Women’s History Month - History Making Women

March 1st and a Monday also. And just past a full moon, so maybe it is a perfect time to start anew.

Ziggy Starmutt at the home of Art Tatum. Won’t it look good when it is fixed up?

I spent February spending a lot of time thinking about Black History Month and learning more about famous Black Toledoans. I have a lot of posts throughout February where I set out to visit some historic locations, like Art Tatum’s house near Junction in Toledo. I was happy to read about Promedica giving a fairly large grant (or two) that will support the rehabilitation of the property and hopefully lead to a museum in the house. So much promise in that community.

I loved learning about the neighborhood, especially about Ella P. Stewart whose pharmacy was close by. Ella P. Stewart was one of the first Black female pharmacists and was a legendary activist in her community. She was even able to volunteer in the school for girls that was named for her before her death.

And now it is March and we shift a little to women, though as a person who supports intersectionality, it is hard to not look at women who have intersecting identities who made a difference in Toledo.

Ziggy Starmutt waiting for spring and plants at Urban Wholistics

And right across the street is a little hidden gem, organized and run by one of these current sheros of Toledo. Sonia Flunder-McNair of SONIA Organics has started a community garden called Urban Wholistics. Maybe community garden is too limiting. Sonia calls the space “a total health community based grassroots initiative created to beautify open land in neighborhoods that has been historically excluded from access to holistic green”. I have not had the pleasure of meeting Sonia yet but hope to interview her soon for my forthcoming podcast. She seems to me to represent the women in Toledo that will be remembered for Women’s History Month in the future.