History Sleuth: the importance of Uncovering Women’s Hidden Stories

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HISTORY SLEUTH: THE IMPORTANCE OF UNCOVERING WOMEN’S HIDDEN STORIES

by Kelly Hayes McAlonie, FAIA

Have you ever spent time looking at the statues, monuments, and other dedicated spaces that we place in our public realm? Have you ever noticed that these statues, monuments, or named areas are usually dedicated to men? You would be correct in assuming that most dedicated spaces in the public realm in the United States— and indeed the world—are devoted to men. At present, just 8 percent of our monuments in the United States honor women, and in my hometown of Buffalo, only two percent do so. Additionally, only two percent of our national parks (or 9 of 411) are dedicated to women and women’s stories. In our collective histories, this lack of acknowledgment of women’s roles and those of other underrepresented minority groups has been coined a hidden history.

According to historian Anne Lawrence the term ‘Hidden History’ is used when “the history of a neglected group begins to appear: it also has an explicit message that these groups have lacked a history because society has been unwilling to see them as a separate group with particular rights. Groups hidden from history are hidden because of prejudices against the group in the past, because of modern prejudices; and because of the absence of records.”[1]

It is incumbent on all of us to uncover our collective hidden histories to better understand the world in which we live, and the contexts from where we came. Our museums and libraries provide the forum to engage with our stories, research, and work. They are the vessels for the collections of our histories, including our “hidden histories.” And equally important, monuments provide validation of our histories in the public realm. Indeed, the people and events we choose to celebrate in public spaces reflect our values as a society. For centuries, the contributions of women had gone unacknowledged, resulting in very few monuments to women compared to those of men in our built environment. However, in the past twenty years, countries worldwide have been realizing the importance of memorializing the significant contributions made by women to their societies. The Boston Women’s Memorial, https://www.boston.gov/departments/ womens-advancement/boston-womens-memorial, dedicated in 2003, honors the contributions of three unique New Englanders; Abigail Adams, Lucy Stone, and Phillis Wheatley. The Famous Five, http://www.heroines.ca/celebrate/statuepersonscal.html, a monument dedicated to the women who advocated for women to be recognized as “persons” in 19281929 to the Supreme Court of Canada were honored in both Calgary and Ottawa. In 2005, the UK dedicated a memorial to the seven million women who bravely fought at the home front during World War II https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/ item/memorial/51288. And in 2020, the Monumental Women’s project unveiled their statue honoring women’s rights leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Sojourner Truth https://monumentalwomen.org. Encouraged by programs such as the Mellon Foundation Monuments Program https://mellon. org/initiatives/monuments/, communities are reevaluating the monuments in their public realm and seeking to honor the lives and contributions of women. The Trailblazing Women of Western New York Monument Project was initiated in 2016 by the Erie County Commission on the

Status of Women in conjunction with the University at Buffalo Gender Institute. The purpose of the project is to highlight and celebrate the significant contribution of women in the development of this region and the country. Three bronze monuments to significant Buffalo leaders will be placed on the Plaza of the Buffalo and Erie County Central Library: Louise Blanchard Bethune, FAIA, 1856-1913: the first professional woman architect in the United States, Louise Blanchard Bethune was a national leader in the architectural profession during the Gilded Age. A staunch advocate for equal pay for equal work, Bethune campaigned for co-education and state licensure for the architectural profession. She elevated the design of schools before standards were developed. She was the architect of the Hotel Lafayette, in Buffalo, NY, plus many of the first wave of schools in the Buffalo Public School system. Mary Burnett Talbert, 18661923: an internationally respected human and civil rights leader, Mary Burnett Talbert was a suffragist, preservationist, and educator. She was a charter member of the Buffalo Phyllis Wheatley Club and later was elected president of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. She served on the Board of Directors of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and headed its 1922 Anti-lynching campaign.

Geraldine “Gawo:sid-Tah” Green 1929-2009: a devote educator of her Haudenosaunee traditions, Sid-tah was one of the venerable fluent speakers of the Seneca language who shared her knowledge with throughout the region, nationally and internationally. She was a leader in the Newtown longhouse, serving as head women’s faith keeper for the animal clans. I have been invested in researching the lives of women architects since I was an architecture student when I noticed the lack of women architect’s work in our curriculum. After moving to Buffalo, I was gifted a cache of research on Louise Bethune, FAIA. Since receiving this research, I have passionately (some might say obsessively) continued this research to uncover materials previously overlooked or not considered to better understand a Louise’s hidden history within the architectural professional and the Western New York community. When children read stories about people who look like them achieve great things, they see new opportunities open to them. When people from marginalized communities see statues in the public realm honoring members of their community, they feel valued. The common phrase, “if you can see it, you can be it” is very true, and the women and men behind Trailblazing Women of Wester New York are working to illuminate the hidden histories in our corner of the world. l [1] Anne Lawrence, Women in England in 1500-1760: A Social History, St. Martin’s Press, 1994.

Listen to the EPARCHITALK

PODCAST, “HIDDEN HISTORIES OF FEMALE ARCHITECTS,”

a Conversation with: Kelly Hayes McAlonie, FAIA, Architect and Director of Campus Planning at the University at Buffalo, Lori Brown, FAIA, Professor and Director of Diversity, Equity + Inclusion, Syracuse University School of Architecture and Despina Stratigakos, Architectural Historian at the University at Buffalo and Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence released on March 22 here - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1494238/10334104.

The Director of Campus Planning at the University at Buffalo, Kelly has dedicated her career to educational architecture, advocating for the profession and making it accessible to the community. Kelly founded Architecture + Education, an AIA National-award winning program; serves on the Richardson Center Corporation Board of Directors and collaborated with Despina Stratigakos and Mattel, Inc. in 2011, to design and launch “Barbie I Can Be… Architect.” Kelly is collaborating with the Trailblazing Women of Western New York to create a landmark celebrating women leaders from the region, most notably, Louise Bethune. She is writing a biography of Louise Bethune, the first professional woman architect, and has spent the last fourteen years researching her life and career. “Louise Bethune: Every Woman Her Own Architect” is scheduled for a 2023 publication. For over 20 years, Kelly has been an active member and leader of the AIA. As President of AIA Buffalo/WNY in 2008 and AIA New York State in 2012, she led strategic efforts for both components with a focus on member value and community engagement. She founded and developed the AIANYS Excelsior Awards, a program that celebrates New York State public architecture projects and as a leader on the national AIA Strategic Council, worked to transform architectural education for future generations. Kelly is also the recipient of the James William Kideney Award, the highest award bestowed on a member, recognizing a lifetime of notable contributions by an architect to the profession, the professional society, and the community.