Celebrate Women's History Month with Shreve Memorial Library
According to a press release, the Women's History Month theme celebrates women, both past and present, who have dedicated their lives to education, mentorship, and leadership, inspiring generations. Throughout the month, patrons of all ages are encouraged to visit the library to be inspired by guest lectures, special programs, group discussions, and various arts and craft workshops highlighting Women's History Month.
Several Shreve Memorial Library branches will welcome inspirational and motivating guest speakers to expound upon the theme of 'Moving Forward Together' in celebration of Women's History Month. On Tuesday, March 4 at 1:00 p.m., the West Shreveport Branch, located at 4380 Pines Road, will welcome AJ Dunn, Executive Director of the Northwest Louisiana YWCA, for a special presentation highlighting the pivotal role women play in shaping society, fighting for equality, and advocating for community. In Gilliam, First Lady of Shreveport, Elizabeth Arcenaux, will inspire and motivate library patrons during a Women's Day program on Thursday, March 6 at 3:00 p.m. at the Gilliam Branch, located at 12797 Main Street. LSUS Professor of History, Dr. Cheryl White, will lead a Women's History Month lecture on Mary Bennett Cane, Shreveport's Founding Mother, on Saturday, March 8 at 2:00 p.m. at the Hamilton/South Caddo Branch, located at 2111 Bert Kouns Industrial Loop.
The North Caddo and Atkins Branches of Shreve Memorial Library will host empowerment workshops on Saturday, March 8 in celebration of Women's History Month. At 10:00 a.m., the North Caddo Branch, located at 615 N. Pine Street in Vivian, will host a Women's Day program, inviting patrons to celebrate the incredible journey of women through history while exploring practical self-care activities, meditation and more. At 1:00 p.m., the Atkins Branch will host an empowerment workshop designed to encourage women to support women through business. Attendees will learn more about women-owned businesses, perfecting a resume, and creating materials to promote a business at the workshop held at the Atkins Branch, located at 3704 Greenwood Road.
Writing competition, celebrate Women's History Month
On Monday, March 24, the West Shreveport Branch will host a special program entitled, 'Herstory Happy Hour: Mocktails & Movement.' The program for adults will feature a selection of handcrafted alcohol-free beverages inspired by remarkable women in history. Attendees will also receive a mocktail recipe booklet to take home. The program will begin at 4:30 p.m. at the West Shreveport Branch.
Library patrons will also be able to share their own personal experiences and pay homage to the inspirational women in their lives during Women's History Month discussions at several Shreve Memorial Library branches. Each Tuesday in March, library patrons at the Rodessa Branch, located at 10093 Main Street in Rodessa, are invited to share stories of how healing traditions are passed down from women in their families and the community. The Rodessa Branch is open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and library patrons are invited to stop by at any time to join the discussion.
Patrons can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee while discussing Women's History Month at both the Oil City and the Higginbotham-Bryson Branches. On Thursday, March 13, the Oil City Branch, located at 102 Allen Street in Oil City, will host a 'Crafting to a Tea' program and discussion of the Oil City Homemakers Club at 2:00 p.m. Similarly, the Higginbotham-Bryson Branch will host a 'Women's History Month Coffee and Conversation' session on Friday, March 28 at 10:00 a.m. at the branch located at 9359 Greenwood Road in Greenwood.
On Thursday, March 20, adults at the Hollywood/Union Avenue Branch, 2105 Hollywood Avenue, can express their gratitude to the women in their personal and professional lives by writing notes of thanks and encouragement at 1:00 p.m. At the Cedar Grove-Line Avenue Branch, 8303 Line Avenue, teens can test their knowledge of Women's History Month through an interactive trivia game on Tuesday, March 25 at 5:00 p.m.
Movie screenings highlighting the lives, work and accomplishments of prominent women in history will take place at the Wallette, Cedar Grove-Line Avenue, David Raines and Hamilton/South Caddo Branches. Each movie screening will be followed by a discussion of the film presented. Movie screenings are scheduled as follows:
Monday, March 10 at 10:00 a.m. at Cedar Grove-Line Avenue Branch
Thursday, March 13 at 10:00 a.m. at Wallette Branch, 363 Hearne Avenue
Thursday, March 20 at 10:30 a.m. at David Raines Branch, 2855 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
Tuesday, March 25 at 5:30 p.m. at Hamilton/South Caddo Branch
Officials say in addition to these programs, library patrons can participate in a number of arts and crafts workshops inspired by notable women throughout history. Patrons can make Women's History Month posters at the Cedar Grove-Line Avenue Branch on Friday, March 7 at 10:00 a.m. or relax with coloring templates on Tuesday, March 11 at 10:00 a.m.
At the Broadmoor Branch, patrons can make collage clipboards on Monday, March 10 at 4:30 p.m. at the branch, located at 1212 Captain Shreve Drive. Library patrons can also make doilies at the Belcher-Wyche Branch, 409 Charles Street in Belcher, on Friday, March 14 at 3:00 p.m. or Women's History Month tote bags at the Hosston Branch, 15478 US Highway 71 in Hosston, on Thursday, March 20 at 2:00 p.m.
Those interested in expressing themselves through painting can participate in a special arts program at the Mooretown Branch, 4360 Hollywood Avenue, on Monday, March 24 at 4:00 p.m. or complete a Georgia O'Keeffe inspired work of art at the North Shreveport Branch, 4844 North Market Street, on Thursday, March 27 at 10:00 a.m. All supplies will be provided. Registration may be required.
All programs are free and open to the public.
For more information on these and other Shreve Memorial Library programs, please visit the website.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
31-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Social justice advocate Sister Pat left legacy of defiant compassion: ‘She lived for others'
Sister Patricia Murphy took risks for love. That's how the Rev. Larry Dowling described her Thursday morning to hundreds of people who gathered at a church in Mercy Circle Senior Living Center in Mount Greenwood to honor her life and commitment to social justice and immigration advocacy. The 96-year-old nun — known as Sister Pat — was diminutive but bold. She was rarely seen without her closest collaborator, Sister JoAnn Persch, with whom she was inseparable in action and purpose. They worked in sync until the day Sister Pat died, July 21, in her home in south suburban Alsip, surrounded by loved ones. Together, the activist nuns were arrested four times at different demonstrations over the years. They pushed to pass state legislation allowing religious workers to visit people in detention processing centers in Illinois. Their impact was recognized at the highest levels, from being entered into the Congressional Record for Women's History Month in 2018 to receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award — a prestigious honor recognizing dedication to community leadership and issues like immigration —from Chicago's Cardinal Blase Cupich in 2023. 'We've done the stuff that other people didn't feel OK with, and that's fine, because not everybody's called to the same thing,' Sister Pat told the Tribune in January. Thursday's tributes to Sister Pat also served as a call to action. Yogi Wess, who did social work in Chicago with her at Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly for nearly 50 years, said that if Sister Pat had been in the building that day, she would have likely told people in the audience to stand up for 'the forgotten, the unnoticed, the undocumented and unseen.' 'She was a modern-day saint. She lived for others,' said Wess, 68, who noted that Sister Pat went to great lengths to help her plan her wedding, for which she remains grateful to this day. Sister Pat was born in Chicago, one of five children, to Frank J. and Thelma Murphy. She graduated from high school in 1947 and joined the Sisters of Mercy. She admitted that she'd always wanted to be a nurse, but became a teacher instead. She met Sister JoAnn at an elementary school in Wisconsin. Then, in 1960, the Sisters of Mercy community put out a call for a volunteer to go on a mission in Sicuani, Peru. 'I filled out the form, ran across campus, and put it into the mail slot,' she recounted to the Tribune in January. She lived there for eight years, in what she called a 'house for the houseless' with no running water. In remembering her life there, she focused on the beautiful aspects — the lady who owned the house, named Isabel, who would cook soups and traditional Peruvian dishes, and how the smell would drift through the rafters. Pat picked up Spanish and the local dialect of the region. Photos of her from that time were pinned onto a poster board at Mercy Circle. She is smiling and wearing a habit. James Connelly, 67, said his great-aunt went and visited her while she was in South America and brought him back a llama fur vest. 'Now, I can't really fit in it,' he joked. Connelly admitted that he was a little afraid of the traditional nun garb as a kid, but said he always admired her compassion and dedication. 'She set an example as a strong, female leader,' he said. 'And she passed that on to all the children she taught.' Indeed, when she returned from her time abroad, she reunited with Sister JoAnn and the two trailblazers took advantage of a burgeoning movement in American Catholicism, where many nuns moved from traditional roles to activism. Sister Pat did stints at Mercy Hospital, Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly and Austin Career Education Center, helping teen dropouts and adults prepare for the GED. But in her later life, shaped by her experiences in Peru, Sister Pat prioritized helping immigrants. She and Sister JoAnn in the 1980s and '90s opened Su Casa Catholic Worker House, a home for survivors of torture from Central America, on the South Side of Chicago. Several years later, they started praying outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Broadview. And they collaborated with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights to successfully pass a bill allowing religious workers to enter immigrant detention centers. They spent long hours with immigrants in detention. Pat warmed up the guards with homemade cookies and wrapped candy canes. Because she could speak Spanish, she was able to help detainees connect with family members. 'They just loved her,' Sister JoAnn said in January. 'Imagine how much of a help she was to them, speaking Spanish like she did.' The sisters stopped visiting immigrants in detention during the pandemic. And under the current Donald Trump administration, ICE has been unwilling to let anyone — even elected officials — inside, said Fred Tsao, senior policy counsel at ICIRR, who attended the funeral. 'Sister Pat always used a particular word to describe the immigration detention system: demonic,' said Tsao. The sisters meant to retire after the pandemic, they said, but felt called to step in and help the tens of thousands of migrants who were bused to Chicago from the southern border by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. They founded a nonprofit called Catherine's Caring Cause to help asylum-seekers settle, opening 17 apartments to house 100 people. They shifted to provide 'Know Your Rights' information to their tenants when Trump was elected. In a final essay that Sister Pat co-authored with Sister JoAnn, they wrote about one Venezuelan family assisted by their nonprofit, who they said was recently deported to Costa Rica. 'The parents and their five children were seized at a local ICE office when they reported for a routine check-in as required by law,' the essay reads. 'ICE officials accused the husband of having a criminal background, which he denied. He never had a chance to present his case in court.' On Thursday morning, a migrant family lingered a little longer in the hallway outside the church sanctuary after her casket was brought out. They said they were blessed to be connected to Sister Pat through a nonprofit in El Paso, Texas. Their family of four was staying in one of the apartments the sisters rented. 'Pat was our angel,' said Jose Ramos, 37, whose daughter is disabled and needs extra support. 'She called us all the time to check in.' His wife, Victoria Naranjo, 34, said Sister Pat often encouraged her to write a book about her migrant journey. 'It's not easy being a migrant,' Naranjo said. 'She thought more people should know that.' Ramos said he thinks he might have been one of the last to speak to her before she could no longer use her voice.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
TSTC Foundation provides 350+ scholarships to cut education costs
MARSHALL, Texas (KTAL/KMSS) — The financial barrier to higher education affects many people. With help from donors, The TSTC (Texas State Technical College) Foundation helps alleviate that burden. The Foundation offers over 350 scholarships to new and current TSTC students, several of which are exclusive to students at the Marshall campus or to Harrison County residents. TSTC Marshall grows diesel tech program with new facility Jill Crocker, a development officer for the Marshall campus, said, 'How it works is once they complete their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and their paperwork, if they receive government funding, we have scholarships out there that will cover the rest as long as they keep that grade-point average.' Martin Specialty Coatings in Shreveport will award two $2,500 scholarships to students enrolling in the Building Construction Technology program in Marshall. The Fat Boy Foundation is awarding a $1,500 Jonathan Holland Memorial Scholarship to a TSTC Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology student. The scholarship's namesake studied in the program. Harrison County residents entering their first semester can have their entire tuition covered with The Steve and Penny Carlile scholarship. Building Construction Technology program coming to TSTC's Marshall campus Caleb Lovera, a TSTC Industrial Systems student who received the Carlile Scholarship, said, 'If you apply for scholarships, it's free money. It doesn't matter if you get it or not; it doesn't hurt to apply.' The deadline to apply for scholarships for the fall semester is Monday, June 30. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Juneteenth festivities in Marshall feature historical tribute
MARSHALL, Texas (KTAL/KMSS) — Several free-to-the-public Juneteenth events are planned in Marshall this year. Juneteenth is a celebration that marks the day, June 19, 1965, that Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed slaves there that they had been freed. Official Juneteenth celebrations began the very next year. As black Texans began to move across the country, the celebration traveled with them, unofficially being used to commemorate the end of slavery. All smiles at upcoming Juneteenth celebration in Queensborough The Marshall-Harrison County Juneteenth Committee is presenting Freedom Day events. June 14 will feature a Commemoration program at the Wiley University Julius S. Scott Senior Chapel at 10 a.m., followed by a Juneteenth parade beginning at the Alumni Gym and concluding at the George Washington Carver Center at 11 a.m. A four-wheeler competition follows the parade at the George Washington Carver Center at noon, a business expo and Wiley Financial Literacy Kick Off at 12:30, and the Bo Green Domino Tournament concludes the day's events at 2 p.m. Juneteenth Jam celebration with storytelling, dance On June 19 at 8 a.m., there will be a Freedom Walk at the Harrison County Historic Courthouse. The Marshall Juneteenth Freedom Day events are sponsored by Wiley University and supported by the Marshall Regional Arts Council, Top Ladies of Distinction, Top Teens of America, the Carver Center, Greens Professional Services, and the East Texas Chapter of Links, Incorporated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
