MWHC’s board members, executive director and volunteers made these things happen this past year:

Added HERstory to history to tell OUR story
  • Produced free online and/or programs: Memories, Stories and Found Objects from the Woman’s Industrial Exchange; A Conversation with Shabnam Samuel, founder of The Panchgani Writer’s Retreat in India; Fascinating Women Buried in Baltimore’s Historic Cemeteries; Lucille Clifton Legacy and The Clifton House; Women Rising: Stories of Strength, Courage and Resistance; Women with Wings; Tea with Maryland Suffragists & Activists; Become a Citizen Researcher

  • Collaborated with community partners to produce other virtual events: SHE Matters: An Update on the ERA (and how you can help) with Maryland Equal Rights action Network; Porch Talks about Harford County Suffragists with Liriodendron Mansion, Bel Air; Empowering Our Freedoms, Protecting Us All: The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) & You with Maryland NOW; Evolution of Media in the Riot Grrrl Movement: Fanzines & Social Media Activism with Maryland Humanities
Researched and celebrated the history of Baltimore’s Woman’s Industrial Exchange (WIE)

  • With grant support from the Baltimore National Heritage Area, MWHC Board Secretary Dr. Amy Rosenkrans researched the history of this Baltimore landmark and assembled forgotten artifacts/documents found on the property

  • Outcomes of the project included virtual and onsite programs that featured history and artifacts found in the building as well as a new website that chronicles the project.

  • An important component of this project was the research and work of three Notre Dame College of Maryland’s Morrissy Honors Program interns

Continued our successful Women’s Artist Exhibition series
  • 2024 artists were: Nancy Rando Healing Expressions Photography; Ava Dennis (Acrylics); Annie Simcoe (FarmHERS,mixed media/fiber); Malynda  Madzel (Abstract Expressionism) and Sandy K. Cummings, (mixed media collages); Christina Delgado, Puerto Rican Culture in Baltimore and Through Her Lens: Kalin Thomas’ International Travel Photography

  • The women’s artist series continued to feature a diverse collection of artworks by women who hail from many Maryland communities. The exhibition is displayed in the street-facing window of the MWHC meeting venue on Charles Street. A free artist reception, open to the public, launches each exhibition
Maintained and developed community partnerships to better tell stories of Maryland’s women
  • Active partnerships include Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum, Charles Street Partnership, Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women

  • Joined with other women’s organizations to co-sign a letter to Maryland State Legislators that urged them to introduce and adopt a resolution in the 2024 General Assembly that clearly affirms the legislature’s view that the federal Equal Rights Amendment is valid and should finally be published as a part of the United States Constitution. The MWHC provided historical precedent to this letter by providing previously unknown information about a similar resolution in 1961.

  • Takes part each year in Baltimore Heritage’s Unconference and shared progress on the Woman’s Industrial Exchange project

  • Participated in National Marker Day in collaboration with the Pomeroy Foundation, which funded the 10 historical suffrage markers in Maryland. WHO provided the research and coordination for the installation of these markers. 
Updated and developed new digital ways to share women’s stories
  • Redesigned and updated our website with features that allow users to easily navigate and learn about women’s stories and MWHC events and news

  • Launched Maryland HERstory Minute, regular online short videos about women of interest

  • Launched a monthly e-newsletter, featuring women of the past and present

  • Hired a contractor to edit and archive old videos, many of which feature interviews with Maryland women of importance who are no longer living

  • Initiated a comprehensive history and accomplishments of the MWHC since its founding in 2010 for permanent archiving

Annie Simcoe’s quilted paper art was an ode to farmHERS in Mountain Maryland 

Annie Simcoe, was MWHC’s featured artist in June 2024. A Mountain Maryland artist and farmer, Annie celebrates farmHERS with one-of-a-kind paper art made from materials she grows or gathers. See how Annie draws inspiration from life in the Allegheny Mountains and uses these papers for “quilted collages,” which are layers of paper “drawn” on with needle and thread.

Honor Maryland’s valiant suffragists. Vote!

In photos: A look back from another year as Maryland’s only nonprofit dedicated to telling and preserving women’s stories

Please click on the gallery to enlarge photos and read captions.

Friends and supporters of artist Malynda Madzel (seated) surrounded her at the MWHC artist reception held at the beginning of Malynda’s MWHC artist exhibition in September 2024. They are (l to r) Dora Strope, Vicki Bowman, Cynthia Jones, Joyce Cifaldi, and Patricia Marshall. Each is holding a painting that she had previously purchased from Malynda.
Kate Stevenson dressed as Eleanor Roosevelt standing in front for he MWHC banner
Gov. Wes Moore, Danita Terry, Ida Jones and Lt. Gov Aruna Miller standing in front of the mirror in the foyer of the Gov's mansion. The circular staircase is reflected in the mirror.
Santora and Bailey, dressed in black slacks and colored blouses, in front of a display table for MWHC
Five MWHC board members sitting on the deck of the LB Skybar. The skyline of Baltimore is visible
Executive Director Diana M. Bailey, dressed in a red t-shirt, holding cleaning spray in front of a historical marker called "Votes for Women", attached to the exterior of MWHC's Downtown Baltimore event venue.
In April, MWHC board members came together at Baltimore's Clifton House to celebrate the memory of Lucille Clifton, an American poet, writer, and educator. Lucille was Poet Laureate of Maryland from 1979 to 1985. Her daughters are preserving her former home as a creative gathering space. Front: Diana M. Bailey, MWHC Executive Director. (l to r): MWHC board secretary Amy Rosenkrans, Alexia Clifton, Sidney Clifton, and MWHC board members Kate Stevenson, Kalin Thomas, Sally Grant, and Pamela Young.
A framed proclamation from Gov Wes Moore for Women's Equality Day 2024
Save the date for Nancy Rando's exhibit. There are six photos of flowers and a lighthouse on a postcard
Kalin Thomas stands outside of MWHC event venue. Her photographs are in the picture window.
MWHC Executive Director Diana M. Bailey (c) with long-time supporters Yvonne Bruno (l) and Karen Brewer
13 women standing with Kalin Thomas in front of the MWHC
This year, the MWHC established a Legacy Fund to support future sustainability. The Community Foundation of Howard County (CFHC) administers the fund. Pictured here on the day of the launch is Dan Flynn, CFHC Director of Development, Marketing, and Communication; Dee Athey, CFHC Grants and Community Engagement; Kathi Santora, MWHC Board President and Diana M. Bailey, MWHC Executive Director.
Seventeen women at a ribbon cutting with the Maryland Women's HHall of Fame in the background
A woman holding a framed photograph with MWHC meeting venue in background
MWHC Board members Judy Carbone and Kate Stevenson joined other Equal Rights Amendment supporters during an Annapolis rally that took place during the legislative session.
Flyer advertising Fascinating Women Buried in Baltimore's Cemeteries for Keswick March 2024
Board member Dr. Amy Rosenkrans (second from l) welcomed the support of student interns from Notre Dame of Maryland University’s Morrissy Honors program, Anna Choudhary and Eliza Davis (to her left) in researching the history of the Women's Industrial Exchange. They played a major role in research and website development. Brittany Powell (l) a former student of Dr. Rosenkrans, designed and produced the display of WIE artifacts contained in the WIE’s street-fronting window.
MWHC celebrated Black History Month with an evening of readings by Kim Singleton, a Prince George's County native, author, filmmaker, and poet. She is pictured here (center) with Abigail Giroux (Baltimore City Bryn Mawr student) and MWHC VP Programs Danita Terry. Giroux won the National History Day competition for her documentary film “Wade in the Water: How African Americans Got Back Into The Pool.”

Maryland HERstory Minute Goes Live in 2024:
See Billy Holiday by Kalin Thomas, MWHC VP of Social Media