Challenging the Patriarchy: The Furies Collective in Capitol Hill
Description
Furies members in their office at 219 11th Street, SE, 1972. Photo copyright 2010 by JEB (Joan E. Biren).
As the headquarters of the short-lived, but consequential Furies Collective, a modest rowhouse on Capitol Hill played an important role in the articulation of lesbian feminist separatism, an influential school of thought that inspired a widespread women’s subculture that flourished in the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s and informed the later LGBTQ movement.
Come hear scholar and author Susan Ferentinos explain the national resonance of the site and learn more about recent efforts to designate the property an National Historic Landmark. Join DCPL at the Northeast Neighborhood Library in Capitol Hill at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, June 20th. This event will convene in Meeting Room 1. Specific event details (including transportation routes) will be emailed to registrants the day before the event.
Susan Ferentinos, PhD, is a public history researcher, writer, and consultant specializing in expanding the stories we tell about the past. Recent projects include an LGBTQ Historic Context Study for the state of Maryland and a Historic Resource Study entitled "Courage to Love: Gender and Sexuality in the Life of Eleanor Roosevelt" for the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. Dr. Ferentinos is the author of the book Interpreting LGBT History at Museums and Historic Sites, which won the National Council on Public History annual book award.
Kathryn G. Smith is a historian and historic preservation specialist with the National Park Service (NPS). Since 2014, she has managed the regional National Historic Landmarks (NHL) Program in the National Capital Region, working with historic property owners, local, state, and federal agencies to identify, designate, and protect nationally important sites. Prior to coming to the NPS, Smith worked as a historic preservation consultant and for several local planning departments. Smith has authored and edited dozens of NHL and National Register nominations and studies.
This event is hosted by the DC Preservation League. Email the Programs Manager, Shae Corey, with any questions (shae@dcpreservation.org).
Curious about the background image? It is a copy of "The Furies" newspaper Vol. 1 January 1972 (Image from Duke University Libraries online) Creative Commons — Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International — CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.