Dolores Huerta. Louise Raggio. Lisa Tatum. Sally Ride. These are just a few of the women whose achievements and accomplishments are featured in a new website by the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA). Made possible by generous funding through the Texas Bar Foundation, Iconic Women in Legal History uses videos and interviews with historians, scholars, family members, and in some cases, the women themselves, to introduce these remarkable women and highlight the contributions that they have made to the legal profession, to the struggle and fight for equality and civil rights, and to the history of our country.
Read moreA Brief Biography of Lillian D. Wald, Public Health Progressive (1867-1940)
Lillian Wald. , ca. 1920. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017647294/.
Continuing our recognition of Women’s History Month, today’s post features Lillian Wald (1867-1940), who worked during the American Progressive Era (1896-1916). Wald was a nurse and public health advocate, who also “lobbied for parks and playgrounds, worked to elect reform candidates, advocated for decent housing conditions, and supported the struggle for worker’s rights, women’s rights, and children’s rights.”
Read moreWomen’s History Month 2021: The Suffrage Centennial Celebration Continues
March is Women’s History Month, and the theme for 2021 is “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to be Silenced.” Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library has an on-demand CLE recording of its 19th Amendment Centennial Symposium from last August, entitled “Votes for Texas Women,” which is available here.
Read more19th Amendment Centennial and Women's History Month
Happy Women’s History Month! This year, the commemoration takes on added significance as we mark the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. To celebrate 100 years of votes for women, the Harris County Law Library will host events focused on women’s suffrage and women in law and government.
Votes for Texas Women, the exhibition: March 17 - April 3, 2020
“100 Years after the 19th Amendment: Their Legacy, and Our Future”
a traveling exhibit from the American Bar Association and Law Library of Congress
Visit the Harris County Law Library beginning March 17 to view the traveling exhibit from the American Bar Association and Law Library of Congress about the progress of suffrage in the last 100 years. The Law Library is the only institution in the Texas Gulf Coast Region slated to host the exhibit and we are proud to make it available to all through April 3, 2020.
The Law Library will also display an exhibit featuring artifacts from our archives, including an original 1920 printing of the 19th Amendment, to provide insight into the journey of women’s suffrage from the signs of suffragettes through the Texas and U.S. Constitutions and Supreme Courts.
Register to Vote!
All eligible exhibit goers will have a chance to register to vote at the end of the exhibit. As a voter registration agency under Chapter 20 of the Texas Election Code, the Law Library will offer voter registration cards and accept completed applications.
19th Amendment Centennial Symposium: April 2, 2020
Registration is now open for the Law Library’s 19th Amendment Centennial Symposium. Join us on the 103rd anniversary of the day Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to serve in the U.S House of Representatives, was sworn in at the Capitol as Mariann Sears, the first woman to serve as director of the Harris County Law Library, will welcome notable women from the legal community and government to discuss the importance of inclusion. The event is free and open to all, but registration is limited. Register today!
Women’s History Month Exhibit and Digital Exhibit: March 1-31, 2020
Throughout the month, visitors to the Law Library can view an exhibit commemorating the achievements of Camille Elizabeth Stanford Openshaw, the first woman to serve on the board of directors for the Harris County Law Library. Visit the digital exhibit to learn more about Ms. Openshaw.
National African American History Month: Justice Thurgood Marshall
National African American History Month traces its roots to efforts made by historian and founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, Dr. Carter G. Woodson. In 1926, Dr. Woodson instituted the first Negro History Week in February 1926, a week that coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. More than 50 years later, it was expanded to Black History Month or African American History Month.
In honor of National African American History Month, the Harris County Law Library created a digital exhibit celebrating the life and legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve on the country’s highest court. The exhibit highlights his career as a civil rights attorney, as Solicitor General, and as Supreme Court Justice. For those of you who are fortunate to visit our library, you can view an exhibit commemorating Justice Marshall’s extraordinary life in the Law Library lobby.
If you are interested in learning more about African American history and the notable life of Justice Thurgood Marshall, please see these digital resources:
United States Courts (“Justice Thurgood Marshall Profile – Brown v. Board of Education Reenactment”)
Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage
Constitution Daily (“Thurgood Marshall’s Unique Supreme Court Legacy”)
