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Delaware to celebrate Women’s History Month with historical events

Charles MegginsonCulture, Headlines

0308WomensHealthResearch SC

The Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs will host two special events in March to commemorate the historical contributions of women in Delaware. 

The events come on the heels of a jam-packed lineup of events held in February to celebrate Black History Month. Two of those events have yet to be hosted.

All programs are free and open to the public. To learn more about the Women’s History Month events or reserve your spot, visit this link.

Each year National Women’s History Month employs a unifying theme and recognizes national honorees whose work and lives testify to that theme. 

For 2022, the theme is “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” a tribute to the “ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history,” the division said in a press release.

Women’s History Month and general history programs to be held throughout the month of March include:
  • Thursday, March 3, 2022 @ 4 p.m. — HMS DeBraak
      • Virtual program from the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ Zwaanendael Museum explores the history of the British warship DeBraak which sank off the coast of Lewes in May of 1798 only to be recovered by treasure hunters nearly 200 years later. Program streamed live via Zoom. Registration required. Call 302-645-1148 or send an email to this address.
  • Friday, March 11, 2022 @ 7:30 p.m. — Concert by Christine Havrilla
  • Thursday, March 17, 2022 @ 5 p.m. — The Different Lives of Delaware’s 18th Century Women
      • Virtual program in which lead interpreter Annie Fenimore of the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ John Dickinson Plantation discusses how wealth, race, class and circumstance determined 18th-century women’s lives in Delaware. Program streamed live via Zoom and on the Zwaanendael Museum’s Facebook page. Zoom registration is recommended. Call 302-645-1148 or send an email to this address
  • Monday, March 28, 2022 @ 12 p.m. — Well Seasoned Heirlooms
    • Virtual program in which historic site interpreter Kimberly Fritsch of the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ New Castle Court House Museum shines a spotlight on the culinary practices, recipes and personalized cookbooks of women throughout Delaware history as they speak to us through their food. Cookbooks became a way for women to pass along their legacy and convey a sense of what was important in their culture, daily lives and, even, weather occurrences and events of the time. Program streamed live via Zoom. Registration required. Call 302-323-4453 or send an email to this address.
Remaining Black History Month and general history programs for the month of February include:
  • Friday, Feb. 25, 2022 — Highlights of African American History in Delaware
      • Video in which historic site interpreter Joan Foster and lead interpreter Juliette Wurm of the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ New Castle Court House Museum bring to life information from the museum’s exhibit on African American history in Delaware. Video includes the stories of the Hawkins Family, the Colored Conventions, the Buttonwood and Booker T. Washington schools as well as Black Delaware luminaries. Video will be available on the museum’s Facebook page beginning on Feb. 25, 2022. 
  • Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022 @ 10 a.m. — Richard Bassett: A Quiet Patriot
      • Virtual lecture in which historic-site interpreter Tom Welch of the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ Old State House discusses the varied career of one of the Founding Fathers from Delaware, Richard Bassett, including the patriot’s contributions to the political and religious institutions in the First State. Program streamed live via Zoom and on the museum’s Facebook page. Zoom registration recommended. Call 302-744-5054 or send an email to this address.
  • Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022 @ 2 p.m. — Guided visitation of the African burial ground at the John Dickinson Plantation
    • Guided visitation leads participants to the African burial ground which is believed to be the final resting place for enslaved and free Black men, women and children who died on the plantation. Guests will engage with guides about the historical context and archaeological research of the site. Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. 2 p.m. Visitors should wear clothing that accounts for current weather conditions. Admission is free but reservations are required by calling 302-739-3277.

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