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March is Women's History Month! Mercer County draws strength and inspiration from women who came before us, and the remarkable women working among us today. They are part of our story, and a truly balanced and inclusive history recognizes how important women have always been in American society. To submit your Women's History Month event, click the box below.
Val Ackerman, first female president of USA Basketball
Val Ackerman, standout athlete, sports executive and former lawyer. A graduate of Hopewell Valley Central High School, Ackerman set the school’s varsity basketball career record for points scored, 1,466, a record by any basketball player, male or female. Among her list of accomplishments on and off the court, is that she was the first president of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the first female president of USA Basketball for the 2005–2008 term. During her term, she oversaw a restructuring of the USA Basketball Board of Directors, and gold medal performances by the men's and women's basketball teams at the Beijing Olympics. Ackerman was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Said Ackerman in a 2022 Sports Illustrated column, “When I reflect on the story of women’s sports in our country, I sometimes think about my grandmother, Barbara Radecky Voscek, who immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900s from what is now Slovakia. She raised seven children (including my mom, the youngest), first in western Pennsylvania, where my grandfather worked as a coal miner, and then in a row house in Trenton, N.J., after Grandpop found work in an auto factory instead. Grandmom didn’t speak English, so I never really got to know her, but I’m mesmerized—and inspired—to this day by her courage, her resourcefulness and the many sacrifices she made in search of a better life for herself and her family.
“Women’s sports have an analogous narrative—they’ve been propelled by people courageous enough to take chances and break down walls, who’ve been relentless in their quest for equality and respect and who were willing to be the first so that others could later reap the gains. To those who fought for Title IX and for every milestone since: I can hardly put into words my gratitude for your vision and determination. To the next generation of women athletes and leaders: Carry on, ladies. You’ve been given a start, but there’s still plenty of groundbreaking, leading and fighting left to be done.”
Photo courtesy Big East Directory
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
 MARCH 13, 6:30 p.m.
Female Spies of WWII
Virtual program
The Mercer County Library | mcl.org
Join us for thrilling tales of female spies during WWII. Spymaster Vera Atkins will deliver up secrets of women you never knew were spies. Alisa Dupuy, of Ladies of History, is a French teacher who, in her spare time, loves to recount the lives of important women in history. Click here to register.
March 14 through April 15
The Women’s Caucus for Art
Artworks Main Gallery
19 Everett Alley, Trenton | artworkstrenton.org
The Women’s Caucus for Art will present members' works that represent significant ways of seeing art and our world. These artists will share their voices visually through broad-based themes about gender, identity, race, the environment, the political and personal. The exhibit will foster and expand a conversation beyond the gallery through community, to create a dialogue with participants. To encourage the creative process and reflect upon who we are, where we come from and where we are going.
March 14 through April 15
Metal Lucidity
Artworks Community Gallery
19 Everett Alley, Trenton | artworkstrenton.org
Metal Lucidity by artist Amy Louise Lee will allow each individual to visually explore her luminous artwork using their imagination without any limitations. Although the free-flowing bright minimalist metal artwork is abstract, taking a moment to look closely at her work, one will start to see familiar and recognizable shapes, similar to the innocence of a child looking up at the clouds. This evokes curious wonder and therefore will open the mind to see the world in a different way. Playfulness and imagination get lost with the heavy burdens of adulthood, yet creativity and inspiration lead our society forward, through new technologies, medical treatments and the arts. Throughout the exhibition there will be a whimsical element of surprise by introducing AR, Augmented Reality, to numerous pieces for an interactive technological experience. Playing off the overall theme of the show, this allows the artist to showcase her playful side.
MARCH 18, 2 p.m.
Mothers of Invention
The Mercer County Library, Robbinsville Branch
42 Robbinsville-Allentown Road
(609) 259-2150 | mcl.org
It’s Women’s History Month! Carol Simon Levin, professional storyteller, portrays Lillian Moller Gilbreth, motion study pioneer and “Cheaper by the Dozen” mother of 12, sharing stories of other overlooked women innovators. From Margaret Knight (the 19th century “Female Edison”) to Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr, these “Mothers of Invention” changed our lives. Click here to register
MARCH 30, 7 p.m.
Nonfiction Book Group: 10 Women Who Changed Science and the World
The Mercer County Library, Ewing Branch
61 Scotch Road
(609) 882-3130 | mcl.org
Join us to discuss 10 Women who Changed Science and the World by Catherine Whitlock and Rhodri Evans. Learn the moving stories of the female physicists, biologists, chemists, astronomers and doctors who helped to shape our world with their extraordinary breakthroughs and inventions, and their remarkable achievements. Feel free to attend even if you have not read or finished the book. Click here to register.
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