“While the YWCA has history of doing this work, recognizing women, this is different. These are transformational figures who we’re honoring,” said Wendy Waters-Connell, CEO and executive director of the YWCA Hamilton. “That is why there’s only 10 of them.”
From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 8, the free HERstory & HERitage International Community Festival at Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill will celebrate the contributions of women and the multicultural fabric that binds the community, said Waters-Connell.
Samantha Klefeker, YWCA Hamilton Chief Development Officer, said free transportation will be available to and from the Riverview and North End neighborhoods in Hamilton, as well as in the Middletown and Fairfield area. Route details will be posted on the YWCA’s website and Facebook page.
The 10 women include: Eva Lande, Ann Antenen, Nellie Craig Walker, Virginia Ritan, Shakila Ahmad, Jackie Phillips Carter, Kathy Klink, Katherine Rumph-Cole, Kelli Kurtz, and Dr. Julia Goodman, the first female physician in Hamilton, and the founder of the YWCA Hamilton in 1900.
- Of the honorees, Lande, Antenen and Klink are former Hamilton Citizen of the Year honorees for their collective decades of involvement in the community. Additionally, Antenen was named a YWCA Woman of the Year in 2001, and Lande (1987), Rumph-Cole (1990), Ritan (1993) and Kurtz (2011) were previously recognized as YWCA Women of Outstanding Achievement.
- Walker, a school teacher and business owner, in 1905 was the first African-American student to graduate at Miami University in Oxford;
- Shakila Ahmad is the former chair of the Islamic Educational Council and a founding member of the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council;
- Phillips Carter is the Middletown Health Commissioner and a Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities board member;
- Rumph-Cole was the first African-American council member in Hamilton, serving 12 years, and after moving to New Miami, she was elected mayor of the village in 2003;
- Kurtz, among other accomplishments, is the founder of Grace Changes Things, a comprehensive resource and educational tool for families of transgender and non-binary youth; and
- Ritan had led the former Middfest International, a cultural celebration in Middletown, for years.
Four of the honorees will be honored posthumously: Goodman died 1902, Walker died in 1969, Lande died in 2005 and Antenen died in 2022.
Credit: NYT
Credit: NYT
The event also is a celebration of the cultural experiences found in the community, and “is intended to drive up minority economic business development within our community, thereby increasing the beauty and diversity of business owners within our community,” Waters-Connell said.
“We want to make sure families feel welcome to come into this space and experience a world affair, a world bizarre. This is an Epcot-type experience,” Waters-Connell said.
There will be food, entertainment and artisans throughout the course of the festival, and there will be a huge children’s area.
The event will end with a concert featuring the power trio En Vogue, an award-winning group that has sold more than 20 million records worldwide known for “Don’t Let Go (Love),” “Free Your Mind” and “My Lovin' (You’re Never Gonna Get It.” The concert is set to begin at 8 p.m. on March 8. Concert tickets are $200 for general seating in the Spooky Nook ballroom and $100 for standing room only. There is also a $300 ticket that includes a VIP meet and greet with En Vogue.
Beginning on Friday, Feb. 21, there will be a week-long BOGO special concert ticket sale where people can buy one and get one at half price.
Credit: Mary Cianciolo/Ohio Statehouse
Credit: Mary Cianciolo/Ohio Statehouse
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