WWOHP Co-Chairs, Charlene L. Martin and Maureen Ryan Doyle, presented a workshop at the 2014 Mass History Conference at the College of the Holy Cross on June 2. Their presentation focused on the importance of recording, collecting, and sharing the personal and historical memories of women throughout Central Massachusetts.
During their presentation Martin and Doyle highlighted the important role of Worcester in the struggle for women’s rights. The first National Woman’s Rights Convention was held in the city in 1850, a fact that has been omitted from many history texts. They also discussed WWOHP’s ongoing work with area colleges
where tutorials are provided to educate students about the value and uses of oral history. They also emphasized the importance of student interviewers, and how those students have gained insight not only into the history of the Greater Worcester area, but also into the day-to-day successes and challenges of modern day Worcester women. While many of those undergraduates have become involved with WWOHP through history courses at the colleges and universities they attend, various other disciplines have partnered with WWOHP as well. These include Women’s Studies, Art, Urban Studies, Latino History, Deaf Studies, Foreign Languages, Philosophy, English, Geography, Gerontology, Psychology and Chemistry.
The tenth annual Mass History Conference was entitled, Never Done: Interpreting the History of Women at Work in Massachusetts. Harvard scholar Laurel Thatcher Ulrich gave the keynote address. The conference is regarded as an excellent skill-sharing opportunity for historians throughout Mass.
