In
Sisterhood: The Women's Movement in Pittsburgh
The Thomas Merton Center
Awarded $45,000 to Create Oral History of Women's Movement in
Pittsburgh
The Thomas Merton Center was awarded
$45,000 to produce In Sisterhood, an oral history project that
will highlight influential leaders in the women's movement in
the latter part of the 20th century. The project will record 20
oral histories on digital video, create a multimedia exhibit
that includes a portrait gallery of 20 notable Pittsburgh
activists, and produce two five-minute videos using interview
footage. A website that incorporates photographs, quotations,
and video clips from the oral histories will also be created.
The website will serve as both a fundraising tool and a
promotional vehicle for the project.
The goal of In Sisterhood is to determine
what inspired individuals to undertake groundbreaking work that
"changed the system" for women. They will explore, on an
individual level, the insights these women have about their
strategies and abilities to bring about changes in social
justice. The oral histories will also serve as a lasting tribute
to these honorable women allowing them to continue to inspire
civic action and foster regional pride among future generations.
At least two installations of the
multimedia exhibit will be mounted in 2008. The first exhibit
will be at the annual Governor's Conference on Women, which will
be held in Pittsburgh in October 2008 and is expected to draw as
many as 3,000 attendees from across the state, representing
diverse ages, classes, races and ethnic backgrounds. The second
exhibit will take place in Greensburg in November 2008.
Additional venues in Allegheny, Washington, Butler, and Beaver
counties are currently being sought for an extended exhibition
period for the project reaching into 2009, including a
month-long Pittsburgh exhibition targeted for Women's History
Month in March 2009.
Upon completion, the collection of oral
histories will be donated to the University of Pittsburgh
library system, making them accessible to scholars, teachers,
and all others interested in the women's movement in the
Pittsburgh region for years to come.
Organizational Background
In Sisterhood: The Women's Movement in
Pittsburgh is a project of the Thomas Merton Center (TMC), an
established nonprofit community organization that has been
educating, organizing and taking action to promote peace and
justice for 35 years. The TMC's credits include establishing the
Greater Pittsburgh Community Foodbank, founding the first local
chapter of Amnesty International, and providing fiscal
sponsorship for dozens of projects undertaken by groups in the
region including a documentary film project entitled, Enough IS
ENOUGH: The Death of Johnny Gamage, the Urban Arts Project, and
Code Pink (women for peace). The TMC's monthly newspaper, The
NewPeople, is an important resource for activists and the
organization's website provides an up-to-date action calendar of
events as well as a directory of local groups. The TMC has more
than 700 members and an annual budget of $192,000 (2006).
In Sisterhood will be managed by
Patricia Ulbrich, Ph.D., a progressive social scientist,
independent scholar, member of the University of Pittsburgh's
Social Movements Forum. For more than three decades, Dr.
Ulbrich's research has focused on women's studies and women's
issues, including how individuals' race, class and gender shape
their life chances, the history of the women's movement and its
impact as a catalyst for change. In addition to her broad
knowledge and skills, she also brings personal experience to the
project, having co-founded The Women and Girls Foundation of
Southwest Pennsylvania. In Sisterhood represents an opportunity
for Dr. Ulbrich, a TMC member, to continue to pursue her
interest in and commitment to celebrating women's
accomplishments and providing opportunities to empower women so
they can achieve their full potential.
For more information:
Contact: 412-621-3252 or
pmulbrich@yahoo.com.
