Celebrating Remarkable Women, Then and Now
Friday, March 8, 2019
March is Women's History Month, and there are many ways to commemorate the lives and achievements of women throughout history and share experiences of today's women. Check out the collection of books, movies, and other resources available at the Library.
View full reading list in the catalog
Learn about the legacies of notable women from Kansas City's past in this downloadable coloring book produced by Missouri Valley Special Collections.
Browse the film collection in Kanopy
Learn more about Kanopy and other film streaming services available through the Library >
The Library's historical website The Pendergast Years: Kansas City in the Jazz Age & Great Depression has a collection of images, articles, and other items in its digital collections that provide insight into women's issues during the 1920s and '30s. In the years following the ratification of the 19th Amendment, giving women nationwide the right to vote, female activists in Kansas City undertook efforts to reform municipal government, serve in elected office, break down employment barriers, and lead social and civic clubs in movements to improve the health and welfare of disadvantaged populations. Their efforts often influenced key moments in the city’s history, such as passage of the 1925 city charter that unintentionally helped Tom Pendergast consolidate power and then the “clean sweep” reforms following Pendergast’s indictment for tax evasion in 1939.
BROWSE THE SITE
Clipping from the Kansas City Times on March 29, 1932, spotlighting the Democratic State Convention the previous day in St. Louis, Missouri. The photograph's caption identifies some of the women's delegates from Kansas City (from left): "Miss Philippine Buntinx, an employee of the water department; Mrs. Mary Frick, fifteenth ward; Miss Virginia Dana, deputy county clerk, and Mrs. Betty Glenn, an attache of the prosecutor's office."
Image: Jackson County Historical Society
Women's History Month Suggested Reads
Pioneers. Trailblazers. Troublemakers. Enforcers. Advocates. History is full of women who changed the world (or are currently working on it). These titles highlight just a few of their stories.View full reading list in the catalog
Coloring Kansas City: Women Who Made History
Learn about the legacies of notable women from Kansas City's past in this downloadable coloring book produced by Missouri Valley Special Collections.
Among the women highlighted :
- Lucile Harris Bluford, a journalist, civil rights crusader, and community leader, best known for her 70-year career at The Kansas City Call newspaper and the namesake of the Library’s Bluford Branch.
- Eliza “Lyda” Burton Conley, a member of the Wyandot Nation who is thought to be our country's first female lawyer of Native American descent.
- Nelle Nichols Peters, an architect who designed nearly 1,000 buildings in Kansas City, including the Ambassador Hotel, the Country Club Plaza Poets District apartments, and the McConahay Building where Walt Disney’s Laugh-O-Gram Films once was located.
- Josephine Silone Yates, a renowned teacher, writer, and outspoken advocate for racial equality. She taught at Lincoln High School and, in 1893, co-founded the Kansas City Women’s League, which eventually merged with the National Association of Colored Women.
Browse the full set of profiles and access digital files at kchistory.org/coloringkc.
Films and Documentaries
The streaming video service Kanopy lets you enjoy works by female filmmakers, watch movies about women who've made headlines, and explore documentaries that highlight contemporary women's issues.Browse the film collection in Kanopy
Learn more about Kanopy and other film streaming services available through the Library >
Women's Rights and Activism during Kansas City's Jazz Age
The Library's historical website The Pendergast Years: Kansas City in the Jazz Age & Great Depression has a collection of images, articles, and other items in its digital collections that provide insight into women's issues during the 1920s and '30s. In the years following the ratification of the 19th Amendment, giving women nationwide the right to vote, female activists in Kansas City undertook efforts to reform municipal government, serve in elected office, break down employment barriers, and lead social and civic clubs in movements to improve the health and welfare of disadvantaged populations. Their efforts often influenced key moments in the city’s history, such as passage of the 1925 city charter that unintentionally helped Tom Pendergast consolidate power and then the “clean sweep” reforms following Pendergast’s indictment for tax evasion in 1939.
BROWSE THE SITE
Clipping from the Kansas City Times on March 29, 1932, spotlighting the Democratic State Convention the previous day in St. Louis, Missouri. The photograph's caption identifies some of the women's delegates from Kansas City (from left): "Miss Philippine Buntinx, an employee of the water department; Mrs. Mary Frick, fifteenth ward; Miss Virginia Dana, deputy county clerk, and Mrs. Betty Glenn, an attache of the prosecutor's office."
Image: Jackson County Historical Society
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