Eleanor Roosevelt Center Seeks Nominations for Bravery in Literature Award
Eleanor Roosevelt Center Seeks Nominations for Bravery in Literature Award
Plus, this week virtual programs at the National First Ladies Library & Museum feature an archival presentation and a lecture about Mary Todd Lincoln’s family.
The Eleanor Roosevelt Center is seeking nominations for the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Bravery in Literature.
During her life, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt fought passionately for literacy, the role of libraries in a democracy, and the universal right to intellectual freedom. As more books are being banned than at any other time in U.S. history, the Eleanor Roosevelt Center will honor authors with the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Bravery in Literature. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 30, 2024.
In February, the award was bestowed on six authors plus an honorary lifetime achievement award to author Judy Blume. However, this year, organizers are opening nominations to anyone who cares about the impact of book bans.
“Whether you're a student, a reader, or a concerned citizen, use the nomination form to suggest a living author whose book promotes human rights and has faced challenges or bans,” an announcement said.
Recipients will be honored at the Eleanor Roosevelt Banned Book Awards Ceremony in the Spring of 2025. To nominate someone, fill out this form.
Lafayette’s Bicentennial Celebration Tour – Next Stop: Tudor Place
The American Friends of Lafayette, in collaboration with Tudor Place and other historic sites nationwide, announce a bicentennial celebration of Lafayette’s tour tracing his footsteps as the “Guest of the Nation” in the exact order he traveled.
In 2024-2025, communities throughout the U.S. will commemorate the bicentennial of Marquis de Lafayette’s return to America. Between July 1824 and September 1825, “the Hero of Two Worlds” toured America, visiting all twenty-four states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 50 years after the American Revolution, Lafayette was received with parades, banquets and military salutes. In October 1824, he paid a visit to Martha and Thomas Peter at Tudor Place, a much-awaited reunion between Lafayette and Martha Peter, a granddaughter of Martha Washington.
Tudor Place will celebrate this bicentennial commemoration with a lineup of related events:
Watch the launch video produced by American Friends of Lafayette with Director James Lee, to bring awareness and excitement to this historic reliving.
Sept. 10: Tudor Place from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM. Remembering Lafayette in the Nation’s Capital. As part of the 2024 Landmark Lecture Series, Executive Director Mark Hudson will chronicle Lafayette’s national tour, with an emphasis upon his time in Washington and interactions with the grandchildren of Martha Washington. The program will explore why the tour captured the young nation’s imagination and why the memory of Lafayette continues to be celebrated two centuries later. Click for tickets
Oct. 15: Tudor Place at 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. The Night Lafayette Came to Tudor Place. Guests are invited to a celebratory evening in honor of one of Georgetown’s most historic events, which will include a performance by the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and a meet and greet with the guest of honor, Lafayette. View an installation of objects and ephemera around themes of Lafayette’s visit to Tudor Place in the historic house, followed by dinner and music on the South Lawn. Contact Tudor Place for tickets.
Oct. 15-Nov. 30: Tudor Place. Welcoming Lafayette. See rarely displayed collection objects and ephemera in the historic house around themes of memories and mementos of Lafayette’s visit to Tudor Place in 1824. Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET and Sunday Noon to 4 p.m. ET
Tudor Place preserves the stories of six generations of descendants of Martha Washington, and the enslaved and free people who lived and worked here for nearly two centuries. By examining their legacy, Tudor Place challenges itself and visitors to celebrate the triumphs and to confront the complexities of the past. Open Tuesday – Sunday for guided tours of the historic house and self-guided garden visits.
Calendar
Sept. 11, 2024
Talk With a Curator
The National First Ladies Library & Museum presents captivating stories behind America's First Ladies. Join Director of Collections and Research, Michelle Gullion, for a virtual program at 7 p.m. EDT on Sept. 11, 2024, as she unveils hidden treasures from archival storage each season, offering exclusive insights into preservation and conservation. These carefully preserved artifacts provide an intimate glimpse into the lives of extraordinary women who shaped history. Read more
Sept 13, 2024
Legacy Lecture: The Kentucky Todds in the Lincoln White House with Donna McCreary
The National First Ladies Library & Museum presents a virtual program with Donna McCreary, author of Mary Lincoln Demystified: Frequently Asked Questions about Abraham’s Wife and Lincoln’s Table: Victorian Recipes from Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois to the White House to learn more about Mary Lincoln’s complex identity. This discussion examines the many members of the Todd family who came to Washington looking for employment. Some were successful in their quest. Others were not. Their presence created havoc for the Lincoln family and gave the newspapers fodder for their gossip columns. Read more
Sept. 15, 2024
First Ladies Fine Dining: Contemporaries 20th Century
What do Lou Hoover, Eleanor Roosevelt and Bess Truman have in common? They represent nearly 25 years of consecutive administrations and being a part of one of the most unique sororities in the world…first ladies! Andrew Och, aka “First Ladies Man,” will present a lecture on the first ladies during a hands-on cooking course on Sept. 15, 2024, from 4 to 6 p.m. EDT at Cookology at Ballston Quarter in Arlington, Virginia. Learn and experience how these first ladies entertained and hosted dinners and events in the White House from 1929 to 1953. Some of the styles and even china patterns were the same or similar, while the meals served were quite different. Read more
Sept. 16, 2024
Cooking with the First Ladies with Sarah Morgan
The National First Ladies Library & Museum presents a virtual program featuring Sarah Morgan who transforms historical tales into delicious dishes that you can recreate at home in the Cooking with the First Ladies series. In this interactive program, participants not only learn about First Lady Sarah Polk’s historic life and her favorite recipes, but they'll also get exclusive recipe cards to whip up these historical delights in your own kitchen. Read more
Sept. 17, 2024
Heath Hardage Lee Book Interview with Rebecca Roberts
The Woman’s National Democratic Club will present a panel discussion with Heath Hardage Lee, author of The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: Washington’s Most Private First Lady. The book is the first commercial biography of Pat Nixon in almost 40 years. Lee will reveal her take on The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon in conversation with two other recent first lady biographers: Rebecca Roberts, author of Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson and Julia Sweig, author of Lady Bird Johnson Hiding in Plain Sight. Sweig will conduct a wide-ranging interview with Lee about her just published book. All three biographers will talk about first ladies, their image in the media, and how the role of FLOTUS remains as Pat Nixon said, “the hardest unpaid job in the world.”
The event includes remarks and a Q&A with the authors in person and via Zoom, and a book signing. The in-person event begins at 5:30 p.m. EDT with a cocktail reception. The program is from 6 to 7 p.m. followed by the book signing.
Admission for the event is $10 for the lecture or Zoom only, $20 members and $25 guests for in-person event that includes a cash bar.
For non-member event reservations: please email pfitzgerald@democraticwoman.org or telephone (202) 232-7363 Ext. 402 (voicemails will also be accepted).
Sept. 17, 2024
Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song
Tickets are available to the public for Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song. Tickets are $100 (excluding taxes and fees) — in honor of Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday — and are available at FoxTheatre.org/JimmyCarter100. Proceeds from the event to be held on Sept. 17, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. at Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, will support The Carter Center, continuing Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s work to promote peace and improve health around the world. Read more
Sept. 19, 2024
Third Thursdays Night Out Wine & Cheese with the First Ladies
The National First Ladies Library & Museum presents Third Thursday Night Out with the First Ladies on Sept. 19, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. EDT. Enjoy appetizers and drinks as First Ladies Abigail Fillmore, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Laura Bush are explored for what they all have in common—their teaching careers! Get an exclusive look into the newly opened exhibit, “Leaders in Literacy: First Ladies as Teachers, Educators, and Librarians.” This month, the educational efforts and artistic passions of over a dozen First Ladies will be explored. Read more
Sept. 23, 2024
‘Plainspoken’: A Community Screening and Discussion
Georgia Public Broadcasting will host a community screening of “Plainspoken,” a documentary film exploring the people of Plains, Georgia, an unassuming town that happens to be home to former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. The film encourages viewers to think about personal relationships with race as it plays out in everyday communities. Is different divided? Is separate really segregated? It's not black and white.
This community event gives an opportunity to get together, enjoy a meal, watch a film and have a moderated conversation about the film and what makes a community. Filmmaker Andrew Greer will join for a brief director discussion about his experience filming “Plainspoken.” Read more
Sept. 24, 2024
White House History Live: The People’s House
The White House Historical Association invites people to learn more about White House History right from your own home in its Facebook Live series, White House History Live, which delves into the stories that make up the history of the Executive Mansion.
On Sept. 23, 2024, the White House Historical Association will open The People's House: A White House Experience. This cutting-edge, immersive education experience tells the story of the Executive Mansion, its inhabitants and the people who have dedicated their careers to its functions. White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin and Acting Managing Director of The People’s House Luke Boorady will discuss the conceptualization and construction of the experience while highlighting five significant stories featured in the exhibits. Read more
Sept. 27, 2024
Be Bold Like Betty
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum invites people to join them in-person from 2 to 5 p.m. EDT on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in honoring former First Lady Betty Ford, breast cancer survivor and advocate for breast cancer awareness. When Mrs. Ford was diagnosed 50 years ago, she became a champion for the cause and had a tremendous impact on increasing screening rates across the nation.
Corewell Health, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, and Ford Presidential Foundation will host a free event featuring panels of physician specialists, breast cancer survivors and their family, tours of the Mobile Mammography bus, and access to the new showcase exhibit, "The Betty Blip: Betty Ford's Fight Against Breast Cancer." Read more
Submit calendar items, announcements and press releases to East Wing Magazine at jtaylor@eastwingmagazine.com.