Elgin: A Women’s City without many pictures opens March 3 at the Gail Borden Public Library main library.
Thank you to women journalists- Carol Marin, Brandis Friedman, Madhu Krishnamurthy, Julie Mann, Stacey Wescott and Amy Carr- for telling a small portion of your stories.
Honoring women from yesterday and today, this exhibit is based on a book written by E.C. “Mike” Alft, Elgin: A Women’s City. Alft was a teacher, former mayor and Elgin historian as well as an actual Illinois Library Luminary.In his 2008 book, he mentioned that many fascinating Elgin women were trailblazers who helped shape the city for future generations but were not recognized by historians and journalists of the time.
This exhibit puts fascinating women featured in the book in the spotlight. Some of these women include Emeline Church Borden. She was the wife of entrepreneur Gail Borden and she encouraged her husband to open the Elgin Milk Condensing Company in 1865. After Gail Borden’s death in 1874, Emeline’s two sons, and Gail Borden’s stepsons, donated a building for a public library with the stipulation that it always be called Gail Borden Public Library.
Twenty-one other local women of the past will be highlighted including Lisa Boehm who was the prima ballerina at the Deutsche Opernhaus in Berlin and the Stadt Theater in Berne. She staged “The Nutcracker” at the Hemmens, a community tradition for 33 years.
Adellia Green was active in the work of the Fremont Center and the NAACP and was a resident of the Settlement area. Her fried chicken business was heavily patronized by both blacks and whites. These three women and many more will be featured in the exhibit.
Because some of these women were not recognized for their accomplishments at the time, photos of several do not exist or cannot be found. The result is an exhibit bringing the stories of these women to you with silhouettes in the place of photos. It is a reminder that in the past, and perhaps continuing somewhat today, women’s accomplishments may not have been recognized as they should have been.
This concept of the lack of coverage of women in the past lends this exhibit to segue into the accomplished women journalists of the present. Please view this 2-minute sampling from the longer interviews. We thank these supremely talented women storytellers for sharing their views on being journalists and the coverage of women today. Thank you to journalism professionals - Carol Marin (former political editor of NBC 5 News, WTTW contributor), Brandis Friedman (WTTW co-anchor, host of Chicago Tonight Black voices), Madhu Krishnamurthy (Daily Herald Assistant City Editor and Diversity Editor), Julie Mann ( Kane County Public Information Officer and past WBBM Managing Editor), Stacey Wescott (Visual journalist Chicago Tribune) and Amy Carr (recent editor-in-chief Chicago magazine) - for telling a small portion of your stories. The text following the names above in the parentheses is very abbreviated. These journalists have accomplished so much more. Please see their fuller bios as well as their entire interviews with area high school students at gailborden.info/womenhistory. We also thank high school students Lilah, Braden, Salome and Samantha for their curiosity and enlightening questions.
In addition, the Library also will be offering these programs to honor inspiring women around the world -
From Surviving to Thriving: Key Learnings for Latinas and Women of Color to Lead From the Front
With Author Denise Padín Collazo
Thursday, March 3 at 6 p.m.
Hybrid - Main Library Meadows Community Rooms and Facebook Live: gbpl.info/FBLV
Join award-winning author, Harvard graduate and social justice leader Denise Padín Collazo to celebrate International Women’s Day. The first 20 persons to arrive will receive a copy of the book signed by the author on arrival. The program is also in Spanish.
Elgin Celebrates International Women’s Day
Sunday, March 6 at 1:30 p.m.
Main Library Meadows Community Rooms
Guest speakers and dramatic vignettes will highlight the accomplishments of women in Elgin and around the world. Speakers will include Laura Robertson, author of Forty Dollars and a Dream, Ramona "Monie" Burns, Social Activist/Tribal member of the Paiute Nation, LeJewel K. Crigler, Community Activist, Tina Viglucci, Gail Borden Library Hispanic Services Director, and
Jennifer Ford, League of Women Voters of the Elgin Area President.
We Are Eagles: Author talk with Anna Marie Kukec Tomczyk
Tuesday, March 8 at 7 p.m.
Main Library Meadows Community Rooms
Celebrate International Women’s Day with local journalist Anna Marie Kukec Tomczyk, author of We Are Eagles: Inspiring Stories of Immigrant Women Who Took Bold Steps in Life Through Literacy.
The Feminine Perspective in Poetry
Tuesday, March 22 at 7 p.m.
Virtual via Zoom
Listen to poems by famous and local women poets. Organized by Elgin Poet Laureate Gareth Mann Sitz on behalf of the Elgin Poet Laureate Project.
America’s First Ladies: The Best, the Worst and the Strangely Forgotten
Saturday, April 9 at 1 p.m.
Main Library Meadows Community Rooms
Explore which First Ladies have ranked highest and lowest (or in-between) by historians. Presented by Leslie Goddard, award-winning actress and scholar.
An Empowering Moment with Author & Coach Toria Renee
Thursday, April 14 at 7 p.m.
Main Library Elgin Room
Author and radio talk show personality Toria Renee will discuss her book Networkology: Women Building Wealth One Business at a Time. Autographed copies of the book will be available for purchase.
Register for any of these programs at gailborden.info/register. For more women’s history information, visit gailborden.info/womenhistory.
Resource - The UN -Women established by the United Nations General Assembly 2020 report of Visualizing the data: Women’s representation in society refers to the 2015 data. That data indicated that in the year 2000, 18% "of persons heard, read about or seen in the news are women." That increased to 24% in 2015. https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/multimedia/2020/2/infographic-visualizing-the-data-womens-representation