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HWS News

15 July 2024 HWS Community Members Featured in Women's Hall of Fame Exhibit By Colin Spencer '19

Oral histories on democracy and women’s role in democracy’s evolution on display. 

Listen to the recorded oral histories here. 

Current students, staff, alumni and Hobart and William Smith community members are featured in the National Women’s Hall of Fame’s “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” exhibit that began on Friday, July 12. 

The exhibit includes oral histories on the day-to-day making of democracy and the role women have played in the evolution of democracy. Among those featured are:

  • Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students Becca Barile, who speaks about existing and persisting as a form of activism;
  • Kathy Collins ’09 on her career as a social worker at Geneva High School;
  • Mary Herlihy Gearan talks significant, historical women in Geneva’s history;
  • President of the Geneva NAACP Lucile Mallard L.H.D. ’15 talks about the past and present of civil rights activism;
  • Maddi Meyer ’24 shares her experience participating in reproductive rights activism;  
  • Sophia Mughal ’25 reflects on her experience in student government; and
  • Anjalee Wanduragala ’25 discusses the power of protesting in Sri Lanka.

The orial histories were collected by Katherine Mahoney '24 as part of an internship with the Hall of Fame in the spring. 

HWS community members help setup the exhibit.

HWS community members gather for a photo in front of the exhibit.

The exhibit is part of the Smithsonian Institute’s “Museum on Main Street” traveling exhibition and the Museum Association of New York’s “A New Agora for New York: Museums as a Space for Democracy.”

A ribbon cutting ceremony and opening reception was held at the Hall of Fame on July 12. More information can be found here. “Voices and Votes” is on display at the Hall of Fame until Aug. 23. 

As part of the Hall of Fame’s “A New Agora for New York,” Greta Paasch '27 and Mia Tetrault '25 have created an exhibit titled “The Rollercoaster for Women’s Rights, Equality, and Freedom,” which explores the local and national history of women’s rights. 

Top: The National Women's Hall of Fame at the site of the former Seneca Knitting Mill in Seneca Falls, N.Y.