Chicago Women's History Center

10/12/2026

Honoring the Matriarchs of Chicago’s Urban Native History

Chicago is home to one of the largest and most vibrant urban Native communities in the country, representing over 150 tribal nations.

That strength was built and sustained by Indigenous women who stepped up during the 1950s Relocation era to build self-determined institutions: from Susan Kelly Power co-founding the nation’s oldest urban Indian center, to Faith Smith and Dr. Dorene Wiese establishing groundbreaking Native-led higher education.

As we honor this land—the ancestral territory of the Council of the Three Fires—we honor the women whose cultural stewardship and activism ensure Indigenous presence and sovereignty remain central to Chicago's history.

10/09/2026

Congrats to CWTA Co-Vice Chair Betty Magness on receiving the Ida B. Wells Activism Award! 🏆✨ Celebrate Betty with us on Oct 17 at the Chicago History Museum for CWHC's 55th Anniversary! 🙌

🎟️ https://www.chicagowomenshistory.org/store/p/55th-anniversary

10/08/2026

Important information for vote-by-mail voters 🚨
Mail postmark rules have changed. Ballots are now postmarked when processed, not when you drop them in the mailbox—this can cause 1–2 day delays.
If you’re returning your ballot close to Election Day:
• Request a manual postmark at the post office
• Use a secure drop box
• Deliver directly to your election office
Don’t risk a late postmark. Make sure your vote counts. 🗳️

10/08/2026

ELECTION PROTECTION 101 ❌👑

Join the No Kings coalition to learn how you can take action wherever you are to protect our elections this fall. We’ll cover how to get out the vote, the importance of voting early, poll watching, and more.

RSVP: nokings.org/trainings

10/06/2026

What would Ida B. Wells and Jane Addams do?
What better way to celebrate women than joining hands and hearts for justice?

Join our 55th Anniversary Brunch
on Oct. 27, 2026, 10:30am - 1:30pm
Chicago History Museum
Purchase your ticket here:
https://www.chicagowomenshistory.org/store/p/55th-anniversary

Afterwards, put your civic engagement hat on and march
to preserve democracy.
No Kings Nationwide Day of Action: Vote Early
kicks off at 3:30pm!

Let's March Together...
Meet us at Oz Park 3:30-5pm, after our 55th Anniversary brunch! Follow CWHC social channels for a future posts!

Voting early means your voice is locked in and safe, days before anyone else can decide what happens next, and it gives you room to fix anything that goes wrong, a signature mismatch, a missing form, waiting in a line that's too long, or not being able to make it if your shift runs late.

No matter what the laws look like where you live, early preparation is universal. Cast your ballot at an early voting site (where available), request and return an absentee ballot, double check your registration, or make it a whole day! However you do it, our goal is to make a clear voting plan, and vote early.

Make your plan at https://www.nokings.org/nkve-resources

10/06/2026

Born in 1917, Fannie Lou Hamer's grassroots efforts during the early 1960s laid the groundwork for the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The granddaughter of enslaved people, Hamer was the youngest of 20 children born into a sharecropping family.

In 1963, Hamer and several others were arrested and beaten in Winona, Mississippi, as they were returning from a voter’s workshop. Hamer went on to speak at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. Her passionate speech set in motion a series of events that led to the 1965 passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act. https://s.si.edu/4rNf0Tk

10/06/2026

Follow CWHC social channels for a future posts!

Voting early means your voice is locked in and safe, days before anyone else can decide what happens next, and it gives you room to fix anything that goes wrong, a signature mismatch, a missing form, waiting in a line that's too long, or not being able to make it if your shift runs late.

No matter what the laws look like where you live, early preparation is universal. Cast your ballot at an early voting site (where available), request and return an absentee ballot, double check your registration, or make it a whole day! However you do it, our goal is to make a clear voting plan, and vote early.

Make your plan at https://www.nokings.org/nkve-resources

10/05/2026

What would Ida B. Wells and Jane Addams do?
What better way to celebrate women than joining hands and hearts for justice?

Join our 55th Anniversary Brunch
on 10.17.26 10:30am - 1:30pm
Chicago History Museum
Purchase your ticket here:
www.chicagowomenshistory.org/store/p/55th-anniversary

Afterwards, put your civic engagement hat on and march
to preserve democracy.
No Kings Nationwide Day of Action: Vote Early!

Let's March Together...
Have brunch at the Chicago Historical Society then join one of the many protests planned for No Kings Day” after our 55th Anniversary brunch!

Follow CWHC social channels for a future posts!

Voting early means your voice is locked in and safe, days before anyone else can decide what happens next, and it gives you room to fix anything that goes wrong, a signature mismatch, a missing form, waiting in a line that's too long, or not being able to make it if your shift runs late.

No matter what the laws look like where you live, early preparation is universal. Cast your ballot at an early voting site (where available), request and return an absentee ballot, double check your registration, or make it a whole day! However you do it, our goal is to make a clear voting plan, and vote early.

Make your plan at https://www.nokings.org/nkve-resources