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Weaving the Stories of Women’s Lives
Celebrate Women’s History Month
WASHINGTON— Join Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site to celebrate Women’s History Month through programs that “weave the stories of women’s lives.”
Saturday, March 7, 2015– Women’s History Month Kick-Off Celebration
Guest speaker Patricia Green and living history performer Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti kick off Women’s History Month from2 to 4 p.m.at the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site.
Green’s talk will reflect on African American women, what binds them and why it is important to enhance awareness of their unique contributions. She will also share the Sister Girlfriend Memory Quilt, a project she undertook in Pittsburgh, Pa. The quilt weaves a rich tapestry of stories about womanhood, motherhood, sisterhood and diversity. Green is the former director of the National Council of Negro Women’s Juvenile Justice Program for girls.
The presentation will be followed by an engaging living history performance by Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti, as Madam C.J. Walker, titled “I Promoted Myself.” As entrepreneurs, community leaders and national figures, the stories of Mary McLeod Bethune and Madam C.J. Walker are woven through friendship and their place in history.
Green’s quilt is the inspiration for the park’s very own memory quilt project. We invite everyone to contribute a block to the quilt to honor an African American woman in your life.
Saturday, March 21, 2015– “The 404th Women’s Army Corps Band: Double Victory Onstage”
From3 p.m. until 4:30 p.m., a park ranger will lead a discussion highlighting the story of the only African-American women’s military band in the United States during World War II and Mary McLeod Bethune’s fight to preserve their right to serve their country. Musicians from The United States Air Force Band will play to honor the women’s service.
The exhibit, “The 404th Women’s Army Corps Band: Double Victory Onstage” will be on view in the park visitor center for the entire month of March.
Saturday, April 4, 2015– Memory Quilting Bee
To mark the end of Women’s History Month, the park will hold a Quilting Bee program fromnoon until 4 p.m. Volunteers from the Uhuru Quilters Guild of Maryland will help assemble blocks, created by the public throughout our month-long celebration, into a memory quilt to commemorate inspiring African American women.
These events are free and open to the public. Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site is located at 1318 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005. For more information, please visitwww.nps.gov/mamc.
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