Jill Biden Celebrates Opening of New White House Educational Center
Jill Biden Celebrates Opening of New White House Educational Center
Plus, the first lady opens the South Lawn for the first Back-to-School Night at the White House.
The White House is a place accessible to the public, but not everyone has the opportunity to make the visit.
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden Saturday celebrated the opening of a new educational and interactive space called The People’s House: A White House Experience from the South Lawn of the White House designed to give visitors a close-up look at spaces usually unseen by the public in the White House.
“In the Red Room, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt held her own press conferences back when women were excluded from the President’s press briefings. Some guests at the White House have the chance to step inside these rooms—in fact, around 3,000 people come through these halls every day. But the reality is that many people never get that opportunity,” Dr. Biden said. “Even fewer get to walk through the Rose Garden and the Oval Office. And almost no one gets to go behind the scenes to hear from the Chief Floral Designer or glimpse the upper floor of the residence—until now.”
This first-of-its-kind, immersive center opens today and will tell the story of the Executive Mansion, its inhabitants, and the people who have dedicated their careers to its functions like never before, according to the White House Historical Association.
Situated on 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, less than a block away from the White House, the 33,000-square-foot, three-floor site features exhibits and galleries that bring the White House and its storied history to life. Visitors can interact with a large-scale White House model, a recreation of the Rose Garden, a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, recreation of White House moments, and more dimensional galleries combining immersive media and inventive scenic representations.
“Right across the street, people will be able to interact and experience how our government works,” said Biden, who has been personally involved in the project for the past two years. “That makes this space a powerful kind of classroom.”
Through the exhibits, visitors will meet people who have lived and worked in the White House across centuries—Cabinet secretaries, chefs, ushers and florists. Students can imagine themselves as public servants through interactive technology and teachers will have dedicated spaces to bring lesson plans to life, the first lady said.
“There’s nothing else like ‘The People's House: A White House Experience’ in Washington, D.C.,” said Stewart McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association in a news release. “It’s a transformational, technology-empowered experience that is deliberately designed to evolve alongside key moments within each presidency. Every day, we will embrace creative thinking on how we can transform the space and its galleries to meet the needs of multiple generations and make the experience of White House history accessible for all.”
The People’s House will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET starting Monday, September 23. To gain entry, the public should reserve passes in advance to ensure the entire party can be accommodated. Passes are available on thepeopleshouse.org. General admission is free, with a suggested donation to support the space’s mission-driven programs, exhibits, and educational outreach.
Jill Biden Hosts First Back-to-School Night at the White House
In her opening remarks at the White House’s first-ever Back-to-School Night hosted on the South Lawn, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden talked about the annual tradition and how different it was four years ago.
“The pandemic was still raging. And our schools were silent,” Biden, a life-long educator, said. “Teachers had to reach out to students through Zoom squares.”
It was also a time when bus drivers dropped off Wifi hot-spots to neighborhoods with no online connections while counselors took phone calls from parents, trying to juggle it all, in tears, she added.
The first lady, in her last back-to-school event as the Biden administration winds down, highlighted how President Joe Biden helped reopen schools safely, make historic investments in public schools, fixed student loan relief for public servants, and fought to make sure educators are paid better. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, federal investments have helped create more than 643,000 education jobs and average teacher pay is projected to have increased 9.5% through school year 2023-24, according to the White House.
“Since [President Biden] took office, 30 states and Washington, D.C., have increased teacher pay,” Dr. Biden said.
To mark the new school year, the White House extended invitations for the event to local public schools, YMCA, Council of Chief State School Officers and other education organizations. Additionally, 2024 State Teachers of Year attended from Washington, D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, Ohio, Michigan, Georgia, District of Columbia, New York, and Tennessee. Earlier this year, Dr. Biden hosted the first-ever State Dinner for Teachers of the Year.
Dr. Biden has championed universal pre-school, teacher recruitment and retention, opportunities for career-connected learning, and more affordable options for education after high school, including free community college.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona told educators at the event, “You are the ones who are going to tap a student on the shoulder, as only an educator can and say to them, ‘I see the amazing potential you have.’”
Each new school year brings possibilities, said the first lady, noting it wasn’t a school night and that the evening was for fun “on the best lawn in America.”
Calendar
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. View here
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
Sept. 30, 2024
Nominations sought for Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Bravery in Literature
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 honors authors with the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Bravery in Literature. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 30, 2024. To nominate someone, fill out this form.
Oct. 3, 2024
Gilded Age FREE Tours of the Historic Saxton-McKinley Home
On view one night only! On Oct. 3, 2024, from 4 to 7 p.m. EDT, the National First Ladies Library & Museum will be partnering with Massillon Museum, Ohio History Connection, the McKinley Museum, and the National First Ladies Library & Museum at the First Ladies National Historic Site to bring more than five authentic Ida McKinley gowns to the Saxton-McKinley House for a FREE special viewing. Read more
Oct. 11, 2024
Legacy Lecture: Eleanor Roosevelt: A Civil Rights Warrior at the Highlander School
VIRTUAL: For more than 20 years, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt strongly and publicly supported the Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tennessee, where civil rights activists such as Septima Clark, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks trained. On Oct. 11, 2024 from noon to 1 p.m., the National First Ladies Library & Museum presents Dr. Melody Lehn in a virtual program as she explores how Roosevelt's support drew both praise and censure, as the school's integrated activities imagined a nation where people of all races could gather together and collaboratively address regional problems. Read more
Oct. 15, 2024
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 fifty 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:
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.
Oct. 17, 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 Thursday, Oct. 17, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. EDT. Enjoy appetizers and drinks and explore what First Ladies Abigail Fillmore, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Laura Bush all have in common—their teaching careers! Read more
Oct. 20, 2024
Eleanor Roosevelt: The First Lady of Today's First Ladies
Learn about the remarkable life of Eleanor Roosevelt, who served as the “eyes and ears” for President Roosevelt. Eleanor was the first lady from 1933 until 1945. Through her travels throughout the country, as an early advocate for human rights, and her public engagement, she redefined the role of First Lady. This remarkable person even served as the United States Delegate to the United Nations.
Presented by Mark Mutter, who spent summer months working as a docent at Campobello Island, where the Roosevelts had their summer cottage. During his time there Mark did extensive research on Eleanor Roosevelt.
Mark has been historian and business administrator for Toms River Township, serves as the official Toms River historian, and is currently adjunct professor of law at Ocean County College.
These events take place at 26 Hadley Avenue in Toms River. The speaker series is free; but donations are appreciated. Reserve a seat early by sending your name, zip code, email address, telephone number, and the name and date of the program (October 20, 2024) to: oceancountyhistory.programs@gmail.com
Oct. 24, 2024
An Evening with Jenna Bush Hager: Speaking of Books Author Series with the Stark Library
The National First Ladies Library & Museum is partnering with the Stark Library to bring Jenna Bush Hager to Canton, Ohio, through the “Speaking of Books Author Series.” The event will be held in person at 6:30 p.m. ET at the Canton Palace Theater. Co-host of TODAY with Hoda and Jenna, literacy advocate, and author, Hager discusses her work and books including Everything Beautiful in Its Time which pays homage to her beloved grandparents. Hager is the daughter of former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush. Before the public event, there will be an exclusive, private VIP reception at the National First Ladies Library & Museum (VIP Reception is by invitation and sponsorship only; please contact Patty Dowd Schmitz at pdschmitz@firstladies.org for information).
Oct. 27, 2024
Celebrate Eleanor Roosevelt’s 140th Birthday
Tickets are available now for “Letters from Eleanor: A 140th Birthday Celebration of Eleanor Roosevelt,” which will take place from noon to 2 p.m. ET on Oct. 27 at The Henry A. Wallace Center at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York.
The event, presented by the Eleanor Roosevelt Center, will feature a sit-down lunch followed by a conversation among guest speakers William Harris,director of the FDR Library and Museum; Mary Jo Binker, associate editor, The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, The George Washington University; Ellie Lund Zartman, niece of Malvina “Tommy” Thompson and goddaughter of Eleanor Roosevelt; and Anna Eleanor Fierst, Eleanor Roosevelt Board Chair and great-granddaughter of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Attendees will have a unique opportunity to view original letters from Mrs. Roosevelt’s, including heartfelt correspondence with her children and grandchildren.
Tickets are $125 per person. Read more
Submit calendar items, announcements and press releases to East Wing Magazine at jtaylor@eastwingmagazine.com.