In addition to hosting the annual Mary Louise Smith Chair in Woman and Politics on Feb. 10, the Catt Center is co-sponsoring two events this spring with the Center for Cyclone Civics as part of the America at 250 celebration. Both events are free and open to the public.
On March 3, Catt Center director Karen M. Kedrowski will present “Women in the American Founding,” at 6 p.m. in the Room 2630 of the Memorial Union.
Kedrowski’s presentation will tell the stories of some of the women – including Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Phillis Wheatley, and Mary Wollstonecraft – who played crucial roles in the politics, economics, and culture during the founding of the country, as well as provided direct support for the war effort during the American Revolution.
“There were hundreds of women who supported the American Revolution. I look forward to recounting their contributions,” Kedrowski said.
In addition to the Center for Cyclone Civics and the Catt Center, the lecture is co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science, Department of History, and Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government).
On March 4, journalist and author Elaine Weiss will present “Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools That Built the Civil Rights Movement” at 6 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.
Weiss is the author of three critically-acclaimed books of narrative history – “Fruits of Victory: The Woman’s Land Army in the Great War” (2008), “The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote” (2019), and her newest book, “Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools That Built the Civil Rights Movement” (2025).
“Spell Freedom” tells the story of how four activists and their allies worked together to create “citizenship schools” across the Jim Crow South that helped African American adults pass the literacy exams required to register to vote and also provided training in grassroots activism.
Weiss previously visited campus in 2020 as the 32nd recipient of the Mary Louise Smith Chair in Women and Politics.
In addition to the Center for Cyclone Civics and the Catt Center, the lecture is co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science, Department of History, School of Education, and Committee on Lectures.