March 1, 2023 I www.ggrwhc.org I

Celebrate Women's History Month With Us!

Norene Brooks joined an all-male Grand Rapids City Commission in 1976 and helped to pave the way for women who followed.

Celebrate Women’s History Month with GGRWHC! Join us on March 15^th at the historic St. Cecilia Music Center. Following a gathering time and reception, our featured speaker, Jo Ellyn Clarey, will highlight women who ran for public office in the Grand Rapids area, with a focus on the pivotal time in the 1970s when women made their voices heard not just by voting, but by stepping forward to seek public office.

In the 1970s, Kent County women broke through barriers that had limited their runs for public office. They ran for virtually every position on local, county, and state levels, as well as for U.S. Congress. In 2022, women continued to make history as candidates for public office. Join us on March 15 in celebrating women's pathway to success at the polls and the groundwork that has been laid for the future. Please see https://GGRWHCMarch152022.eventbrite.com for further details and to RSVP.

Linda Johnson, the first Black woman elected to the Grand Rapids School Board. celebrates her election in 1977. Johnson served on the Board until December 1984 when she left to take the position of Commissioner of Human Rights for the State of Minnesota. Photo: Grand Rapids Press, June 4, 1977.

All upcoming events:

March 15, 2023, We're happy to be back in person for our annual reception on Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.at the St. Cecilia Music Center, 24 Ransom Ave. We'll celebrate being together again with a reception with light refreshments at 6:30 p.m., followed by our program - The Second Surge: Women Running for Public Office in the 1970's. Please RSVP at https://GGRWHCMarch152022.eventbrite.com



April 13, 2023, 7:00 p.m.: The Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters: Serving People on the Margins of Society, Grand Rapids Public Library, downtown.