March is Women’s History Month, highlighting the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society.
The Moorestown Library is celebrating with a number of programs all about women. Residents will get the opportunity to learn about women in history in a fun and exciting way.
“Everything that we get (about history) from schools and colleges has very little women’s history… That has gotten better over the years, but women were and are still largely left out. It is a lot of fun, and it is interesting to learn about women’s history,” said Jean Perry, a retired adjunct history professor at the Burlington County College, now Rowan College at Burlington Country.
The Moorestown Library started the celebration last week on Feb. 29 when Perry gave a presentation on women from your own neighborhood. The Feb. 29 event was the first of the series on women from South Jersey. The next presentations are March 14 on valiant New Jersey women, getting to know Emily Roebling, Dr. Lena Edwards, Clara Barton, Elizabeth C. Stanton, Lucy Stone and Marilyn Bourke-White; March 21 on women social activists, learning about Edith Elmer Wood, Ethel Lawrence, Jane Addams and Maggie Kuhn; and March 28 on women scientists, an introduction to Alice Hamilton, Rachel Carson, Erin Brockovich and Admiral Grace Hopper.
Perry will give a lecture and PowerPoint presentation during these programs; however, there will be an open discussion from the audience throughout and questions, answers and comments at the end. She will also not only discuss the women’s contributions in history, but their personalities and obstacles they faced.
“I think they’re going to hear about some women they don’t know, and may hear about some women that they know, but also (they’ll learn about) factors of these women’s lives they haven’t known about… Some of these people have done fabulous things, on the other hand, they had barriers to get over and have not always been perfect people. There are good lessons to (learn by) seeing how they got there and their life,” Perry said.
These free programs will all be held at 7 p.m. in Meeting Room A at Moorestown Library.
Moorestown Library will present “Annie Oakley: Aim for a High Mark” by Kim Hanley on March 15 at 11 a.m.
With professional partner Buffalo Bill Cody, Oakley, a diminutive sharpshooter and exhibition shooter, competed in a sport and in a world dominated by men. She learned to shoot from necessity, hunting to feed her parents and siblings. Oakley grew up poor, overcoming a difficult and abusive childhood. She felt strongly that women were just as capable as men and insisted they should strive to achieve any goal or occupation that interested them.
Her motto was to, “Aim for a high mark … for practice will make you perfect.” Her hope was all women would reach the “Bulls-eye of Success.”
Hanley has opened the eyes and put smiles on the faces of thousands of young American citizens, as a historical impersonator of Oakley, Abigail Adams — presented at the library last year — Betsy Ross and many other compelling American women. Hanley holds her B.F.A. from the State University of New York, F.I.T. campus, in restoration and history of applied arts. Hanley is also a talented seamstress who designs and creates all of her costumes from historical references.
This program is free and open to the public, as it is funded by the Horizons Speakers Bureau of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information about the Horizons Speakers Bureau, please visit njch.org/programs/hsb.
Reserve your spot for one or more of these programs by registering online at the library’s website www.moorestown.lib.nj.us or by calling the reference desk at (856) 234–0333.
The Moorestown Library is located at 111 W. Second St.
