The Fresno branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) will present an inspirational and thought-provoking review of local and national history from a peace-building perspective. Through the month of September, exhibits at Fresno State’s Henry Madden Library and the downtown branch of the Fresno County Public Library will celebrate WILPF’s 100th anniversary and 50 years of its Fresno branch.

The theme for the celebrations is “Dangerous Women: 50 Years in Fresno, 100 Years Internationally.”

Madden Library at Fresno State:

A welcoming reception in the Madden Library will be held from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11. Parking on campus is free after 4 p.m. that day. Guests can RSVP to 559.222.6429 or sliyall@earthlink.net.

The Pete P. Peters Ellipse Balcony (Madden Library third floor, north) will feature the WILPF exhibit from Sept. 4-27. The Ellipse Balcony is open during normal library hours. Docents will be available during the reception and periodically throughout the duration of the exhibit.

The WILPF exhibit will feature women who have stood up for peace, including Jane Addams, the first U.S. woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, and the first international president of WILPF. Local events will also be highlighted, including WILPF-Fresno’s lawsuit in the 1980s against the City of Fresno for removal of anti-draft placards from city buses, as well as one teacher’s award-winning experiences in teaching peace to local schoolchildren. Phase 1 of a joint oral history project of WILPF and Fresno State’s Department of Mass Communication and Journalism will be unveiled.

Fresno County Public Library downtown branch (2420 Mariposa St.):

A reception will be held from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, in the Saroyan Gallery. Parking at the downtown Fresno County Public Library is free on Saturday. The public is invited to visit with award-winning local author Margarita Engle, a two-time Jane Addams Peace Association award-winner for books published in 2009 and 2015. Refreshments will be served. All ages are welcome and there will be interactive, guided activities for children.

The WILPF exhibit in the Saroyan Gallery will include a focus on the Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards, which are made annually. WILPF-Fresno donates the award-winning books to the public library.

This event is thanks in part to a national www.wilpfus.org grant.

For more information, contact Cindy Wathen, public affairs and communications specialist for the Madden Library, at 559.278.1680 or ciwathen@csufresno.edu.

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