Helping women and girls achieve their potential for more than a century.
News & Announcements
Night of Terror Collaboration Among New Century Trust, Alice Paul Institute and Historical Society of Pennsylvania to Include Play About the U.S. Women's Suffrage Movement
How many people want to vote badly enough to be willing to be jailed, beaten and force fed to win the right to cast a ballot? It's been less than 100 years since 33 women did just that. Now, a new play brings their story to life.
Take What Is Yours by Erica Fae and Jill A. Samuels tells the story of
Alice Paul, Lucy Burns and other women suffragists who picketed the
White House, endured arrests, hunger strikes, and brutal beatings for
women's right to vote in the United States. The
play will be presented November 17 at 6 p.m. at the New Century Trust,
1307 Locust Street, Philadelphia, in collaboration with The Alice Paul Institute and Historical Society of Pennsylvania; commemorating
NCT ASKS, A CENTURY LATER: Will Your Vote Count?
ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTED VOMEN'S VOTING RIGHTS HOLDS VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE OCTOBER 1
Philadelphia, PA---If you haven’t registered to vote, the New Century Trust wants you to know, you’re running out of time. Pennsylvania residents must register before October 10 to vote in November.
On Saturday October 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the New Century Trust will hold a voter registration drive at 1307 Locust Street, Philadelphia. PA State Representative Babette Josephs, and staff from her Center City office, will be assisting NCT Board members in helping eligible people to register for the general election on November 8, 2011.
Offering a rare opportunity to see the inside of this recently restored Victorian building, a National Landmark in Women’s History, it will be open for free tours. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, among other activities, the building was the site of women’s suffrage meetings in the run-up to ratification of the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed women the right to vote.
“We want to link the past and the present,” said historian Cindy Little, Ph.D., an NCT Board member. “Voting rights are something many people take too much for granted. We want to remind people that less than a hundred years ago, women were chaining themselves to the gates of the White House and going on hunger strikes when they were jailed for their actions.”
Today, when apathy and disillusionment with government are running high, she said it is important for people to know just how much of a difference each vote can make. “In fact, after campaigns and fights over ratification in states across the country, the 19th Amendment was finally ratified because one man changed his vote from ‘No’ to ‘Yes,’ and earned himself a spot in history,” Little said.
That man was 24-year-old Harry Burn, a Tennessee legislator. On August 18, 1920, the battle over ratification came to Tennessee. Burn wore a red rose in his lapel, signifying opposition to the amendment; supporters wore yellow roses. At the last minute, Burn changed his mind, and voted in favor. His vote broke the tie, and on August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th and deciding state to ratify. Women voted in a Presidential election for the first time that November.
On June 8th, the New Century Trust held a luncheon to honor the work of the Women's Opportunities Resource Center (WORC), a non-profit focused on promoting economic self-sufficiency for women and their families. Click here to read more about WORC's efforts and the Willing Hands Award.
____________________________________________________________________New Century Trust Offers Unrestricted Grants, Announces New Rental Program
The New Century Trust will award unrestricted grants of $5,000 to $20,000, in fall 2011, to organizations which advance or contribute to women's economic sustainability and financial skills.
Founded in 1893 to support the social, industrial and educational cultivation and improvement of working girls and women; today, the New Century Trust continues its mission by making grants to non-profit organizations which serve women and girls. Letters of Intent for the fall cycle are due July 15, 2011.
The New Century Trust also celebrates and honors its unique history through preservation and interpretation of its landmark building and of its place in the women's movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The first two floors of its National Historic Landmark at 1307 Locust Street have recently been restored, preserving the building's 19th century beauty. This elegant facility located in the heart of Philadelphia is now available for tours, rentals, programs and collaborations. In keeping with its mission, the New Century Trust offers discounted rental rates to non-profit organizations that serve women and girls.
Tours and Programs
Tours of the building are available to interested groups and individuals. The New Century Trust also offers programs that illuminate women’s history, the history of the New Century Trust, and issues of concern to women today; it seeks to collaborate with other organizations that share the mission of serving women and girls.
Please contact the New Century Trust to learn more about grant applications, rentals, tours, programs or opportunities for collaboration.
phone: 215-735-7593
email: info@newcenturytrust.org
____________________________________________________________________
New Tour to Feature NCT’s “Progress for Women” Mural
The City of Philadelphia’s Mural Arts program is developing a new
acousti-guide tour called “The Mural Mile” which will include information
about the “Progress for Women” mural on the west wall of the New
Century Trust’s building at 1307 Locust Street, which is a National
Landmark in Women’s History on the National Register of Historic Places.
NCT Board Member Cynthia Little, Ph.D., was interviewed about the
mural, the NCT building and the organization’s role in women’s history
for the tour.
In other news, Ms. Little was one of five women honored by Pennsylvania
First Lady Judge Marjorie Rendell and the Pennsylvania Women’s
Commission in ceremonies marking Women’s History Month. Ms. Little was
recognized for her role as one of the founders of National Women’s
History Month.
Group tours of the New Century Trust historic landmark building are available by appointment; click here for details or email us for more information.