As part of the 175th anniversary of the Women's Rights Convention, Professor of History and Political Science Lisa Cook will be participating in a panel discussion diving into the history of this important movement. The event will take place at the Museum of Worcester on Thursday, October 16, at 4:30 p.m.
When Cook was a student at Clark University in the mid-90s, she learned for the first time that Worcester held its own Women's Rights Convention in 1850. As she began discussing this with other people, she realized many others hadn't heard of the convention either.
With this new knowledge, Cook and several others banded together to create the Worcester Women's History Project (WWHP). The group orchestrated a celebration for the convention's 150th anniversary that took place in 2000.
"It was fast-paced and it was incredible," Cook said of the energy that brought WWHP together.
The anniversary celebration was a powerful way to bring attention to this bright spot in local history, which drew in such figures as Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass. The original convention was a significant event for advancing women's suffrage and rights to education and employment.
"It's important to know that so many of these old issues are still with us," said Cook, who teaches women's history and Worcester history courses at QCC.
This year's 175th anniversary celebration, which takes place on October 22 and 23, includes speeches, a play, a fashion show, music, and more.
The convention is sponsoring college students to attend the celebration events for free. If you know of a student who would like to attend, contact Lisa Cook at lcook@qcc.mass.edu.
For more information on the 175th Anniversary of the First National Women's Rights Convention go to mechanicshall.org/event/nwrc175.