the Equal Rights Amendment Act that was drafted and presented to Congress by Alice Paul in 1923. Congress agreed to accept the proposed amendment in 1972 and it was sent out to the States for ratification and given a seven year timeline.

The Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress in 1972 but has yet to be published in the Constitution.

05/21/2026

Last night we went to listen to the new Poet Laureate of Chicago, maydadel - Mayda Del Valle perform her work and share her project with us at The Caxton Club. She weaves poetry and song together drawing from the musical and dance rhythms of her Puerto Rican heritage. The public engagement she is proposing for the city over the next year and a half is very exciting.