Emma Rochelle Wheeler was the first Black woman to become a doctor in Chattanooga.
You may have never heard of Emma Rochelle Wheeler, a surgeon and the first Black, female physician in Chattanooga.
There’s a plaque in her honor at the corner of East Eighth and Douglas streets, just a few blocks from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The plaque marks the building where she opened Walden Hospital in 1915.
The three-story brick building is now an apartment complex, and the grey metal memorial out front, like Wheeler herself, can be easily overlooked.
The same goes for many female history-makers on the international stage, too. People like Rosalind Franklin, the British chemist whose X-ray photos of DNA led her male contemporaries, James Watson and Francis Crick, to their Nobel Prize-winning double helix model. Franklin’s work went largely unnoted until recent years.
Wheeler and Franklin and more modern figures, including singer Dolly Parton, are the subjects of the “March Through History” exhibition, held in March at Lupton Hall for Women’s History Month. The exhibition includes interactive features and links for viewers to learn more. With the help of other departments and University partners, the center is offering other events throughout March to engage students, faculty and staff, male and female.
“Recognizing and highlighting women that you don’t hear about often is a big push for us this year,” said Lauren Ouwerkerk, assistant director of the UTC Center for Women and Gender Equity.
“We don’t always think about current history, so we’re trying to balance out historical figures with modern women to help people feel more engaged,” she said. ]“But you’re not going to see a Ruth Bader Ginsburg poster because I hope our students already know who she is.”
It’s been impossible for history to ignore certain high-profile women like Ginsburg while many others have remained relatively obscure if not totally forgotten, on purpose.
Women’s History Month serves as a counterpoint, said Sara Peters, director of the Center for Women and Gender Equity.
“Historically, history has ignored people from marginalized communities. That’s why taking a month to recognize women’s contributions to history and to our current society is so important,” Peters said.
“We often see men getting credit for women’s accomplishments,” such as Rosalind Franklin and the discovery of DNA, she said.
“The removal of women from history has been intentional because the assumption has been that women weren’t to make those kinds of accomplishments. You can’t fully understand history unless you understand the connectedness we all have with each other,” Peters said.
“March Through History” Exhibit
When: March 1-31, 2022
Location: Lupton Hall
Details: Showcasing women throughout history with information and opportunities to learn more about the highlighted individuals, including a crossword puzzle.
Voting Rights Case Study (Registration required)
When: 12:15-1:30 p.m. Monday, March 1
Where: Metro Building Room 231.
To register: Email marcia-noe@utc.edu. Participants who register must pick up the “Harvard Case Study” from the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Office in Lupton Hall Room 364. Extra copies are in a bin labeled “Senior Seminar 2022” on the wall outside the office.
Details: Todd Grainger, social studies instructor in the high school at Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy, leads discussion.
“Can You Hear Us Now?”
When: 2 p.m. Monday, March 1
Location: Metro Building Room 231
Details: Screening of documentary on voting rights and discussion with UTC lecturer R.J .Groh
Trivia Night
Time: 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 1,
Location: Derthick Hall
“Sisters Riding”
When: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 2
Location: Lupton Hall Room 393
Details: Screening of documentary on poverty and abuse faced by Native American women
International Women’s Day Panel
When: 2-2:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 8
Location: Lupton Hall Room 120
Details: In collaboration with the Center for Global Education, the panel will feature women discussing their experiences on campus and around the world on International Women’s Day. After the discussion, students can engage with organizations participating in the event.
Carbon Queen
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 8
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqcuCspjkoGdfBT8- D25SyMx2iT6lYTjku
Details: “The Remarkable Life of Nanoscience Pioneer Mildred Dresselhaus,” hosted by UTC Department of Chemistry and Physics
Neurodivergence and Gender
When: 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 9
Location: University Center Room 320
Details: In collaboration with the Disability Resource Center, a discussion about how neurodivergence is impacted by gender.
