Learning A Piece Of ‘her’ Story

by Kalen Churcher West Side Leader News Assistant
Wednesday, November 10, 1999     Page: 18

Learning a piece of ‘her’ story
   
By KALEN CHURCHER West Side Leader News Assistant
   
George Washington. Franklin Roosevelt. Abraham Lincoln. Pick up any history
book and there will be hundreds of pages devoted to the achievements of dozens
of great men. There might also be a few pages mentioning the accomplishments
of such great women as Florence Nightingale, Marie Curie and Harriet Tubman.
In order to increase their knowledge of women in history, students at the
United Hebrew Institute were treated to “They Made a Difference – Women in
History,” courtesy of the school’s Parent-Teacher Association, under the
direction of Fern Madwed and Justine Weiss, vice-presidents for programming.
According to officials from Mobile Ed Productions, presenters of the program,
“The teaching of history to our young people too frequently may slide into a
litany of the accomplishments of famous men, while omitting the equally
important work of the opposite sex.” Dressed as Clara Barton, the first
president of the American Red Cross, Kathleen Day conducted two programs for
the UHI students, each tailored to the average grade level. “The women we’re
going to speak of today,” began Day, “helped give us choices.” For 45
educational, yet entertaining, minutes, Day spoke of such historical greats as
Florence Nightingale, Anne Sullivan, Amelia Earhart and Harriet Tubman.
“Harriet Tubman,” she explained, “when she was six, was already scrubbing
floors.” At 12, she continued, her master hit her in the head with a lead
weight, causing her to have lifelong headaches and fainting spells. Her escape
along the Underground Railroad to Northern Freedom and numerous trips back
into the South allowed numerous slaves to flee to freedom. Unlike Harriet
Tubman, who achieved notoriety for being secretive, Florence Nightingale’s
passion for public change garnished her a well-deserved spot among history
most important people. “People went into Florence’s hospitals and actually
got well,” explained Day. When Nightingale first went to work in hospitals,
76 soldiers out of every 100 would die from infections caused by unsanitary
conditions. When she left, the number was reduced to two. Although her
presentation focused on the great women in history, Day concluded by focusing
on the important deeds of all great people. They are not great women because
they did great things. They’re great people who tried great things.