Chicago Women's History Center

08/29/2026

08/29/2026

Unpacking history, one document at a time. 🗃️✨

​A huge thank you to Jen Dentel and Erin Bell at Ge**er Hart Library and Archives for hosting the Chicago Women’s History Center board members for an insightful tour, and to their wonderful volunteer Sharon for her dedication to archiving items from the William B. Kelley collection.

​Preserving intersectional history takes dedicated hands and passionate community members—from sorting through vintage trunks packed with movement records to cataloging pop culture gems, historic buttons, and foundational feminist and q***r literature.

​We are so grateful for the warm hospitality and for the incredible work being done to ensure our shared stories are protected for generations to come! 🏳️‍🌈📚

Their 45th Anniversary Ge**er/Hart Sapphire Gayla is Sept 24th.

​ **erHart

08/27/2026

Happy 85th Birthday Hedy!!

🌟 Celebrating a Fierce Chicago Feminist: Hedy Maxine Ratner

Meet Hedy Maxine Ratner—a trailblazer who transformed the landscape for women entrepreneurs and an unapologetic advocate for social justice.

Her Roots & Early Activism
🌟A Foundation of Justice: Born in Chicago in 1941 to Jewish immigrants who fled pogroms, Hedy learned the values of independence and diversity early on while working in her father’s South Side grocery store.
🌟A Champion for Equality: Hedy’s activist spirit drove her to the frontlines of the civil rights and anti-war movements in the 1960s.
🌟Fighting for Women: She relentlessly championed the Equal Rights Amendment, advocated for reproductive rights with the Women's Issues Network, and helped establish a groundbreaking women's health agenda for the City of Chicago alongside Sister Sheila Lyne.

Economic Empowerment & The WBDC
🌟Building the WBDC: Recognizing that true independence requires economic power, Hedy co-founded the Women's Business Development Center (WBDC) in the 1980s with Carol Dougal.
🌟Breaking Barriers: She fought fiercely to ensure women could secure bank loans and government contracts, ultimately helping establish the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) for national certification.
🌟A National Voice: Her economic advocacy earned her an appointment as Assistant Commissioner of Education under the Carter administration and a seat on the National Women's Business Council under President Clinton.

Her Legacy
When asked during her 2026 oral history interview how she wants to be remembered, Hedy didn't hesitate: "As an outrageous, gutsy, courageous, funny, fabulous, independent, fierce feminist."

Follow CWHC social channels for a future post announcing Hedy's Oral History publication.

08/26/2026

Today marks Women's Equality Day — the anniversary of the 19th Amendment's certification in 1920, guaranteeing women the right to vote.

At the Chicago Women's History Center, we're honoring ten women — spanning nearly two centuries — whose courage and persistence shaped that fight and the decades of equality work that followed it, right here in Chicago:

⭐ Myra Bradwell (b. 1831) — first woman admitted to the Illinois bar
⭐ Fannie Barrier Williams (b. 1855) — civil rights activist, co-founder of the National Association of Colored Women
⭐ Jane Addams (b. 1860) — Nobel Peace Prize laureate, founder of Hull House
⭐ Catharine Waugh McCulloch (b. 1862) — Illinois suffragist, first woman Justice of the Peace in the U.S.
⭐ Ida B. Wells (b. 1862) — investigative journalist, anti-lynching crusader, co-founder of the NAACP
⭐ Agnes Nestor (b. 1880) — glove workers' union leader and labor rights advocate
⭐ Bessie Abramowitz Hillman (b. 1889) — labor organizer, co-founder of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America
⭐ Pearl M. Hart (b. 1890) — pioneering Chicago defense attorney, advocate for women & LGBTQ defendants
⭐ Heather Booth (b. 1945) — civil rights & political organizer, founder of the Midwest Academy
⭐ Carol Moseley Braun (b. 1947) — first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate

Equality wasn't won once — it's been built generation by generation, by women who refused to wait their turn. Who inspires you? Tell us in the comments. 👇

08/21/2026

Tomorrow! Our friends at the Lombard Historical Society are hosting a special screening this Saturday, August 22nd, our own Chicago Women's History Center Board Director and filmmaker Rana Segal.

Rana will present "On the Wings of Change: A Chicago Suffrage Mural," a 56-minute documentary spotlighting the ten Chicago suffragists depicted in the mural at Harrison and Wabash. The film traces their fight for the vote — the work, the setbacks, the sheer persistence — from 1869 through the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920.

📅 Saturday, August 22, 2026
🕐 1:00 – 2:30 PM

📍 23 W. Maple Street, in the Carriage House (Lombard, IL)

Space is limited, so be sure to register!
Link in comments.

Join the Lombard Historical Society for an afternoon of film, history, and conversation about the women who helped change Chicago!

08/19/2026

We're looking for donations to silent auction at our 55th anniversary this October! If you have any gift certificates, concert tickets, luxury items, or anything else worth $100 or more that you're willing to donate, please let us know by emailing [email protected] with a description or photo of your item by October 3rd, 2026.

08/13/2026

Join us tomorrow, August 14, 5 to 9 p.m. for the Fine Arts Building’s Second Fridays, a monthly event when the center and studios in the Fine Arts Building are open to the public! Visit us in Suite 403 and participate in a Chicago women’s history scavenger hunt, grab a free poster and enjoy some refreshments. We hope to see you there!

08/13/2026

Witness history in the making! Women’s Pro Baseball League's first season opens this weekend, with all four inaugural teams taking the field. The Los Angeles Queens face the New York Heights Saturday, followed by the San Francisco Firebells against the Boston Hunters on Sunday. While Chicago isn’t in the Women’s Pro Baseball League yet, we can’t help but hope our city joins this historic league in the future. To get the ball rolling, here are some ideas about the iconic Chicago women we could name our team after.