History Center partners with Women’s Press Club to host virtual program on Nellie Bly
-The virtual program is part of the museum’s “Women Forging the Way” initiative-
The Senator John Heinz History Center will celebrate the 130th Anniversary of the Women’s Press Club of Pittsburgh with a special virtual program, “Trailblazing Women in Journalism: The Legacy of Nellie Bly,” on Thursday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m.
Bly, raised in Apollo, Pa., wrote stories for the Pittsburgh Dispatch as a teenager and later rose to fame as a reporter for the New York World, where she went undercover as a patient at the Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum and pioneered a new era of investigative journalism.
The program will examine Bly’s legacy and also include a discussion about the impact of the Women’s Press Club of Pittsburgh with Dr. Candi Carter Olson, associate professor of media and society at Utah State University, who wrote her dissertation about the club while earning her Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh.
As part of the virtual program, the club will present an honorary membership to Bly, portrayed by actress Brittany Tague. A proclamation will be read, recognizing Feb. 4, 2021, as “Women’s Press Club of Pittsburgh Day” in Allegheny County.
The “Trailblazing Women in Journalism: The Legacy of Nellie Bly” program is part of the History Center’s Women Forging the Way initiative, which focuses on elevating women’s history and sharing stories of history-making women through public programs, exhibits, digital storytelling, and more.
The Women’s Press Club of Pittsburgh provides a source of fellowship, networking and education for women in the news media and their supporters through events and programs, including its annual Gertrude Gordon Memorial Fund scholarship contest. The club seeks to continue its 130-year tradition as a resource for professional development, an outlet for women in the field to share experiences, and a tribute to the past and present of Pittsburgh media. http://womenspressclub.weebly.com
The Senator John Heinz History Center , an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and the largest history museum in Pennsylvania, presents American history with a Western Pennsylvania connection. The History Center and Sports Museum are located at 1212 Smallman Street in the city’s Strip District. The History Center’s museum system includes the Sports Museum; the Fort Pitt Museum in historic Point State Park; and Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, a National Historic Landmark located in Avella, Pa. in Washington County. More information is available at www.heinzhistorycenter.org .
