Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS) has announced plans to mark the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage and the 100thanniversary of the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland with a new permanent exhibit at the Cleveland History Center in University Circle.
Presented by WRHS in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland, Women and the Struggle for Political Power will trace the story of women in politics, exploring the early days of the suffragette movement, the successful fight for the 19th Amendment, the birth and growth of the League of Women Voters as a force for clean government and the election of northern Ohio women to positions of power on the local, state and national levels. The exhibit will open in 2020. WRHS will also serve as the Regional Coordinator for the State of Ohio Women Suffrage Centennial organized by the Ohio History Connection, the historical society for the State of Ohio.
The experiences and contributions of women, African Americans, and immigrants are a focus of the Cleveland History Center, and are core to the Empowerment theme that defines and unifies the experience. Women and the Struggle for Political Powercontinues the transformation of the Cleveland History Center that began in 2013 with the renovation of the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum and the opening of the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel in 2014. In 2017, WRHS celebrated its 150th anniversary with the grand opening of Cleveland Starts Here®, a permanent exhibit about Cleveland sponsored by the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation.
In 2019, WRHS explores aspects of our history that, in the past, have not received the attention they should command.
Currently, an exhibit about the life and work of the Reverend E. T. Caviness: Church, Community, Cleveland (open now through August 2019) and the permanent exhibit “Carl & Louis Stokes Making History” examine the political and social achievements of three great leaders in the African American community. “The Soul of Philanthropy”, opening September 2019, is a national traveling exhibit about philanthropy in the African American community and will be accompanied by a companion exhibit that highlights the Cleveland story.
Empowerment 2020
Women and the Struggle for Political Power (Opening 2020) will be accompanied by a series of programs for schoolchildren and general audiences. Its presentation in an election year will significantly boost its appeal to a wide public audience. Throughout WRHS, in both permanent and temporary exhibits, special attention will be given to stories, images and artifacts that present new perspectives about the roles women played in shaping our history. Exhibits on commerce, industry, fashion, and even the auto world will all highlight the impact women have had in so many areas.
###
About Cleveland History Center Programming
Each year over 65,000 visitors enjoy history-based exhibits and programming at one of the city’s most unique locations. Cleveland History Center educators, interpreters and curators “inspire people to discover the American experience by exploring the tangible history of Northeast Ohio” through curriculum-based education offerings, signature events, Region 3 Ohio History Day competition and other educational programs such as History on Tap.
About the Western Reserve Historical Society and Cleveland History Center
Founded in 1867 as a historic branch of the Cleveland Library Association on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, the Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS) shares the dynamic stories of Northeast Ohio and beyond – stories of the people, the artifacts and the archives that are the provenance for our region.
Operating six sites throughout Northeast Ohio, WRHS presents exhibitions, programs and experiences that tell the story of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio through art, documents and artifacts from a variety of collections at its headquarters, the Cleveland History Center in University Circle. Through the use of its vast collections of family history, community history, entrepreneurship, and technological innovation, the Cleveland History Center provides a much-needed sense of place in today’s mobile society. It is a base for learning about innovation that can be transferred into modern economic expansion.
