Voices of Worcester Women

Worcester, Massachusetts is the home of the First National Woman's Rights Convention. Held in 1850 it was the first nationwide call to action and it was attended by men and women from throughout the country and from abroad who addressed the increasing demands for the rights of women in the areas of education, work, health, and politics. The Worcester Women's History Project was created to celebrate the 150th anniversary of this historic event and the Worcester Women's Oral History Project developed from a desire to continue to document the lives of today's women for tomorrow's historians.This book provides a glimpse into the lives of women who participated in the Oral History Project. Over 160 years after the First National Woman's Rights Convention it is intriguing to learn how far women have come and how many challenges they still face. The excerpts in Voices of Worcester Women are from the stories of women from diverse ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds and the women range in age from 18 to 103. Their stories are divided into themes based on the topics of primary concern at the 1850 Convention-education, work, health, and politics-as well as a chapter devoted to memories unique to living in Worcester.Although each woman's story is truly her own, readers will find much to appreciate in the sharing of their everyday lives, their goals and dreams, and their challenges and successes. Whether reading about the first female professor at a formerly all-male college, a great-grandmother, a cancer survivor, or a motorcycle-riding nun, these stories provide a snapshot of the lives of extraordinary, ordinary women.