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| Maryland Women's Heritage Center |
Volume 2, Issue 1
Fall 2009
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It's a transformational moment in our history-much as the opening of the West, industrialization, the great 1960s civil rights campaigns, and the flowering of the Internet age have all irrevocably altered the fabric of American life. With working [employed] women now the New Normal, striving and succeeding in areas where they never have before, so many assumptions and underpinnings of our society are cracking open. The rumbling is shaking the ground in every corner of the culture, and many women and men are struggling to get their footing. The effect on every sector of our society will be deep, wide, and profound.
---Maria Shriver, Introduction to national report, "A Woman's Nation," released in October 2009 | |
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Maryland Women's Heritage Center
501 (c) (3) Non-Profit Organization
Executive Board:
Frances Hughes Glendening, President,
Former First Lady of Maryland
Jill Moss Greenberg, Executive Director
Catherine "Katie" Curran O'Malley,
First Lady of Maryland
Kendel S. Ehrlich,
Former First Lady of Maryland
Shoshana S. Cardin,
Honorary Development Chair
Michelle Duffy-Orr, Treasurer
Nancy S. Grasmick,
State Superintendent of Schools
Helen Holton, Baltimore City Councilwoman and Chair of the Maryland Commission for Women
Sharon Pinder,
The Pinder Group, LLC
Susan Shaffer,
Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium
Linda A. Shevitz, Coordinator of Maryland Women's History Project
Charles Edward Senseney, Accountant
Mark L. Shaffer, Counsel and Site Selection Chair
Honorary Board:
Lucille Clifton, Poet and Author, Former Maryland Poet Laureate
Dominique Dawes, Olympic Champion
Helen Delich Bentley, Former Congresswoman and First Woman Director of the U. S. Maritime Commission
Barbara A. Mikulski, United States Senator
Cokie Roberts, Commentator and Author
Nora Roberts, International Best-Selling Author of Mystery and Romance Novels
Board of Directors:
Lori Askinazi
Diana Bailey
Sarian Bouma
Betty Buck
Linda Busick
Penny Chrissomallis
Rita Colwell
Patricia E. Cornish
Catherine Gira
Joanne Goldsmith
Susan R. Gould
Artis Cowan Hampshire
William "Britt" Kirwan
Juanita Tamayo Lott
David H. Nevins
Jo-Ann Mayer Orlinsky
Maria Torres Queral
Jan Rivitz
Carole Sibel
Nancy Lindberg Sloane
Carolyn Stegman
Beth Trehey
Carmen Delgado Votaw
Sue Ward
Kathy Wilmot
Debbie Yow
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Quarterly Newsletter
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center's quarterly newsletter provides updates on events and activities of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center, as well as our progress in making the Center a reality. If you have any comments or questions, please e-mail us. |
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 Letter from Maryland's First Lady
Katie O'Malley, Executive Board Member of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center
I am proud to serve on the Executive Board of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center and pleased to have this opportunity to write to the many supporters of our groundbreaking Center. Nationally and internationally, this year has brought renewed focus to the condition, treatment and rights of women. It is an important time for us to focus on the historic contributions and current status of Maryland girls and women. While all issues are issues of concern to women, there are specific issues such as domestic violence and pay equity that are of particular concern to the female members of our society and call for our understanding and solutions.
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center is a national model, the first in the nation that combines multiple components related to the girls and women of a single state. Among these components are creating a home for the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame, the base for the Maryland Women's Heritage Trail, an educational, arts and program center, a leadership center for girls and women, and a place for organizations and community groups to bring people together-to meet, discuss, analyze and act upon issues of important to Maryland's girls and women and their families and communities.
One of the unique highlights of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center is its honoring the significant "unsung heroines" in each of our lives-our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, daughters, colleagues and friends. Focusing on the importance of their ongoing contributions to each of our lives, families and communities, is a long overdue honor for such tremendous and meaningful service.
We are entering the time of year when numerous secular and religious holidays remind us of the importance of caring for those who are in need in our society. The Maryland Women's Heritage Center is a place that will enable us to learn about, appreciate and respect, the contributions and capabilities of Maryland's women throughout our history and help to inspire and shape an ever more equitable future for our daughters, as well as our sons.
This unique Center will shortly open its first, temporary home in downtown Baltimore. It is our hope that every Marylander, female and male, will be supportive to the Center to enable it to open its permanent home. We want to hear your stories and ideas. For ways to become involved, check the Maryland Women's Heritage Center Website.
With best wishes,
Katie Curran O'Malley
First Lady of Maryland
Executive Board Member, Maryland Women's Heritage Center |
 Letter from the Executive Director
Jill Moss Greenberg
They say that "all good things come to those who wait" and it seems to be true in the case of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center. Planning and creating our first "physical" center, has taken far longer than originally anticipated. However, we are now well along in the process and thanks to the generosity and leadership of talented women from Cho-Benn Architects, Wilmot Modular Construction and the Lewis Construction Company, we are moving forward. Our appreciation is ongoing to David Hillman and the Southern Management Corporation for donating the space for our temporary first home. Look for an announcement of the opening date on the Website.
With the opening of the Center, it is our hope that every Marylander, as well as others throughout the nation, will be interested in this national model. We have already had inquiries from several states, and even the country of Ecuador, interested in adapting our model for their own use. We are thrilled to be able to help them do so!
We are especially appreciative of the many individuals and groups that have joined us as supporters of this extraordinary venture.
It is particularly meaningful to all of us to have three Maryland First Ladies, Katie Curran O'Malley, Frances Hughes Glendening, and Kendel Ehrlich, and Maryland Superintendent of Schools Nancy Grasmick, on our Executive Board. Our current president, Francie Glendening, has been providing tremendous leadership. The women and men who serve on our Executive Board, the Board of Directors, our Honorary Board, and our MWHC Committees, are providing outstanding volunteer support and deserve our special thanks.
In addition, the collaboration and support of the Maryland Commission for Women, the Women Legislators of Maryland, and the Maryland State Department of Education has continued to be essential as we move ahead. We'd also like to acknowledge the many media and organizational partners, as well as designated supporting organizations. Visit our Website for a complete list. If your organization is not on the list, please e-mail us to be added!
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center is YOUR Center. Therefore, in order for us to open a permanent home, we need your support.
- We are looking for financial support. Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation to the Center. You can donate in honor or in memory of a particular individual or group. You might also be interested in supporting the Pauline Menes Fund, created to honor this Maryland legislator who served in the House of Delegates for 40 years. Donations can be made through our Website.
- We are also seeking donations of selected items, such as computers, 1950s style kitchen tables and chairs, among others. E-mail us if you would like to make a donation.
- We are also always looking for individuals to share their ideas, resources, time and energy with us. E-mail us and let us know how you can help!
We know that this is a difficult economic time, but the creation of this Center to honor the important women in our lives is long overdue and will provide a permanent place of pride for our children and generations to come. We hope that you will be a part of making history today by supporting us. Our message is important: "Adding herstory to history to tell ourstory" to make our past whole and our future better for all.
Thank you for your support and involvement in making this dream become a reality for all of us!
With high hopes and many thanks,
Jill Moss Greenberg
Executive Director
Maryland Women's Heritage Center |
 Holiday Gifts
This holiday season, please consider making a tax-deductible gift to the Center in honor or in memory of a Maryland woman or girl important in your life. A beautiful card will be sent to the person letting her know of the donation.
Also, consider a general donation to the Maryland Women's Heritage Center as an end-of-the-year gift.
The Center also has other holiday gift items for sale. To purchase these items listed below, visit our Website.
- Women of Achievement in Maryland History
Written by MWHC Board Member Carolyn B. Stegman
An inspiring hardcover coffee-table book explores the history of women throughout Maryland. ($50, plus shipping and handling)
- Maryland Women's History Poster
A colorful poster that was originally designed by Elizabeth A. Harty in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Maryland Women's History Project. ($15, plus shipping and handling) |
 Update on the Center
Plans are underway for the opening of the temporary home of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center.
Located at 39 West Lexington Street in downtown Baltimore, the former Baltimore Gas & Electric Building, the Center will have a home base to present rotating exhibits and window displays to highlight the contributions of various women's organizations and individuals throughout Maryland. This space was graciously donated by David Hillman, CEO of the Southern Management Corp.
We hope to open our temporary location in Winter 2010. Look for more information on our Website and in the next newsletter! |
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 MWHC Website
A new, updated version of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center Website has launched. The site contains the same information as the former Website, but in an easier to navigate format.
Additionally, Maryland Women's Heritage Center volunteer Donna Vincent Roa has started a blog for the Maryland Women's Heritage Center. Click here to view it.
E-mail us if you have any questions or comments! |
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 MWHC in the Community
Linda Shevitz (pictured with Cheryl Townshend, Delta Kappa Gamma President-Elect), Executive Board Member of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center, gave a presentation about the Center at a statewide meeting of Delta Kappa Gamma, Women's International Education Honorary meeting on Saturday, November 7, in Ashton, MD.
If you are interested in having someone from the Maryland Women's Heritage Center speak to your group, e-mail us or call 410-767-0675. |
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 Jean Cryor: 1938-2009
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center is sad to announce the passing of former Maryland State Delegate and Commissioner of the Montgomery County Planning Board, Jean Cryor.
Jean (pictured) was a wonderful public servant, as well as a Board Member of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center. She was also a commissioner on the Maryland Commission for Women.
Condolences can be sent to:
11700 Ambleside Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 |
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 Shriver Report
The Center for American Progress (CAP) recently announced the release of "The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything," a study by CAP and Maria Shriver, the first lady of California and a former NBC News correspondent.
The Shriver Report is an in-depth study of the American worker, who today is just as likely to be a woman as a man---a definite change from the past.
The Report is the beginning of a national conversation about how America adapts to the way American families live and work today; how can government, business, media, and faith leaders modernize their institutions to catch up with the permanent new reality of American life?
For more information and to read the Shriver Report, click here. |
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 Little Black Dress Club Event
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center is a supporter of the Little Black Dress Club Holiday Party taking place on Friday, December 4, 6 - 9 p.m., at the Burkshire Marriott at 10 West Burke Avenue in Towson. This women's social networking event will include complimentary hors d'oeuvres and a prize raffle. For more information, contact Kellie Posey at 410-837-2450 or e-mail [email protected]. |
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 The Book Babes Book Signing
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center is supporting upcoming book signings with Margo Hammond, an award-winning journalist and book critic, for her new book Between the Covers: The Book Babes' Guide to a Woman's Reading Pleasure, which she co-wrote with Ellen Helzel. The book signings take place at Baltimore Coffee & Tea locations in Timonium at 9 West Aylesbury Road on Friday, December 4, 2 - 4 p.m., and Annapolis at 590 Bestgate Road on Saturday, December 5, 2 - 4 p.m.
Between the Covers contains an extensive list of reading recommendations for woman of all ages and stages of life. The book covers topics ranging from friendship, sex, finances, health, family, and career.
Margo Hammond co-hosts a monthly radio shows about books with her co-author Ellen Heltzel. The two refer to themselves as "The Book Babes" and together they have written columns on books for online magazines, including Good House Keeping and the Huffington Post, and speak at industry events throughout the nation
For more information, contact Baltimore Coffee & Tea in Timonium at 410-561-1080 or Annapolis at 410-573-5792. |
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 Empowering Women Symposium
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center is proud to support the Maryland Commission for Women's "Empowering Women in this Economy" symposium taking place Saturday, December 5 from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Prince George's Community College, Largo Student Center, 301 Largo Road in Largo.
This free event will cover topics including foreclosure, financial literacy, money matters, navigating the system and domestic violence. County Executive Jack Johnson, Prince George's Community College Dean Charlene Dukes and Lynn Rosenthal will speak.
To register to attend, or for more information, contact the Maryland Commission for Women at 410-767-3049 or via e-mail. |
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 Women's Legislative Briefing
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center is a co-sponsor for the Montgomery County Commission for Women's 30th Annual Legislative Briefing on Sunday, January 31 from 12:30 - 3 p.m. at the University of Maryland, Shady Grove Campus (Building II), 9630 Gudelsky Drive in Rockville. Cost to attend is $10 per person.
Lilly Ledbetter, Pay Equity Advocate, is the keynote speaker. Many County and State elected officials will also be on hand.
To register to attend, or for more information, contact the Montgomery County Commission for Women at 240-777-8330. |
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 ATHENA Award
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center is a partner for the ninth annual ATHENA Award Women's Leadership Breakfast taking place Friday, March 12, from 8 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. at the Richlin Ballroom at Harford Community College located at 1700 Van Bibber Road, Edgewood, MD.
The ATHENA Award is a program of the ATHENA Foundation, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to creating leadership opportunities for women. This award is presented to a woman in Harford County who has attained and personifies the highest level of professional excellence in her business or profession, has devoted time and energy to the community in a meaningful way and, most especially, has opened doors for leadership opportunities for women.
The cost to attend the breakfast is $35. For sponsor information, or to make a reservation, call Pat Hogan at 443-417-4176. |
 MWHC Supported Events
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center supported the Women Entrepreneurs of Baltimore, Inc. (WEB) "Women Mean Business" conference and evening gala held on Thursday, October 22. Both of these events celebrated WEB and its 20 years of helping women start successful businesses.
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center was once again proud to support The Baltimore Women's Film Festival, which took place Friday, October 23 - Sunday, October 25. The festival screened shorts, features, documentaries, animations and music videos created by women. Many filmmakers attended screenings of their films and discussed their work. Proceeds supported breast cancer patients at the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center.
 The Maryland Women's Heritage Center also supported the Chesapeake Professional Women's Network GREEN! Event on Tuesday, November 10. Katherine McGuire, grants manager at Harford Community College, presented "Green in the Workplace" to approximately 300 local businesswomen. |
 MWHC Book Corner
Three members of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center have recently released new books.
Susan Shaffer, an Executive Board Member of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center, has co-authored, Too Close for Comfort: Questioning the Intimacy of Today's Mother Daughter Relationships, with psychologist Linda Perlman Gordon. The book explores how it can be unhealthy for mothers and daughters to act as best friends and shows mothers and daughters how to develop rewarding, rather than agonizing relationships. Susan Shaffer is the executive director of the Maryland Parental Information and Resource Center and the vice president of the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium, Inc., a non-profit that helps educational and community-based organizations support low-income, culturally diverse children and their families. Shaffer and Linda Perlman Gordon have also co-authored Why Boys Don't Talk, Why it Matters: A Parent's Survival Guide to Connecting with Your Teen, Why Girls Talk and What They are Really Saying, and Mom, Can I Move Back in With You: A Survival Guide for Parents of Twentysomethings.  Ginny Gong, a member of the Advisory Board of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center, has published, From Ironing Board to Corporate Board: My Chinese Laundry Experience in America, which chronicles her life as a Chinese immigrant growing up in America since age six. Ginny Gong holds a master's degree in Education and was a teacher and administrator for more than 20 years. She has served on numerous boards and commissions, and was national president of OCA, a national pan-Asian American organization, for four terms. She also hosts a weekly television talk show, "Ginny's...where East meets West."  Maryland Women's Heritage Center Board Member Juanita Tamayo Lott has written Filipinos in Washington, D.C., with Rita M. Cacas. This book tells the stories of the founders of the Filipino communities in Washington, D.C. Little is known about those who settled in D.C., which included students, soldiers, seamen, and laborers, and, within four decades, became permanent residents, military servicemen, government workers, and community leaders. Lott cofounded the first U.S. Filipino American Studies at San Francisco State in 1969 and the Filipino American Studies Program at the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2007. |
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 Nobel Congratulations
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center congratulates Carol Greider for winning the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine along with colleagues Elizabeth Blackburn and Jack Szostak. Greider is a molecular biologist at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
This year, a record of five women won Nobel Prizes. In the past, only 35 women have been awarded Nobel Prizes. Furthermore, Greider and Blackburn were the first women to simultaneously win the prize in medicine.
The three other 2009 female winners include Ada Yonath, who is sharing the Nobel Prize in chemistry; Herta Mueller, who won the prize in literature; and Elinor Ostrom, who is sharing the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Ostrom is the first woman to win the economics prize. |
 National Women's Law Center Alerts
Support Latina Students in Our Schools
Forty-one percent of Latina students do not graduate with their class in four years - if they graduate at all. A new report from the National Women's Law Center, "Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation," addresses the challenges facing Latina students in the United States. It also brings new voices to the conversation: those of Latina students and of adults who work with them.
End Wage Discrimination: Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act
On January 29, 2009, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law, which helps victims of pay discrimination effectively challenge unequal pay. To strengthen the Equal Pay Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act, which has already passed in the House, will fix loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and bar retaliation against workers who disclose their wages. The bill also allows women to receive the same remedies for sex-based pay discrimination that are currently available to those subject to discrimination based on race and national origin. |
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WOW: Women of Wonder Spotlight
By Carolyn Stegman, Ed.D.
Each edition of the newsletter will feature a Maryland Woman of Wonder. This spotlight is on Carmen Delgado Votaw, a Board Member of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center and a national and international leader in the field of civil rights, particularly promoting equal opportunities for Hispanics and women.
Photo: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Carmen Delgado Votaw
Photo: Carolyn Stegman, Ed.D.
Carmen Delgado Votaw grew up in a small town in Puerto Rico where her parents, both teachers, and a mentor inspired her to a life of service and activism. Since, her fervent interest in protecting and procuring freedom for women and minorities has taken her to far reaches of the globe and elevated her to international prominence. In the 1970s, as the women's movement was gathering new momentum, she was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the International Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year, and in the same era, she co-chaired his National Advisory Committee for Women. Votaw was also president of the InterAmerican Commission of Women and was instrumental in increasing the number of countries that signed the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. Later, she authored the book, Puerto Rican Women, biographies of women who made a difference, which will be available at the Maryland Women's Heritage Center. In the United States, she was director of government relations for the Girl Scouts of the United States and director of public policy for the United Way of America. Votaw's vision projects a strong connection between women's rights and economic development.
"Even small efforts, whether here or in developing countries, can be empowering. Throughout my life, I have used the bumblebee as a metaphor for what I do. I take what I learn from one world to the next...wherever you are, whatever your position, you can apply it to the next situation. And there is always work to do. The time to reminisce is a time of commitment to further action. And that action needs to be focused on a vision and that vision emanates from our dreams of equality, development, and peace. History is circular: much is based on what we did yesterday and our future will be affected by our notion of empowerment today."
Votaw stresses the importance of remaining vigilant concerning our commitment to the advancement of women and minorities, including concentrating efforts on young women who may not know the full history.
"They may have rights now but they (we) could lose them, therefore we must imbue younger generations to continue defending those rights. Furthermore, people need to notice and grieve for all human rights injustices still being perpetrated that prevent people from reaching their full potential. These must be a continuing call to action for all of us."
For her leadership in education, Votaw was a 1996 recipient of the National Hispanic Heritage Award, presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. MWHC Board Member Carolyn B. Stegman is author of the book, Women of Achievement in Maryland History. Excerpts from this book, as well as an interview with Carmen Delgado Votaw, contributed to this article.
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*Spirited Women of Baltimore Awards
Wednesday, August12
Morton's The Steakhouse, Baltimore
More than 100 Baltimore businesspeople attended the "Spirited Women of Baltimore" Power Lunch hosted by Morton's The Steakhouse, MyCity4Her.com™ and The Women's Wine and Dine�. The Maryland Women's Heritage Center was a supporter for this year's event, which raised money for the American Red Cross of Central Maryland. This annual event honors three Spirited Women of Baltimore, in various walks of life, based on their career and personal successes. The 2009 winners were Teresa Hall, Spirited Woman Rising; Sharon Perfetti, Spirited Woman in Balance; and Bunny Kohn, Spirited Woman of 2009.
*Girls Gone Great Celebration Luncheon
Sunday, August 16
Pappas Restaurant, Parkville, MD
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center joined WomanTalk Live, a supporter of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center, in recognizing Chen Sheng, a junior at Franklin High School in Reisterstown, MD, as the 2009 Girls Gone Great essay contest winner at a special luncheon. WomanTalk Live's Girls Gone Great essay contest gives Maryland girls the opportunity to write about their great ideas and contributions to make the world a better place, as well as visions for the future. Read Chen Sheng's winning essay.
(Photos courtesy of WomanTalk Live)
 
*When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women
Tuesday, October 20
Friendship Heights Village Center, Chevy Chase, MD
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center participated in a book signing with New York Times Editorial Editor Gail Collins in conjunction with her new book, When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from1960-Present. Collins' book follows women's progress during the past five decades and includes interviews with women from a variety of backgrounds.
*An Evening with Malalai Joya
Tuesday, November 3
Junior League of Baltimore, Baltimore
The Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, a partner of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center, held a reception with the Junior League of Baltimore for author Malalai Joya, known as the bravest woman in Afghanistan. Joya spoke about her new political memoir, A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice, which chronicles her journey of dissidence and the political landscape of Afghanistan.
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Maryland Women's Heritage Center Mission
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center and Museum is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to honoring the contributions of women and girls by preserving the past, understanding the present, and shaping the future through recognition, respect, education and action about the experiences, achievements, hopes and needs of Maryland's girls and women. It is the first comprehensive state-based effort of its kind in the nation. |
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Maryland Women's Heritage Center
P.O. Box 719
Brooklandville, MD 21022-0719 Phone: 410-767-0675
E-mail: [email protected]
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We are proud to partner with the following organizations that support the creation of this historic first:
 
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