AWHI sponsors women’s history workshops, lectures, exhibits, publications, and bibliographies about Arkansas women’s history. Each March AWHI commemorates Women’s History Month with an event, workshop, or lecture.
In the past, events have included a variety of themes and topics.
Upcoming Events
Tales from the South: Arkansas Women's Stories
When: Tuesday, March 10, 2015 - Dinner 5 pm- 6:30 pm, Show starts at 7 pm
Where: South on Main, Little Rock
Admission: $10
The Arkansas Women's History Institute will cosponsor a Tales from the South radio show focused on tales of Arkansas women. The live show will be recorded on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 at South on Main in Little Rock. Those interested in submitting and performing a piece on women in Arkansas should contact Tales from the South at www.talesfromthesouth.com.
"Tales from the South" is a showcase of writers reading their own true stories. While the show itself is unrehearsed, the literary memoirs have been worked on for weeks leading up to the readings. Stories range from funny to touching, from everyday occurrences to life-altering tragedies.
"Tales from the South" is uniquely Southern, in that while we don't require that stories are set in the South (though a majority are), writers must be either originally from the South or live here currently, and the distinct Southern art of storytelling rich in language, detail, and voice is alive in all of them. Contributors are from all walks of life and include professional writers as well as those who have never been published.
Along with the storytelling, we also have live music by different Southern musicians who continue the storytelling tradition and play everything from folk to blues to bluegrass, and more. Musicians play during dinner. Acclaimed blues guitarist Mark Simpson plays the blues live each week during the taped portion of the radio show.
"Tales From the South" is a radio show created and produced by Paula Martin Morell, who is also the show's host, in conjuction with UALR's Dept. of Rhetoric and Writing. The show is presented by The Argenta Arts Foundation with additional support provided by AY Magazine, The North Little Rock Visitors' Bureau, William F. Laman Public Library, and The Oxford American. The show is taped on Tuesday nights in various restaurants and venues throughout Central Arkansas. We also take the show on the road throughout Arkansas, and plans are in the works to begin branching out to other Southern states. We offer dinner and a show, and shows are $10.00 admission and open to the public. The night is a cross between a house concert and a reading/show, with food and great company. Tickets must be purchased before the show, as shows are usually standing-room only.
Past Events
"Varina Davis, Southern Women, and the Civil War" - March 14, 2013. This lecture, held at the Clinton School of Public Service featured Joan Cashin, a professor of history at Ohio State University. Cashin discussed the role of women in Arkansas and across the South in the war and provide commentary about her book “First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis’s Civil War,” about the wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Cashin specializes in the social, economic and cultural history of the United States, including the antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction eras. Her book won the Fletcher Pratt Award from the Civil War Roundtable of New York. View a recording of the presentation athttp://clintonschoolspeakers.com/content/varina-davis-southern-women-and-civil-war.
"The Legacy of 'The Dred Scott Decision'" - March 10, 2012. Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, in partnership with the Arkansas Women’s History Institute, hosted a lecture by Lynne Jackson, great, great granddaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott at the historic site visitor center. Jackson is the president and founder of The Dred and Harriet Scott Foundation. Dred and Harriet Scott, both born into slavery in the United States, sued for their freedom in April, 1846. They met when their owners moved to a part of the Wisconsin Territory where slavery was prohibited by the 1820 Missouri Compromise. The couple married and had two daughters while in free territory, then later moved back to slave states with their owners. It was their daughters’ future especially that inspired the Scotts to sue for their freedom because children born to an enslaved woman inherited their mother’s enslavement. Their cases were eventually combined into one case as it proceeded through five trials. The Scotts lost the first trial filed in St. Louis’s Old Courthouse, but were granted a second trial where a jury of 12 white men decided that Dred Scott and his family should be free. The slave owner appealed the case to the Missouri State Supreme Court, which reversed the decision again. In its 1857 “Dred Scott Decision,” the U.S. Supreme Court declared that as slaves, the Scotts were not citizens, therefore, could not sue for their freedom. This decision is said to have inspired Abraham Lincoln to run for president and also led to the passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the United States Constitution.
“Women in the National Park Service" - March 16, 2011. The Arkansas Women’s History Institute and the Clinton School of Public Service hosted a panel discussion featuring Polly Kaufman, author of "National Parks and the Woman’s Voice;" Robin White, superintendent of the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site; Josie Fernandez, superintendent of Hot Springs National Park, and Laura Miller, superintendent of the President Clinton Birthplace National Historic Site. View a recording of the presentation at http://clintonschoolspeakers.com/lecture/view/women-national-park-service-panel-discussion.
"A Conversation on Public Health in Arkansas: Three Women Pioneers" - March 13, 2010. This symposium, held at the Old State House Museum featured three leaders in public health from Arkansas. Dr. Joycelyn Elders, Dr. Edith Irby Jones, and Mrs. Betty Bumpers shared their stories and experiences about the progression of healthcare in Arkansas. Dr. Joycelyn Elders served as the U.S. Surgeon General from 1993-1994 and shared her experiences as a physician and leader in public health. Dr. Edith Irby Jones, the first African American to attend and graduate the University of Arkansas Medical School (now known as UAMS), spoke about her career and inspired others to get involved in their communities. Mrs. Betty Bumpers addressed the origins of Arkansas's immunization program.
Traditional Crafts Workshop – March 2009
Women’s Emergency Committee Reunion Event – September 2008
“Sunday Schools, Not Suffrage” with historian Sally McMillen – March 2008
Sitting Down for What’s Right: The Struggle for Women’s Equity & Civil Rights in Arkansas – March 2007
Good Work, Sister! Arkansas Women in World War II Symposium – March 2005
Press Releases
AWHI Symposium 2007: Symposium on Arkansas Women Involved in Equal Rights Movement and Civil Rights Movement at Old State House on Saturday, March 3, 2007.
AWHI WEC Symposium 2008: Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our School, 50th Anniversary Symposium
Behold, Our Works Were Good
Behold, Our Works Were Good is a book and exhibit produced by the Arkansas Women's History Institute. Edited by Elizabeth Jacoway, the book entitled Behold, Our Works Were Good: A Handbook of Arkansas Women's Historywas published in 1988. The book chronicles the roles and contributions made by Arkansas women. Through approximately one hundred photographs, the book illuminates the hidden, unseen, or forgotten dimensions of ourselves.
In the past, events have included a variety of themes and topics.
- Women involved in public health from Arkansas
- Traditional crafts like basket weaving and tatting
- Women’s Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools
- Sunday School Movement
- The Struggle for Women’s Equity & Civil Rights
- Arkansas Women in World War II
Upcoming Events
Tales from the South: Arkansas Women's Stories
When: Tuesday, March 10, 2015 - Dinner 5 pm- 6:30 pm, Show starts at 7 pm
Where: South on Main, Little Rock
Admission: $10
The Arkansas Women's History Institute will cosponsor a Tales from the South radio show focused on tales of Arkansas women. The live show will be recorded on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 at South on Main in Little Rock. Those interested in submitting and performing a piece on women in Arkansas should contact Tales from the South at www.talesfromthesouth.com.
"Tales from the South" is a showcase of writers reading their own true stories. While the show itself is unrehearsed, the literary memoirs have been worked on for weeks leading up to the readings. Stories range from funny to touching, from everyday occurrences to life-altering tragedies.
"Tales from the South" is uniquely Southern, in that while we don't require that stories are set in the South (though a majority are), writers must be either originally from the South or live here currently, and the distinct Southern art of storytelling rich in language, detail, and voice is alive in all of them. Contributors are from all walks of life and include professional writers as well as those who have never been published.
Along with the storytelling, we also have live music by different Southern musicians who continue the storytelling tradition and play everything from folk to blues to bluegrass, and more. Musicians play during dinner. Acclaimed blues guitarist Mark Simpson plays the blues live each week during the taped portion of the radio show.
"Tales From the South" is a radio show created and produced by Paula Martin Morell, who is also the show's host, in conjuction with UALR's Dept. of Rhetoric and Writing. The show is presented by The Argenta Arts Foundation with additional support provided by AY Magazine, The North Little Rock Visitors' Bureau, William F. Laman Public Library, and The Oxford American. The show is taped on Tuesday nights in various restaurants and venues throughout Central Arkansas. We also take the show on the road throughout Arkansas, and plans are in the works to begin branching out to other Southern states. We offer dinner and a show, and shows are $10.00 admission and open to the public. The night is a cross between a house concert and a reading/show, with food and great company. Tickets must be purchased before the show, as shows are usually standing-room only.
Past Events
"Varina Davis, Southern Women, and the Civil War" - March 14, 2013. This lecture, held at the Clinton School of Public Service featured Joan Cashin, a professor of history at Ohio State University. Cashin discussed the role of women in Arkansas and across the South in the war and provide commentary about her book “First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis’s Civil War,” about the wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Cashin specializes in the social, economic and cultural history of the United States, including the antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction eras. Her book won the Fletcher Pratt Award from the Civil War Roundtable of New York. View a recording of the presentation athttp://clintonschoolspeakers.com/content/varina-davis-southern-women-and-civil-war.
"The Legacy of 'The Dred Scott Decision'" - March 10, 2012. Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, in partnership with the Arkansas Women’s History Institute, hosted a lecture by Lynne Jackson, great, great granddaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott at the historic site visitor center. Jackson is the president and founder of The Dred and Harriet Scott Foundation. Dred and Harriet Scott, both born into slavery in the United States, sued for their freedom in April, 1846. They met when their owners moved to a part of the Wisconsin Territory where slavery was prohibited by the 1820 Missouri Compromise. The couple married and had two daughters while in free territory, then later moved back to slave states with their owners. It was their daughters’ future especially that inspired the Scotts to sue for their freedom because children born to an enslaved woman inherited their mother’s enslavement. Their cases were eventually combined into one case as it proceeded through five trials. The Scotts lost the first trial filed in St. Louis’s Old Courthouse, but were granted a second trial where a jury of 12 white men decided that Dred Scott and his family should be free. The slave owner appealed the case to the Missouri State Supreme Court, which reversed the decision again. In its 1857 “Dred Scott Decision,” the U.S. Supreme Court declared that as slaves, the Scotts were not citizens, therefore, could not sue for their freedom. This decision is said to have inspired Abraham Lincoln to run for president and also led to the passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the United States Constitution.
“Women in the National Park Service" - March 16, 2011. The Arkansas Women’s History Institute and the Clinton School of Public Service hosted a panel discussion featuring Polly Kaufman, author of "National Parks and the Woman’s Voice;" Robin White, superintendent of the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site; Josie Fernandez, superintendent of Hot Springs National Park, and Laura Miller, superintendent of the President Clinton Birthplace National Historic Site. View a recording of the presentation at http://clintonschoolspeakers.com/lecture/view/women-national-park-service-panel-discussion.
"A Conversation on Public Health in Arkansas: Three Women Pioneers" - March 13, 2010. This symposium, held at the Old State House Museum featured three leaders in public health from Arkansas. Dr. Joycelyn Elders, Dr. Edith Irby Jones, and Mrs. Betty Bumpers shared their stories and experiences about the progression of healthcare in Arkansas. Dr. Joycelyn Elders served as the U.S. Surgeon General from 1993-1994 and shared her experiences as a physician and leader in public health. Dr. Edith Irby Jones, the first African American to attend and graduate the University of Arkansas Medical School (now known as UAMS), spoke about her career and inspired others to get involved in their communities. Mrs. Betty Bumpers addressed the origins of Arkansas's immunization program.
Traditional Crafts Workshop – March 2009
Women’s Emergency Committee Reunion Event – September 2008
“Sunday Schools, Not Suffrage” with historian Sally McMillen – March 2008
Sitting Down for What’s Right: The Struggle for Women’s Equity & Civil Rights in Arkansas – March 2007
Good Work, Sister! Arkansas Women in World War II Symposium – March 2005
Press Releases
AWHI Symposium 2007: Symposium on Arkansas Women Involved in Equal Rights Movement and Civil Rights Movement at Old State House on Saturday, March 3, 2007.
AWHI WEC Symposium 2008: Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our School, 50th Anniversary Symposium
Behold, Our Works Were Good
Behold, Our Works Were Good is a book and exhibit produced by the Arkansas Women's History Institute. Edited by Elizabeth Jacoway, the book entitled Behold, Our Works Were Good: A Handbook of Arkansas Women's Historywas published in 1988. The book chronicles the roles and contributions made by Arkansas women. Through approximately one hundred photographs, the book illuminates the hidden, unseen, or forgotten dimensions of ourselves.