The Millstone Times March 2020

Trailblazing Women: National To celebrate Women’s History Month in March,

The National Park Service preserves important cultural and historic sites across our nation. Many of these interesting places honor the contributions women made to the country and discuss the challenges they’ve faced on their march to equality. As an extension of Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Women’s Memo- rial is a statue of three uniformed women tending to a wounded soldier. The memorial was erected in 1993 to honor the contribution of women in the Vietnam War, many of whom were nurses. The names of eight women killed during the war are listed on the wall. The statue by Glenna Goodacre resides on the south side of the National Mall, which hosts over 24 million visitors each year. Harriet Tubman was perhaps the most famous American abolitionist, guiding nearly 70 slaves up the East Coast to freedom in the north through the Underground Railroad. One of two park locations dedicated to this amazing woman, Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Maryland is a tribute to her daring and important work to rescue enslaved African Americans. Eleanor Roosevelt was an active partner in President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s political career, a United States representative to the United Nations and a lifelong advocate for hu- man rights for all. Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site in New York is the only historic site dedicated to a first lady. It preserves Val-Kill, Eleanor’s retreat home and later a perma- nent residence, where visitors can learn about her public and private life. Mary McLeod Bethune was a renowned educator, organizer, national political leader, presi- dent of the National Association of Colored Women and founder of the National Council of Negro Women. Bethune’s house became the first headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women where Bethune and the council spearheaded strategies and developed pro- grams that would advance the interests of African American women and the black com- munity in D.C. Today, this location is preserved as the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site. Before Amelia Earhart took to the skies, she grounded herself in her family home in Atchi- son, Kansas. Called the Otis House, after her grandfather, Judge Alfred G. Otis, Amelia was born in the southwest bedroom and raised there until she was 12. Even though she lived in many different cities, Earhart considered Atchison her hometown. The Amelia Earhart Birthplace, which is on the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places, stands to be one of the few remaining tangible associations with this aviation legend. Beatrix Farrand was one of America’s most celebrated landscape architects, renowned for the private estate gardens she designed for East Coast society as well as her work as a land- scape consultant at some of the country’s most prestigious private universities and colleges. Farrand’s most notable work by far is her collaboration with John D. Rockefeller, Jr., beau- tifying and designing carriage roads in Maine’s Acadia National Park. Beatrix Farrand had an eye for creating awe-inspiring landscapes and a passion for incorporating native plants in all of her works. WhenWorldWar II began, millions of American men left their jobs and joined the military. The shrinking workforce and growing war industry led to more diverse hiring practices and huge social changes. Initially white women were recruited, followed by minority men, and finally minority women. Doing their jobs well and supporting the war effort, women earned a new respect and "cracked open" the door to equal rights. This would have a profound im- pact on the Women's Movement and change American culture forever. During World War

Photo by National Park Service Vietnam Women’s Memorial

Photo by Bill Urbin of the National Park Service Harriet Tubman National Historical Park

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site Photo by National Park Service

Photo by Bill Urbin of the National Park Service Mary McLeod Bethune Council House

66 The Millstone Times

March 2020