Harriet Tubman, known as the “Black Moses,” was born in Maryland as a slave in the 1820’s. After escaping and freeing herself, she became a conductor in the Underground Railroad – a secret network of routes to escape slavery. She freed hundreds of slaves, never losing a passenger. “I freed a thousand slaves. I could Read more…
Five Ways of Being Seen: How to Commemorate Women in Cities
Just like the workplaces and politics, also in public spaces women are under-represented. Walking down streets, noticing their names, the figures on public statues, the names of buildings, a picture of a male city is coming across. The contribution of women – in the past and in the present – is poorly reflected across all Read more…
Set the Feminist Wheels in Motion – Bicycle as a Vehicle for Female Empowerment and Liberation
The first time bicycles were introduced in the United States – they became strongly associated with the women’s liberation movement. Not only did they provide freedom of movement, but they also influenced the sense of orientation in the outdoors, accelerated dress reform, introduced map-reading skills, allowed the urban women to explore nature, and traveling, and Read more…
Wander After The Wonder: The Story of NOLA Witches and Voodoo Queens
While most Western cultures antagonize the figure of a “witch” – hunting, executing, and bad-naming women who exercise spiritual superiority, Louisiana does the opposite. The state and its spiritual and cultural capital New Orleans embrace the power of its Voodoo Queens both in history and present. A statue depicts a gathering of slaved people dancing Read more…
The Women behind the Underground Railroad and the Resistance to Slavery in the US
Slavery was a part of US history from as early as the 17th century, and so was the resistance by the enslaved. The quest for freedom took various shapes – slowing down the labor, theft, armed rebellion, and most common – escape. Enslaved people ran away from their masters towards freedom since the first days Read more…
The Future of Gender Representation on Traffic & Road Signs
They are blending into the streets we occupy, the highways we drive through. Directing us to turn right, to stop, to be careful around school children and to watch out for falling rocks. They are there to keep the order in public spaces, to prevent accidents or confusion in the navigation of the concrete jungle. Read more…
Women’s Equality Day: Celebrating the Past and Working on the Future
Behind the celebrations of August 26th – Women’s Equality Day – stand more than 100 years of women’s rights actions. Here is the brief timeline of the making of Women’s Equality Day in the US, from New York, via Tennessee, to Washington D.C. 1848 The year 1848 is considered as the official starting date of Read more…
Settlement Houses and the Rise of New American Women
Settlement Houses first appeared in North America in 1886, inspired by the London-based model of Toynbee Hall. Those were community institutions that fit into the trends of their time and place: addressing the needs of the growing cities, with economic and social gaps between the poor population of immigrants and the newly educated and politically Read more…
Salem: From Witch Trials to Tourism Trails
Less than an hour drive from Boston, the town of Salem offers its visitors an interesting slice of history, mixing gender politics with mysterious tales – the infamous 300 years old Witch Trials. Among the most studied events in Colonial American history, Salem Witch Trials cost 20 people their lives and about 200 people their Read more…
Women to Women: from Boston Marriages to Girlfriend Getaways and Golden Girls
At home, in the office, or on the road, women created various ways of forming structural bonds with each other. The context and the motivation can vary, but in most cases, the result is the same: empowerment. Here’s a brief overview of sisterhood practices in the US. Historic Inspiration: Boston Marriage In the late 19th Read more…
