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Calendar View | List of Events
Event name

Women’s History Discussion Group

When

Thu 07 / 10 / 2025
4:30 PM to 5:30 PM

Limited capacity: Registration Closed

Price

FREE
Women’s History Discussion Group
4:30 pm on January 9, 2025  /  April 10, 2025 /  July 10, 2025 /  October 9, 2025
 

The July 10 discussion will be on Belle da Costa Greene

Greene was a librarian and bibliographer who undertook the organization and expansion of banker J.P. Morgan’s collections to create the Morgan Library.  From 1905 to 1908 she worked to organize Morgan’s collection. Trusting her ability and judgement, Morgan had her work as his agent and she frequently traveled to Europe, finding and procuring additions for his library. She would later go on to be the first director of the Morgan Library, a position she held until her retirement in 1948.

The primary reading for our discussion will be The Personal Librarian, a fictionalized account of Greene’s life by Marie Benedict. 

To supplement this, there are the following online resources, including an NPR interview with Benedict.

Online Sources

Belle Da Costa Greene: The Black Activist’s Daughter Who Reinvented Herself Across the Color Line. 

https://www.historynet.com/belle-da-costa-greene-passing-fancy/

The Story of J P Morgan’s Personal Librarian and Why She Chose to Pass as White (NPR Interview with Marie Benedict)

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2021/08/31/1031802246/the-story-of-j-p-morgans-personal-librarian-and-why-she-chose-to-pass-as-white

 

The Hidden Story of J. P. Morgan’s Librarian

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/12/23/belle-da-costa-greene-art-review-morgan-library

 
Women's history is marked by many notable events and trailblazers yet the contributions of women have traditionally been overlooked and underrepresented. We know that there are so many extraordinary women, from every era of history and every part of the world that deserve to be household names. Let's get to know some of these notable women!
This new group – Women’s History Discussion Group – will meet quarterly (every 3 months). Prior to each meeting time, participants will read a biography of a woman, famous or infamous. The group will then meet and discuss her life and how we feel history has treated her.  
The time span, geographic reach, and profession of the subject could be very wide: anything from antiquity to almost present day; from anywhere in the world; and from politicians, to artists, to writers, to dancers, and everything in between.