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Utah Women Shine During Women's History Month  
Utah suffrage leaders, including Martha Cannon, Emily S. Richards, Sarah Kimball, Emmeline B. Wells, Zina D. Young, along with Colorado suffrage leaders Mary C. C. Bradford and Lyle Meredith Stansbury, accompany Susan B. Anthony and Rev. Anne Howard Shaw. Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society, #20395, all rights reserved.
A Celebration of Women's History Month
Utah's strong, multifaceted terrain is the perfect backdrop for local women who symbolize and embody the same characteristics. Utah women have had a lasting impact on our history and continue to shape our modern life, as evidenced by their stories. In celebration of Women's History Month, I've highlighted a few episodes from our Beehive Archive collection. They are a small sampling of the inspiring, path-altering influence of Utah women.

Civic-Minded Women of Kanab Make History 
In January 1912, the southern Utah town of Kanab made history when its newly elected mayor and city council took over governance of the small farming community. It was reportedly the first time in US history that an entire town board was comprised of women.  Mayor Mary Elizabeth Woolley Chamberlain headed the board of five women, and their agenda to make Kanab a better place to live gives a glimpse into small town life during this time. Read the full story here or listen to the story here (scroll down to episode #121).

Women's Suffrage and the Constitutional Convention 
Women's Suffrage - that is, the right of women to vote - was won not once, but twice, in Utah. In 1871, Utah women were the second group of American women to receive the vote, but were disenfranchised in 1887 as part of the federal effort to rid the Territory of polygamy. Women's suffrage came to the spotlight once more in 1895 when Utah formed a Constitutional Convention to try, once again, for statehood. Find the full story here or listen to the episode here (scroll down to episode #171).

Helen Zeese Papanikolas
She passed away in 2004, but Helen Zeese Papanikolas is still revered in Utah as an historian whose work made it impossible to ignore the complexities of Utah's past and present. Throughout her 50-year career, she documented the stories of immigrants and promoted an inclusive view of Utah's diverse ethnic heritage. But who was Helen Papanikolas? Where did she come from? What is her story? Find out more about Helen here or listen to the episode here (scroll down to episode #163). 

 

Megan van Frank
History and Museums Program Officer
Utah Humanities Council

You can reach Megan for information about all of our history and museum programs at [email protected] or 801.359.9670 ext. 110


Utah Humanities Council Newsletter

   March 2013

"A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
 
In This Issue
Utah Women Shine
UHC Wins Increased State Appropriations
Student Advisory Council
You Did It!
About Us

Connect with Us




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UHC Wins Increased State Appropriation
 
We are very happy to announce that the Utah State Legislature approved a modest but significant increase in UHC's annual appropriation, which provides funding for grants and programs benefiting the entire state. This will allow us to reconsider support for local initiatives.
 
In addition, legislators approved $20,000 for UHC's collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution's traveling exhibition "Journey Stories," to be hosted by five Utah venues in 2014-15. 
 
Please thank your legislators for their support--you can find their contact information at:
 
UHC's Student Advisory Council: 
Paving the Future of Humanities!

Left to right:  Cheyne Warren, Elizabeth Barnard, Bonnie Bennett, Jillian Gallegos, Owain Rice, Rachael Cheever, Rinpoche Price-Huish, Alexander Coltrin, Nathaniel Baxter, Samantha Saperstein, Collin Gee.  Missing:  Danielle Cheek, David Murrell, Arcadia Payne, Dominic Zappala. Photo courtesy of Jean Cheney.
 
We Love Trailblazers!
Fifteen terrific high school students from across Utah have been participating in our first-ever Student Advisory Council (SAC). Junior and senior students from North Logan to Monticello, and many cities in between, meet every other month to shape UHC's youth programming and to initiate humanities-connected projects in their schools or communities.
 
One idea under consideration is to develop teams in their schools for Ethics Bowl competitions next year. The competitions would involve groups of students who have studied moral philosophers and debate issues according to ethical reasoning.  The hope is to engage students in practical elements of the humanities and influence as many students in Utah as possible.

We want to express our gratitude to this first group who are pioneering this concept. The SAC leader, Elizabeth Barnard, is ably leading this group this year and helped to shape the organization for the future.

The Student Advisory Council meets with three of our staff members: Jean Cheney, Kathleen Gardner, and Michael McLane, all of whom are impressed with the passion and depth of insight these remarkable students have already brought to UHC!

 

YOU Made a Difference! 
 
 

Our Participation in Love Ut, Give Ut was a success!
Last month we asked: "What if you could help shape Utah's future in a single day?" And on March 22, 2013, you answered...with donations that we appreciate! We were also able to qualify for the $1,000 matching grant generously provided by our staff.

THANK YOU!
 
On Friday, March 22, communities across Utah came together for 24 hours of unprecedented giving during Love UT Give UT. It was Utah's biggest-ever day of giving and UHC joined forces with nonprofits statewide to encourage giving to the organizations that make Utah great.

We simply want to thank each of you who continue to support us through donations, attending and spreading the word about our programs, and for generally being supportive of the humanities!  
  
About Us
 The Utah Humanities Council empowers Utahns to improve their communities
 through active engagement in the humanities.
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