Brown Bag Film Screening, First Lady of Peace: Jeanette Rankin

On Thursday, June 11th the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, in partnership with the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, will host a lunch-time screening of the 1970 documentary film, The First Lady of Peace: Jeannette Rankin.

Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and was a notable activist for peace and women's suffrage. She served two non-consecutive terms in Congress (1917-1919 and 1941-1943), where she voted against United States entry into World War I and later became the only member of Congress to oppose entry into World War II. During her first term, she was also instrumental in passing the Nineteenth Amendment, granting all American women the right to vote, in the House of Representatives.

This film project was a labor of love for filmmaker David Fisher, who operated on a slim budget to produce the short film documenting the unique activist who spent her final years living in nearby Watkinsville. The film features extensive interviews with Rankin, who reflects on her long career and shares her vision for the future.

Archivists Jill Severn and Margie Compton will introduce the film. Sue Lawrence, director of the Jeannette Rankin Foundation, will offer closing remarks.

This brown bag lunch event will take place from 12:00-1:30PM in room 285 of the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries (300 S. Hull Street). The event is free and open to the public; beverages and dessert will be provided, but attendees should plan to bring their own lunch. For more information about the event email russlib@uga.edu or call (706) 542-5788. For more information about Jeannette Rankin, follow #Rankin135 on Twitter throughout the month of June 2015!

The Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies hold the Jeannette Rankin Papers and is the official repository for the records of the Jeannette Rankin Foundation.  The Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection holds the film The First Lady of Peace: Jeannette Rankin as well as other commercial and non-commercial audiovisual materials that document Jeannette Rankin.