Women and Leadership Archives
Women's Legacy
The Women and Leadership Archives (WLA) collects, preserves, and makes available permanently valuable records of women and women's organizations, which document women's lives, roles, and contributions.
Our Stories
Join Our Team!
The WLA is now hiring for an Archives Associate! Follow the link for all the job details and how to apply.
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Chicago Women's History Conference Scholarship
The WLA is sponsoring two scholarships for Loyola students (one undergraduate and one graduate) to attend the Chicago Women's History Conference on March 22, 2025. Applications are now being accepted! Scholarships close March 10, 2025.
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EVENT April 3: Archives After Dark - Women in Art
Visit the WLA during our open house on April 3, 2025. Uncover the unknown and view rarely seen artwork of women, by women, from collections at the WLA.
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EVENT April 1: Polish Americans and the City of Chicago
Join us April 1, 2025, as we welcome Anna Sosnowska, PhD for a thought-provoking talk on the Polish-American experience in Chicago. While the city boasts a rich Polish heritage, Dr. Sosnowska explores why many Polish-American leaders feel disconnected from the city and its cultural legacy.
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EVENT April 15: Dr. Noliwe Rooks
Join us on April 15, 2025, for a talk by Dr. Noliwe Rooks: "I Leave You Hope, I Leave You Faith, I Leave You Love" - The Vision of Mary McLeod Bethune. During Bethune's life, she served as an advisor to four U.S. Presidents, founded a university and hospital, led civil-rights organizations, was the first Black person to head a federal agency and embraced commemoration, graphic novels, and archival collecting as a way to ensure that moments and figures from the past were available to inspire future generations of Black women, children and people.
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WLA Newsletter Signup
Join the Women and Leadership Archives e-mail list to receive our newsletter highlighting collections, projects, news, and events from the WLA.
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The WLA Remembers Joan Heath Fortner
Ms. Fortner passed away November 10, 2024. She was an alumna of Mundelein College (1954) and Loyola Chicago (1979) and worked as a designer in New York’s fashion industry. She was active in art organizations in the Chicago area and devoted her professional career to elementary education and the arts. Learn more about her collection at the WLA.
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