Equal Rights Amendment North Carolina Alliance

It's Time to Write Women Into the Constitution!

NC Equality Trailblazers

NC Equality Trailblazers

8 regions to explore around North Carolina:

Charlotte • Greensboro • Goldsboro • Northeast NC

Triangle • Western NC • Wilmington • Winston-Salem

Girl Scout Level Activities:

Daisies Complete at least 1 activity from each region (6 total), include at least 1 Discover, 1 Connect & 1 Take Action
Brownies Complete at least 1 activity from each region + 2 more (8 total), include at least 1 Discover, 1 Connect & 1 Take Action
Juniors Complete at least 1 from each region + 4 more (10 total), include at least 1 Discover, 1 Connect & 1 Take Action
Cadettes Complete at least 1 activity from each region + 6 more (12), include at least 1 Discover, 1 Connect & 1 Take Action
Seniors/ambassadors Complete at least 1 activity from each region + 8 more (16), include at least 1 Discover, 1 Connect & 1 Take Action

 

Charlotte

Elizabeth Hair – Charlotte, NC

Gladys Love Avery Tillett (Charlotte) https://finding-aids.lib.unc.edu/catalog/04385

Rosa Revels Winfree (Kannapolis) Lumbee (no historical marker or museum)

Greensboro

Gertrude Weil (2nd marker in Greensboro)

Woolworths counter museum in Greensboro

  • Discover – Visit the museum, learn about nonviolent student sit-ins
  • Connect – What would you protest and how would you make it effective?
  • Take Action – Invite your troop or friends to hold your own “sit-in” skit for your parents.

Dolly Madison (Greensboro)

  • Discover – research one fact about Dolly Madison
  • Connect – recreate the photo of the marker dedication.  The marker stands to the right of the entrance to the Guilford College Animal Hospital, 5505 W. Friendly Avenue, Greensboro, NC, 27410
  • Take Action – Host a Tea Party with your troop where you discuss something important to you that needs attention.

Charlotte Hawkins Brown (Gibsonville/Burlington/Elon) Museum

  • Discover – visit the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum and state historical site
  • Connect – play “school” with your troop or friends as if you were in a one-room schoolhouse like they used in 1901
  • Connect – In 1941 she published The Correct Thing To Do–To Say–To Wear, offering many of her educational ideas in print.  How are rules at your school similar or different?  The Correct Thing To Do, To Say, To Wear 2-21-25

Susie Marshall Sharp (Reidville- north of Greensboro) first woman Chief Justice of the NC Supreme Court

  • Discover – read about Susie Marshall Sharp  https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/susie-sharp-1907-1996/
  • Connect – make a poster collage of all of the female judges you can find
  • Take Action – hold a mock court with friends or family

Loretta Lynch former US Attorney General

  • Discover – learn about 2 cases that Loretta Lynch prosecuted
  • Connect – Learn about an important case that affects public schools for kids here in North Carolina at www.iamleandro.org
  • Take Action – write a “how to make bathrooms unisex” template for businesses

Goldsboro

Ruth Whitehead Whaley (Goldsboro) 1st black female lawyer in NC

  • Discover – find historical marker for Ruth Whitehead Whaley (on corner of Ash and Jones Streets, Goldsboro)
  • Connect – interview a female lawyer
  • Take action – research criteria to get into law school, number of law schools in NC, and how many female lawyers graduate each year, how many black female lawyers each year?  How many men graduate each year?  Do you think it is equal?

Gertrude Weil (Goldsboro- see also Greensboro) Suffragist

Ava Garner (Smithfield- halfway to Raleigh)

  • Discover- Visit the Ava Garner Museum at 325 E Market St, Goldsboro NC  27577
  • Connect- watch one of her films with an adult
  • Take Action- write an essay about how growing up in rural NC influenced Ava’s activism with civil rights

North East NC (Edenton, New Bern, Washington)

Dr. Susan Dimock (Washington, NC) 1st woman physician from NC Dimock, Susan | NCpedia

  • Discover – How did Susan overcome warriors to achieve her dream?
  • Connect – Have you ever had to overcome a barrier to achieve your dream(s)?
  • Take action – record a video about why you believe it is good that girls can become physicians/doctors now.

Penelope Barker (Edenton) 1stTea Party Rebellion https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/barker-penelope

  • Discover – visit the Penelope Barker Welcome Center at 505 S. Broad Street, Edenton
  • Connect – Have you ever felt that a rule was unfair?  What did you do about it?
  • Take action – re-enact the 1774 Edenton Tea Party Edenton tea party 1774 – Search with your friends or troop in a photo or video

Charlotte Rhone & her Sisters (New Bern) 1st black nurse, The living legacy of the ‘Rhone…

  • Discover- visit the Rhone Hotel (appeared in The Green Book) and/or the Issac Smith and Carrie Rhone Smith House at 607 Johnson Street, New Bern
  • Connect – Have you ever had to pivot and change your focus or course in order to succeed?  Do you think it is okay to change your direction or goal when you run into a barrier that you can’t figure out how to overcome?
  • Take Action – Discuss with your Troop and CoLeaders what steps your troop could use to complete a Take Action Project for a Journey you’ve been working on and what are some options to pivot if you’re running into challenges.  Can you keep moving forward while still meeting your original goal if you adjust?

Eva Clayton (Littleton, near Virginia state line)  Six Receive North Carolina Award, State’s Highest Honor | NC DNCR

Ella Baker (Littleton- lived there, no historical markers or museum) https://ellabakercenter.org/who-was-ella-baker/

  • Discover – learn about radical democracy and what that might have meant to Ella Baker.
  • Connect – learn about the NAACP and where the closest office of this organization is to your community
  • Take Action – recreate postage stamp drawing of Ella Baker and add your favorite Ella Baker Quote. 13 Inspiring Quotes by Ella Baker on Rights & Activism

Bev Perdue- (New Bern) https://ballotpedia.org/Beverly_Perdue;  Perdue, Beverly Eaves: First Woman Governor of North Carolina | NCpedia

  • Discover – What did Bev Perdue focus on making better while she was Governor?
  • Connect – Discuss with your troop or family your favorite ways to learn.  Are you an auditory learner, a kinetic learner or visual learner?  How does learning through technology fit in with these three types of learning styles?

Raleigh/Durham

Pauli Murray (Durham)

Human Computers (Raleigh) NASA mathematicians

  • Discover – take a rubbing of the historical marker for this group of women (by Natural History Museum in downtown Raleigh)
  • Connect – watch Hidden Figures with your family and/or troop.
  • Take Action – find out what STEM education support for girls you have in your school and community.  Do you know about the Girl Scouts Robotics Team through Girl Scouts North Carolina Coastal Pines?  What other sorts of STEM activities can you experience with Girl Scouting?

Beulah Louise Henry-(Raleigh) Inventor https://www.invent.org/inductees/beulah-louise-henry

Gertude Elion (Chapel Hill)– (lived there, no historical marker or museum. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gertrude-B-Elion

Anna Julia Cooper – Raleigh (no marker or museum) https://www.nps.gov/people/dr-anna-julia-cooper-1859-1964.htm

Barbara Bynum Henderson- (Chapel Hill) Henderson, Barbara Bynum | NCpedia

Western NC

Helen Morris Lewis- (Asheville/Hendersonville) (GS patch available)

Lillian Exum Clement (Asheville) 1st woman elected to NCGA, 1st woman to serve in     Southern legislature

Loula Roberts Platt (Asheville) 1st woman to run for NC Senate

  • Discover – read about women suffrage in North Carolina https://www.ncpedia.org/women-suffrage
  • Discover – Historically, what is the Equal Suffrage League of North Carolina? What right does the 19th Amendment give? Who was Loula Roberts Platt?
  • Connect – quiz 5 adults asking them when North Carolina ratified the 19th Amendment (1971, 51 years after it passed in Congress)
  • Take Action – write out the steps to register to vote along with criteria.  If 16 or older, may pre-register with your local League of Women Voters (LWVUS supports Youth Voting Rights Act | League of Women Voters)

Roberta Flack – (Black Mountain) (mural)

Nina Simone – (Tryon) Nina Simone | National Women’s History Museum

  • Discover – visit her statue at Nina Simone Plaza, Tryon, enjoy a packed lunch or beverage at the picnic tables/benches 54 N Trade St, Tryon, NC 28782
  • Connect – listen to her music.  To Love Somebody
  • Take Action- make a video of yourself singing or dancing to her music

Women’s History Trail – Franklin, Your journey to “Walking in Her Steps” begins at 592 East Main Street in Franklin, NC at the site of the Town of Franklin’s new “Women’s History Park”. The first five markers are located within the new park. There are a total of 20 locations along the Women’s History Trail.

  • Discover – Explore the interactive map online Women’s History Trail Interactive Map | Franklin, NC
  • Connect – “Walking in Her Steps” think of how you might feel to be one of these women?  If you were to create a trail of influential women in your town, who would be included?
  • Take Action – write what you think the title of the sculpture, “Sowing the Seeds of the Future” means

Gladys (Love) Avery Tillett- Morganton (see Charlotte or need 2nd activity)

Myrtle Driver Johnson – (Big Cove) –  Translator, Beloved Woman of the EBCI

  • Discover – watch First Language- Race to Save Cherokee documentary (available on Prime streaming or on YouTube First Language – The Race to Save Cherokee)
  • Connect – translate a sentence from English to Cherokee (ᎠᏇᏥ ᎠᎨᏳᏣ; ᎠᎴ ᏓᎨᎵᎭ ᎤᏣᏘ ᎢᏳᏓᎴᎩ ᎤᎾᏤᎵ ᎢᏳᎵᏍᏙᏗ ᎨᏒᎢ ᎣᎦᏤᎵ 美利坚合众Ꭲ) English to Cherokee Translation
  • Take Action – research Indian boarding schools and write an essay on how and why the use native language was discouraged by English instructors.

Wilmington

Althea Gibson (Wilmington female athlete),

  • Discover – watch Althea on PBS American Masters https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/masters/althea-gibson/.
  • Discover – explore Cape Fear Museum’s “Local [and Glocal] Sports Stars” section of the Cape Fear Stories exhibit to learn about how Althea Gibson broke the color barrier in tennis and see her tennis racquet and her ATA women’s singles trophy (1st Sunday of every month is free day for NHC residents; see admission rates here: capefearmuseum.com).
  • Connect – walk the Wilmington Walk of Fame (Cotton exchange) and find her star.
  • Take Action – play tennis at the Althea Gibson Tennis Complex at Empie Park.

Minnie Evans (sculpture garden at Airlie Gardens) 300 Airlie Rd, Wilmington, NC 28403-3706

  • Discover – see artist’s works at the Cameron Art Museum (connect with Georgia Mastronieni georgia@cameronartmuseum.org (910) 395-5999 to confirm works of art availability) & star on the Wilmington Walk of Fame at the Cotton Exchange.
  • Connect – plan a picnic at Airlie Garden (the first Sunday of each month is free with advanced reservation, bring ID- otherwise tickets are $3 for children 4-12).
  • Take Action – create art like Minnie Evans at Cape Fear Museum’s digital “Artist’s Station” interactive in the Cape Fear Stories exhibit (1st Sunday of every month is free day for NHC residents; see admission rates here: capefearmuseum.com).
  • Take Action – do your own art project using mediums like Minnie used.

Amy Morris Bradley Civil War Nurse, started 3 schools in Wilmington

  • Discover – Find Amy Bradley in the Cape Fear Museum exhibits and learn about the white and Black schools started in Wilmington after the American Civil War (1st Sunday of every month is free day for NHC residents; see admission rates here: capefearmuseum.com).
  • Discover- the 3 schools she started in Wilmington (Tileston School, 410 Ann St, & her gravestone (Oakdale). Who were her most famous students?
  • Discover- look deeper into parallel lives of Dorthea Dix, Clara Barton, and Amy Morris Bradley as Civil War nurses and how their faith as Unitarians impacted their work as nurses
  • Connect – interview a teacher or nurse

Caterina Jarboro– 1st internationally-acclaimed African American opera singer

  • Discover – Visit Thalian Hall where she performed & her star is located on the Wilmington Walk of Fame.  Also visit her the marker about her at the Cotton Exchange & marker at 214 Church Street, Wilmington.
  • Connect – listen to part of an opera like Verdi’s Aida Verdi: Aida – San Francisco Opera (starring Luciano Pavarotti).  How did it make you feel?
  • Connect – perform on stage at Cape Fear Museum’s Port City Play exhibit and look for Caterina Jarboro’s performance flyer posted high on the wall near the costume area (1st Sunday of every month is free day for NHC residents; see admission rates here: capefearmuseum.com).
  • Take Action – watch the YouTube discussion by her nephew on the Wilmington Coup d’etat and her life. Discuss what you learn with your troop or family or troop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1-SFjiu1Gc

Hannah Block

  • Discover – visit the Hannah Block USO Building at 2nd & Orange Streets, Wilmington.  What goes on there today?
  • Connect – talk to a WWII or Korean War veteran or a USO volunteer from Hannah Block’s era.  Find out why the USO was needed.
  • Connect – find Hannah Block’s picture and the life buoy she used as a local lifeguard in the “Leisure Time and Tourism” section of Cape Fear Stories exhibit (1st Sunday of every month is free day for NHC residents; see admission rates here: capefearmuseum.com).
  • Take Action – Attend 4th of July open house at the Hannah Block USO Building on 2nd & Orange Street, Wilmington any time between noon-4pm, 1940’s attire optional.

Winston-Salem

Maya Angelou (Wake) Health Equity (poetry activity),

  • Discover – visit Post Office (200 Town Run Lane, Winston Salem), read about how Congresswoman Alma Adams fought to get it named after Maya Angelou
  • Connect – write a poem
  • Connect – draw a picture of Maya Angelou’s stamp and mail it to yourself or a friend from her post office.

GFWC-NC The General Federation of Women’s Clubs historical marker (South Main and West Cemetery Streets, Winston-Salem) Who We Are – General Federation of Women’s Clubs

Anna Julia Cooper Center on Gender, Race, and Politics in the South- Wake Forest University Speakers Series — Anna Julia Cooper Anna Julia Cooper with Anika Prather | Black Intellectuals Series #5; C-SPAN Cities Tour – Raleigh: Anna Julia Cooper

  • Discover – review posts on their Facebook page
  • Connect – Who is your favorite teacher?
  • Take Action – if a Forsyth County resident, apply for the Freedom School summer program (applications open mid-March-April) for grades K-5
  • Take Action – See Anna Julia Cooper commemorative stamp, mail a letter or postcard with her picture at the Maya Angelou post office

Elizabeth Dole- (Salisbury) Elizabeth Dole | Biography, US Senator, Women’s Rights Advocate, & Facts | Britannica

  • Discover – read about Elizabeth Dole’s political achievements
  • Connect – talk to someone who was also a Republican and supported women’s liberation and the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970’s
  • Take Action – Research the Elizabeth Dole Foundation in Washington D.C. and make a poster overviewing the Hidden Heroes Campaign Hidden Heroes Campaign – The Elizabeth Dole Foundation