Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council

08/05/2026

The Michigan Women's Suffrage "office" in 1912, when a mail carrier brings (we hope) good news. Grand Rapids Historical Society

Michigan Women's Suffrage, 1912

Royal Photo Co. - 1912

Five women, identified as Mrs. Lois Jones, Mrs. Fred Rowe, Mrs. C.B. Hamilton, Mrs. W. F. Blake, and Mrs. Huntley Russell, work in the office for Women's Suffrage, and the postman at the left brings mail. Four of the women wear white blouses, and Mrs. Jones, wearing a dress, is seated in a swivel office chair, at the left and Mrs. Blake on the right both work at roll-top desks while Mrs. Hamilton in the center is seated at a desk with a large flat surface. A small table on the right holds a typewriter, to its left is a wall calendar with an illustration of a woman, and a portrait of an unidentified man hangs on the wall above the roll-top desk. A pennant with "Votes for Women" hangs from the light fixture, and another sign with the same message is in the windows. A pile of papers sits on the floor below the calendar.

07/16/2026

Happy Birthday to journalist, anti-lynching activist, suffragist, and one of the most fearless voices in American history, Ida B. Wells!

Born in 1862 in Holly Springs, Mississippi, Wells was born into slavery during the Civil War and was emancipated with her parents at its conclusion. She eventually found her way into journalism, writing under the name “Iola” for Memphis newspapers that earned her the nicknames “Princess of the Press” and “The Brilliant Iola.”

Her life’s work took shape in 1892, when her close friends Thomas Moss was lynched by a white businessmen who saw his grocery store as economic competition. Wells investigated, published her findings, and watched a white mob burn her newspaper office to the ground in response. She never stopped writing.

In the years that followed, she published landmark works like Southern Horrors and A Red Record, lectured across the country and overseas on the realities of lynching in America, and helped found the NAACP and National Association of Colored Women. A key figure of the women's suffrage movement, Wells participated in the 1913 Women’s Suffrage Procession, marching alongside white suffragists to integrate the demonstration.

“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” —Ida B. Wells

07/06/2026

Grateful to continue our tradition of marching in the July 4 Hollyhock Lane Parade, inspiring us to continue efforts to preserve and share women’s history and, in particular, suffrage history. Thank you to friends and family who participated 🇺🇸

07/03/2026

Join us in the Hollyhock Lane Parade tomorrow, kicking off at 8:30 a.m. Look for our group around 8 a.m. on the northeast corner of Calvin/Alexander in Ottawa Hills. Bring family and friends and accessorize with GGRWHC sashes, hats and flags! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

07/02/2026

We are closely monitoring Saturday’s forecast. The parade is currently scheduled to proceed at 8:30 a.m. as it has for many decades. If lightning is detected nearby, we may choose to delay, but we will not cancel this long-standing tradition. A final decision will be made by 7:30 a.m. Saturday and communicated to our volunteers, email list, and here on Facebook. Participant safety remains our top priority.

Because the parade is short and starts early in the morning, we will follow these directives:
• Rain only: Proceed.
• Thunderstorms possible: Proceed and monitor.
• Lightning within 10 miles: Short Delay and monitor.
• Lightning within 6 miles or severe warning: Longer Delay.

06/28/2026

This year, as America celebrates its 250th anniversary, the Hollyhock Lane Parade is honored to welcome historian and educator Eric Hemenway as our featured speaker.

His talk, "After 250: An Anishnaabe Look Back and to the Future," will explore what 250 years of America means from a Native perspective, the impacts on tribal communities, and the place of Indigenous peoples in America's future.

Eric is an Anishnaabe/Odawa historian, former archivist for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, and currently serves as Humanities Manager for the University of Michigan's School for Environment and Sustainability. Eric is also part of the America 250 Michigan Committee.

Join us for this special opportunity to reflect on our nation's past and consider the next chapter of the American story.

06/25/2026

Celebrate July 4th with us at the Hollyhock Lane Parade! We will gather at 8 a.m. on the northeast corner of Calvin and Alexander in Ottawa Hills. (GPS, 1335 Alexander.) Wear white and accessorize with our “Votes for Women” signs, pennants, hats and sashes.

06/23/2026

Join Eastown Community Association Thursday for a walking tour and learn about the sites and people who shaped the neighborhood. Tickets: https://www.eastown.org/

06/17/2026

We welcomed four new board members recently! (Clockwise from left) Lorena Aguayo-Márquez is the community impact manager at WGVU; Cate Reed has a diverse background in education, storytelling and public speaking; Steff Rosalez is the CEO at Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities; and Grace Ruiter is the senior manager of product marketing at Facing History & Ourselves. We look forward to serving and getting to know each of these people! 🎉

06/11/2026

How exciting! Please support this group if you can.

A new group of women has revived the historic Ladies’ Literary Club and is now looking to steward the club’s original space, a 19th-century building in downtown Grand Rapids.