Mohr to celebrate 100th anniversary of 19th Amendment with series of events

By PETE FONTAINE

Johnston’s award-winning Marian J. Mohr Library is about to present what associate director/reference librarian Grayce J. Moorehead said “will be three exciting programs based upon women’s right to vote.”

The first event, Moorehead announced earlier this week, is centered on “Historical Roots of Voting Rights” and will be held next Wednesday, Oct. 16, from 6-8 p.m. at the library. It will focus on the history of the women’s suffrage movement and its relation to other social issues.

Moorehead noted that the three programs will all be centered around the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and has issued a invitation to learn the story of “History in a Word,” which will be presented by two college professors who are both volunteering to host these seminars.

Professor Beth Shinn, who lectures and teaches at Roger William University in Bristol and Rhode Island College, will present next Wednesday night’s program. According to Moorehead, she “will take us on an abbreviated journey with her ability to weave a story with words and power points.”

The second such program will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 21, at the library and is entitled “At the Crossroad: Suffrage in Rhode Island.” It will be hosted by Debra Mulligan, a professor at Roger Williams University.

“Professor Mulligan will shine some light on that part of our state history,” Moorehead noted. “She and Professor Shin have presented other programs here before and they’ve all been very interesting.”

Finally, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 6-8 p.m., the conclusion of the “History in a Word” series will come to real life as actress Deborah Goss portrays actress, abolitionist and singer Abby Hutchinson in “Sweet Freedom’s Songs.”

Moorehead, while offering a little insight about Hutchinson and the night’s program, related: “Abby Hutchinson was the little sister in a nest of brothers from Milford, New Hampshire, who became The Hutchinson Family Singers and who were the foremost perfomer/activists of the 1840s and ’50s.”

She added: “Come and enjoy the song and join in one some longtime favorites with this amazing re-enactor. It promises to be a wonderful evening of music and history.”

The Sweet Freedom’s Songs presentation is being sponsored by the Friends of Marian J. Mohr Memorial Library and is what president Helen Antonizio called “an example of American history coming to life.”

For information about any of the three free programs, call Moorehead at 231-4890, ext. 2213.