Jill Biden Kicks Off Women’s History Month With ‘Women for Biden-Harris’ Event
Jill Biden Kicks Off Women’s History Month With ‘Women for Biden-Harris’ Event
First lady voices concerns about book bans, ‘gutted’ voting laws and ‘court decisions that strip away our most basic freedoms.’
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden kicked off Women’s History Month by announcing a new woman-backed campaign initiative in Georgia. On Friday, Biden emphasized her administration’s goals to protect women’s rights as November’s election draws closer.
More than 100 people gathered in Atlanta for the Women for Biden-Harris campaign launch. The audience, made up of mostly women, included county party chairs in Georgia, the Georgia Federation of Democratic Women, the Democratic Women Council and DNC members across the state.
Attendees heard from several speakers, including Biden herself. Many touched on their connections as a woman to their community and the importance of women voting in this upcoming presidential election.
“Women lead movements and we do so with such intentionality. Women get things done,” Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon, the founder of Village Market Georgia, says.
Women’s rights continue to be a key issue for voters this election season. Skye Jackson, a student at Spelman College and first-time voter this November, says her “fundamental freedoms, healthcare and democracy” are at stake in this election.
In her own speech, Biden continued that sentiment. She named her own concerns, including “book bans,” “gutted” voting laws and “court decisions that strip away our most basic freedoms.”
The first lady touched on some of the work by President Joe Biden and his administration to protect those freedoms. That included creating national law that restores reproductive rights including protecting in vitro fertilization (IVF) and access to contraceptives. He also worked to make childcare more accessible, and he appointed a woman to the Supreme Court, she mentioned.
In her speech, she highlighted her own relationship with the president, and said she knew accepting his marriage proposal would mean taking on his children as her own.
Jill Biden also mentioned her husband’s authoring of the Violence Against Women Act, saying she watched him write “reams on yellow legal paper by hand.”
The Women for Biden-Harris campaign was launched in Georgia, and Biden told the crowd that choice was “no accident.”
“Four years ago, Georgia, you put us in the White House,” she says, thanking the state for its contribution to the 2020 victory.
After the event, Biden made a brief stop at 3 Parks Wine in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood in Atlanta. The shop is female-owned and staff showed Biden around, mentioning it was named the Retailer of the Year by Wine Enthusiast magazine.
Biden’s stop in Atlanta was followed by political stops in Tucson, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday and in Waukesha, Wisconsin on Sunday.
Official 2024 White House Easter Eggs Now Available
Commemorative wooden eggs feature images of the White House and first pets.
The White House Historical Association’s Official White House Easter Eggs are now available ahead of this year’s White House Egg Roll which will take place April 1. Since 1981, the wooden Official White House Easter Eggs have been the official keepsake of the Egg Roll and offered for sale at the event, in the Association’s stores, and online at shop.whitehousehistory.org.
This year, the Official White House Easter Eggs are sold exclusively as a five-piece set. The Association is also offering a Commemorative Golden Easter Egg. The set includes five vibrantly painted wooden eggs. The orange, pink, green, and purple eggs feature a rabbit reading among Easter eggs. The backside of these eggs depicts the south side of the White House with Easter eggs and signatures of President Biden and Dr. Biden. The “Biden Blue” egg features dog Commander and cat Willow (the First Pets) enjoying their own favorite books. The backside depicts the south side of the White House with paw prints and the names of Willow and Commander.
The 2024 Commemorative Golden Easter Egg is an oversized wooden goose egg featuring a whimsical imprint of the White House South Portico with the Easter Bunny and Easter eggs on the South Lawn.
“The White House Easter Egg Roll has been an American tradition for more than 145 years,” said Stewart McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association in a press release. “Each year these wooden eggs become a part of that tradition and a piece of White House history.”
The Official White House Easter Eggs can be purchased online at shop.whitehousehistory.org and at these locations: The White House History Shop, 1610 H St NW, Washington, D.C. 20006, The White House Visitor Center, 1450 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20006, Mayflower Hotel Pop-Up Shop, 1127 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20036.
Calendar
March 4, 2024
TODAY: “The First Ladies” Podcast Drops
To celebrate the start of Women’s History Month, “The First Ladies” podcast launches on Monday, March 4. Hosted by Dr. Teri Finneman, “The First Ladies” podcast is a deep dive into the development of the first lady institution. In interviews with leading first ladies scholars and public history professionals, Finneman and her guests discuss the political, social, and cultural influence of first ladies throughout history, from Martha Washington to Dr. Jill Biden.
“The women who have performed the role of first lady made a significant impact on our nation’s history, but are too often overshadowed by the president when it comes to public education,” Finneman said. “This show is about giving these women the rightful recognition they deserve and discussing why studying first ladies matters.”
The podcast was inspired by the forthcoming book edited by Finneman and Dr. Lisa Burns of Quinnipiac, Cambridge Companion To U.S. First Ladies, which is set to release in 2025. This book examines first ladies by common themes of their significance as opposed to the traditional approach of examining them individually.
Podcast episodes and book chapters examine topics such as first ladies who served in wartime, first ladies and international diplomacy, and first ladies and women’s rights. The podcast’s inaugural episode features Finneman and Burns discussing why studying first ladies matters.
You can listen to the “The First Ladies” podcast on the Quinnipiac University Podcast Studio website, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
March 4, 2024
TONIGHT: Online and In-person: U.S. Archivist Moderates ‘Remember the First Ladies’ Discussion
In celebration of Women's History Month, join the Archivist of the United States Dr. Colleen Shogan, who will moderate a program featuring Diana Carlin, Anita McBride, and Nancy Kegan Smith, co-authors of a new book, Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America's History-Making Women. The program will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. EST. The book illustrates First Ladies’ unique position to influence American society, policy, diplomacy, and life in the White House and illuminates how many of them broke barriers to make a mark on our country and, at times, the world. A book signing will follow the program. Read more and view here
March 8, 2024
Virtual Legacy Lecture: A Remarkable Life: Lucretia Rudolph Garfield
The National First Ladies Library and Museum presents a virtual program about Lucretia Rudolph Garfield, who lived a remarkable life that took her from humble beginnings in northeast Ohio all the way to the White House as First Lady of the United States. This presentation will examine Mrs. Garfield’s life for its many joys as well as its many tragedies. Read more
March 12, 2024
Spring Garden Party Note Writing Day
Join Spring Garden Party co-chairs Mrs. Aimee Burck and Mrs. Zoe Persina for a Tudor Place tradition. Garden Party Committee members will have the opportunity to generate support and excitement for the event by writing personal notes to friends and family to go along with Garden Party invitations. Coffee and tea will be served. Read more
March 15, 2024
City Tavern Club Presents Author Night: Revolutionary First Ladies
Co-authors of the newly published Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women will speak about early first ladies as part of the City Tavern America 250 lecture series at 6:30 p.m. EST on Friday, March 15. Authors include Diana B. Carlin, Anita McBride, and Nancy Kegan Smith. Books will be available for onsite purchase with a book signing to follow. RSVP: bbello@citytavernclubdc.org.
March 15 and 16, 2024
First Ladies Trilogy
Three back-to-back first ladies (1945-63) appear in a two-night series of live performances at the Winona Arts Center, 228 East 5th Street Winona, Minnesota. Bess Truman, Friday, and Mamie Eisenhower and Jackie Kennedy, Saturday. Read more
March 18, 2024
A Conversation with White House Social Secretaries
The George W. Bush Presidential Center will present a panel of former White House Social Secretaries who will share insights and behind-the-scenes stories about entertaining at the White House. From State Dinners to picnics on the South Lawn, the experts will discuss the importance of the White House as a stage for hospitality and diplomacy.
Anita McBride, former Assistant to President Bush and Chief of Staff to Former First Lady Laura Bush, will moderate a conversation with Jeremy Bernard, former White House social secretary to President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama; Gahl Hodges Burt, former White House social secretary to President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan; and Amy Zantzinger, former White House social secretary to President Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush. Ticket information here
March 18, 2024
Virtual: Bringing Home the White House: The Hidden History of the Women who Shaped the Presidency in the 20th Century
The National Archives and Records Administration presents a discussion on "Bringing Home the White House: The Hidden History of the Women who Shaped the Presidency in the 20th Century," by Melissa Estes Blair. The event will take place online from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The book focuses on the period from 1932-1960, and much of the research was conducted at the Truman Library in 2018. Please email Azalea Michel-Whitley to RSVP and for more information at azalea.michelwhitley@nara.gov. You will receive a confirmation email with a link to the live conversation with the author. Read more
Through March 19, 2024
University of Chicago Obama Foundation Scholars
The application for the 2024-2025 University of Chicago Obama Foundation Scholars Program is open. Students in their final year of study in a Master’s program at one of three Schools at the University of Chicago: the Harris School of Public Policy; Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice; and Booth School of Business can participate in the Obama Foundation Scholars program at the University of Chicago. The application closes on March 19, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. CT. Read more
March 21, 2024
Virtual Young Learners Program: Meet Eleanor Roosevelt
The National Archives and Records Administration presents a virtual program from 11 a.m. to noon ET on March 21 about former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. She was a humanitarian, civil rights advocate, and the longest serving first lady of the United States. Eleanor Roosevelt also made history as a co-creator and delegate to the United Nations. Come learn about the work and influence of Eleanor Roosevelt and how she served as a role model for all Americans. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt is portrayed by Rene Goodwin of the American Historical Theatre. Read more and view here.
March 25, 2024
Virtual and in-person: The East Wing: Expanding First Ladies’ Impact from Jacqueline Kennedy to Jill Biden
Anita McBride, Director of the First Ladies Initiative at the American University School of Public Affairs and co-author of Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America's History-Making Women; Barbara Perry, professor and co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia's Miller Center and author of Jacqueline Kennedy: First Lady of the New Frontier; and Elizabeth Rees, doctoral candidate at Oxford University, discuss the evolution of the role of the first lady from the Kennedy administration through the present day. Read more
March 29, 2024
Ask an Archivist, Converse with a Curator
In recognition of Lou Henry Hoover's 150th Birthday, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum’s Registrar Sara Godin will share some of Lou's clothing and Girl Scout-related items to celebrate. Staff will be available from 11 a.m. to noon., and again from 2 to 3 p.m. CST. Registration is not required. Read more
March 30, 2024
Lou Henry Hoover: Pioneer. Humanitarian. Leader.
The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum will host a special presentation event from 2 to 5 p.m. CDT highlighting the extraordinary life of Lou Henry Hoover. Hear from various speakers who will discuss Lou's fashion as first lady of the United States, her leadership with the Girl Scouts, and her connection with Stanford University. This event is free with admission to the Museum. No registration is required, but all are welcome to RSVP on the Hoover Museum's Facebook page for a notification reminder. Read more
April 3, 2024
FLARE will Present ‘First Ladies Then and Now: Communicating Their Stories’
Registration is underway for the pre-conference program "First Ladies Then and Now: Communicating Their Stories" hosted by the First Ladies Association for Research and Education in conjunction with the Central States Communication Association. The event will be held in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 3.
The theme of the half-day program will feature FLARE members and representatives of the Ford Library and Museum and Foundation. FLARE members will participate in three panels that look at the past 40 years of first lady scholarship, pedagogical practices, and outreach activities with a look forward by immediate past president of FLARE Myra Gutin.
Register here.
Registration is available for the Pre-Conference FLARE program only. The fee is $25 for in-person or $5 for live streaming. FLARE Lifetime Members will receive a complimentary registration.
The CSCA Convention will be held at the Grand Amway Plaza in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Please follow this link for hotel accommodations.
Through April 21, 2024
Ancestral Spaces: People of African Descent at Tudor Place
Tudor Place will offer “Ancestral Spaces: People of African Descent” at Tudor Place. Curated in collaboration with descendants, this special installation and guided tour presents the multi-faceted individuals and families of African descent who lived and worked at Tudor Place. Explore the historic house through their lives, learn how they impacted the world around them and discover their enduring legacy. Read more
May 18, 2024
The First Lady’s Hidden Hand: Mamie Eisenhower’s Approach to 1950s Politics with Dr. Stefanie Basalik
Mamie Doud Eisenhower was First Lady from 1953-1961. Like many first ladies, Mamie Eisenhower took her job as the nation's hostess seriously. What sets her apart from other contemporary first ladies was her subtle use of political strategy as a way to support her husband. Join Dr. Basalik to learn about how Mamie's marriage, her relationship with her grandchildren, her interactions with staff, and her influence on consumerism demonstrated her knack for the same hidden-hand approach to governing as her husband, General Eisenhower. This program will begin at 9:00 a.m. ET in the Ford Room at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center in Gettysburg Pennsylvania. Read more
Submit calendar items, announcements and press releases to East Wing Magazine at jtaylor@eastwingmagazine.com.
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