WomanTalk Live " 2010 Girl Gone Great Contest"
WomanTalk Live, a supporter of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center, is accepting submissions for the "2010 Girls Gone Great Scholarship Essay Competition" through December 31, 2009.
Female high school juniors and seniors from throughout Maryland are invited to submit an essay describing how they are making a difference in their community, why making a difference is important to them, and how their actions support their vision for the future.
The "2010 Girl Gone Great" will win a $1,000 scholarship donated by WCBM-AM, will be interviewed on WomanTalk Live, and have a write-up, photo and her winning essay in On Purpose Woman Magazine. For more information about the contest and to submit a "Girl Gone Great," click here.
Baltimore County Fire Department Honors First Female Firefighter
The Baltimore County Fire Department honored its first female firefighter, Division Chief Danelle England-Dansicker, by naming a room at Fire Department headquarters in Towson in her honor on December 16, 2009. She passed away in April 2009 at the age of 52. Read the press release about the honor.
About Fire Department Division Chief Danelle England-Dansicker:
Fire Department Division Chief Danelle England-Dansicker was the first female member of the career service (as well as a lifelong volunteer at Pikesville VFC) and the Department's highest-ranking female member.
She joined the career department in 1978. England-Dansicker was an apparatus driver, a cardiac rescue technician and a member of the high-rise evacuation aerial team, a precursor to today’s Advanced Tactical Rescue team. She moved up through the ranks and became the first female battalion chief in 1995 and the first female division chief in 2001. She retired in 2005, and died on April 21, 2009, at age 52 of complications from an autoimmune disease.
Baltimore County "Woman of the Year" and "Young Woman of the Year" Awards
The Baltimore County Commission for Women is accepting nominations for its annual "Woman of the Year" and "Young Woman of the Year" awards. The award honors female residents of Baltimore County who serve as role models for other women. Deadline for nominations is Friday, January 15, 2010. Visit the Baltimore County Commission for Women Website for a nomination form and more information.
Jean Cryor: 1938-2009
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center is sad to announce the passing of former Maryland State Delegate and Commissioner of the Montgomery County Planning Board, Jean Cryor. Jean was a wonderful public servant, as well as a Board Member of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center. She was also a commissioner on the Maryland Commission for Women.
Condolences can be sent to:
11700 Ambleside Drive
Potomac, MD 20854
MWHC Presentation
Linda Shevitz, Executive Board Member of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center, gave a presentation about the Center at a Delta Kappa Gamma meeting on Saturday, November 7, in Ashton, MD.
Shriver Report
The Center for American Progress (CAP) recently announced the release of "The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything," a study by CAP and Maria Shriver, the first lady of California and a former NBC News correspondent.
The Shriver Report is an in-depth study of the American worker, who today is just as likely to be a woman as a man---a definite change from the past.
The Report is the beginning of a national conversation about how America adapts to the way American families live and work today; how can government, business, media, and faith leaders modernize their institutions to catch up with the permanent new reality of American life?
For more information and to read the Shriver Report, click here.
Congratulations to Carol Greider for Winning the Nobel Prize
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center congratulates Carol Greider for winning the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine along with colleagues Elizabeth Blackburn and Jack Szostak. Greider is a molecular biologist at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
This year, a record of five women won Nobel Prizes. In the past, only 35 women have been awarded Nobel Prizes. Furthermore, Greider and Blackburn were the first women to simultaneously win the prize in medicine.
The three other 2009 female winners include Ada Yonath, who is sharing the Nobel Prize in chemistry; Herta Mueller, who won the prize in literature; and Elinor Ostrom, who is sharing the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Ostrom is the first woman to win the economics prize.
Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame
The Maryland Commission for Women and the Women Legislators of Maryland are seeking recommendations for outstanding Maryland women for induction into the 2010 Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame. The Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame was established in 1985 and honors Maryland women who have made unique and lasting contributions to the economic, political, cultural and social life of the state, and who provide role models for tomorrow’s female leaders. These women are honored in March during Women’s History Month. The Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame will be housed at the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center.
To receive an official nomination form or for more information, contact the Maryland Commission for Women at 410-767-3049 or mcw@dhr.state.md.us.
School Girls Unite
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center has been working with School Girls Unite and its visionary sponsor, Wendy Lesko, almost since its formation. The members of the initial group were Maryland middle school students. As they continued their education, they maintained their commitment to School Girls Unite - and to action for all girls. They have now come out with a marvelous handbook that is useful for girls throughout the world - and informative to those of us well past our girlhoods!
More than a dozen teenagers with School Girls Unite in the United States and students in Mali, West Africa, have authored "GIRLS GONE ACTIVIST! How to Change the World through Education." In poor countries, the majority of girls do not even finish elementary school and many become child brides. This action guide-written by youth for youth-describes how to become a global activist and why educating girls is crucial to building a smarter, healthier and more peaceful world. These inspiring stories and successful advocacy strategies, such as clever video petitions and street theater, will convince anyone age 12 and older to get active in solving this human rights catastrophe and achieving gender equality. Written in English and French with over 100 pictures, this 120-page paperback is available for $12, or can be downloaded, without charge, as an eBook on the School Girls Unite Website. For more information, call 1-800-KID-POWER or e-mail info@schoolgirlsunite.org.
“The Future of the World depends on an educated society---especially girls---because we know the crucial role of women in eradicating poverty.”
-Bintou Soumaoro, 19, President of Les Filles Unies pour L’Education Mali
“Educating girls will save the world by creating more scientists to solve global warming, lawyers to make the world fairer, and leaders to resolve conflicts without war.”
-Joanne Conelley, 17, Founding Member of School Girls Unite USA
Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet
The National Women’s History Project (NWHP) and the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center are honoring Maryland women who have taken the lead in the environmental or “green” movement throughout 2009. Click here for more information about Maryland women who are taking the lead to save our planet. Sign this Environment Pledge developed by the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center.
Pauline Menes Memorial Fund
The Maryland Women's Heritage Center is sad to announce the passing of former Maryland State Delegate, Pauline Menes. A pioneer in the role of women's politics, she served in the Maryland legislature for 40 years making her the longest continuously serving delegate in Maryland. She was also one of the 15 founding members of the Women Legislators of Maryland, the first state women's legislative caucus in the United States, and was inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame in 2008. Her daughters, Sandra, Robin, and Bambi, in conjunction with many of her colleagues in the legislature, have begun a fund in Pauline's name in order to develop a program in her name at the Maryland Women's Heritage Center. The Menes family is asking that donations in Pauline Menes' name be made to this fund. Donate online or mail check to:
The Pauline Menes Fund
Maryland Women's Heritage Center
P.O. Box 719
Brooklandville, MD 21022
Women’s Equality Day
Women's Equality Day is August 26. First instituted in 1971, Women's Equality Day commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which grants women the right to vote. It is also a day to celebrate women's continuing efforts toward full equality. For more information about Women’s Equality Day, visit the National Women’s History Project Website. Although women did not fully gain the right to vote until 1920, Margaret Brent of St. Mary's City, MD, was the first colonial woman to ask for the right to vote in 1648.
Title IX
June 23, 2009, marked the 37th anniversary of Title IX. This landmark legislation outlaws sex discrimination in schools and education programs receiving federal funds. For more information about Title IX, visit the National Women’s Law Center.
To commemorate the day, a White House Roundtable on Title IX was broadcast live with participation by national leaders from several areas, including education, sports, law, and science. Dominique Dawes Olympic champion and member of the Honorary Board of the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center, joined U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, White House Senior Advisor to President Obama Valerie Jarrett, and legendary tennis star Billie Jean King.
Click here to view the entire Title IX Roundtable video (one hour).
Click here to view an interview about Title IX with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.