AIR DATE MARCH 17, 2022

Title: National Women’s History Month

Celebrate prominent women in the history of central Florida.

Guests and Locations

Bethune-Cookman College, Associate Professor of History – Dr. Jeannette Ford

Florida Commission on the Status of Women, Chair – Karin Hoffman

Annie Russell Theatre, Marketing and Box Office Manager – Chelsea Hilend

Women’s Impact in the History of Central Florida

Women play a huge role in the history of our country. All across the nation, women have challenged ideas, sparked innovation, and left a lasting mark on the world we know today.

From legendary social rights activists to political chairholders, you will see a woman’s touch in unique places around Central Florida. So, I sat down with three incredible women to discuss it all: Dr. Jeannette Ford, Chelsea Hilend, and Karin Hoffman.

Learn about two key figures in Florida’s women’s history and how you can be inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame.

Mary McLeod

Mary McLeod Bethune was a lifelong social rights activist and founder of a private school in Daytona Beach, Florida. Today, it is known as Bethune Cookman University.

Her story is featured in the Oral History Collection at Bethune. Though the collection began 20 years ago, the process continues. The history of Mary McLeod is deep and rich, and some people are still around who knew and worked with her.

Jeannette reveals what their Oral History process has uncovered about Mary McLeod,

“Well, we found that she loved her family very dearly. She was a fantastic businesswoman, and she had a vision. In 1937, she and Eleanor Roosevelt worked together on a conference, part of the National Youth Administration. She was the director of Negro Affairs, Mary McLeod Bethune, and in that conference, it was virtually a blueprint for the Civil Rights Movement. So, I would say she was a brilliant woman and a visionary above all else, and she was also a person of great faith.”

Annie Russell

Annie Russell was a stage actress that performed in the late 1800s. She was born in England, and she was a sweetheart of the London stages and eventually the New York stages. Annie developed a successful career, as she was known for playing damsel in distress characters.

Due to growing frustration with her roles, Annie teamed up with Elizabeth Curtis Bok and decided to take over the theatre program at Rollins College.

“Annie Russell moved here to Winter Park and spent the last years of her life teaching, directing, and performing in this space. And now we’re about to go into our 90th anniversary season next year,” explains Chelsea.

Women’s Hall of Fame

The Florida Women’s Hall of Fame was established in 1982 to honor Florida’s extraordinary woman. This opportunity is available for any woman throughout the state of Florida. You can nominate any female you believe to be an amazing leader in your community.

The nominations can include someone who is alive today or who passed away years ago. The point is to honor these voices.

“Think of someone who has really led the charge in any industry, maybe even space technologies, maybe in legislative initiatives, maybe philanthropic efforts or even helping children in their community, leaders within their community, raising awareness for particular needs that have not been known before,” Karin explains.

The Electing Process

The nominations come into the committee, and 11 people who hear about this will then write letters of support. The Hall of Fame committee goes through all of the nominations each year and reads every biography story and letter of support.

That committee will then select the top 20 nominations for that year. That top 20 is then presented to the full commission, who then decides the top 10.

The top 10 then are presented to the seated governor of the State of Florida, and the governor selects three of those to be inducted into the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame.

Conclusion

Women play their part. No matter how big or small the impact may seem, it is still an impact. From activism to the theatre, these incredible individuals serve as inspiration for us all.

You can get involved in the Annie Russell theatre program or discover upcoming shows at Rollins.

You can watch “The Untold Story” on the life of Mary McLeod Bethune on YouTube.