The Woman's Committee of the
WWI Council of National Defense in the Midwest
Wednesday, June 7th, 2:00 - 3:30 pm
Charles W. Loosemore Auditorium,
401 Fulton Street West
Grand Valley State University
Helping the Midwestern History Association in its effort to rebuild a field of study neglected in recent decades, the GGRWHC will introduce the role of midwestern women in WWI food programs of the Woman's Committee of the Council of National Defense.
Join us one hundred years later as the GGRWHC honors women's war work with fascinating on-the-ground reports about urban Grand Rapids and rural Jasper County, Indiana.
Midwestern History Conference:
Finding the Lost Region
Wednesday, June 7th
The GGRWHC has pioneered work on Woman's Committee activities on the national, state, and local levels and is pleased to provide an overview of the role of their wartime food programs during the MHA's day-long conference in Grand Rapids.
Thanks to Hauenstein Center at GVSU, the public can register and attend for free including a free lunch. You can sign up for just part of the day or the entire day but Reserve Here as soon as possible since registration for the lunch may close early this year. Or call 616-331-2770.
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Our MHA panel will launch a three-year report on the little- known history of the Woman's Committee of the Council of National Defense. Join us as we share the story with local audience and spread the word nationally about Grand Rapids itself, midwestern women, and the Woman's Committee of the CND.
Creating 'An Army of Housewives'
Anita Anthony-VanOrsdal opens the panel showing how demand for farm products gave midwestern women important opportunities to shape federal wartime policies and state laws.
Hooverizing and Managing the Nation's Women Sue Caldwell will illustrate top-down management problems in one CND local committee (out of 17,000 nationwide) and the negative rhetoric aimed specifically at women in newspaper propaganda campaigns.
Municipal Housekeepers in Grand Rapids
Jayson Otto will show how well-organized women's reform movements and their pre-war public gardening programs transformed into full-blown wartime preservation projects.
Read more about the entire conference day on the Hauenstein Center's website. The conference will feature a range of midwestern topics, from the region's intellectual and religious history to capitalism and politics, ethnicity and race. Plenary speakers will discuss why studying black midwestern history matters and will unveil "deep maps and digital history."
Finally, please recruit friends to attend with you
to see what GGRWHC and the MHA are up to.
Hope to see you there!
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Keep up with us on our website! Stay tuned for more!
Not a current member of GGRWHC? Register or renew your membership and
help offset the expenses associated with annual research and programs. Your membership helps to set the record straight on the women who've made history here in our community.
GGRWHC Board Meetings
Board meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month at 4:30 p.m. in the Vanderveen Center for the Book at the Grand Rapids Public Library. If you have suggestions for programs, oral histories, or other items, please
email us or plan to attend a meeting.
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Please take a moment to forward this message to others you know who may be interested in Women's History. If you've received this message as a forward, consider joining our mailing list (click on the button in the left column above!) in order to receive future updates about programming.
Thank you for your interest in preserving and celebrating the history of the many phenomonal women who've helped to shape West Michigan! If you aren't already a member of the Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council, consider showing your support through annual membership. Visit our
web site for more information and the ability to register using Pay Pal online!
Hats off to the historical women who've shaped West Michigan!
Creating 'An Army of Housewives'
