News : Women asked to keep sharing their histories at \'Her Own Story\' event

Nearly 90 people learned about local history and its importance during the 'Her Own Words' event.

The showing of the "Her Own Story" DVD was more than the conclusion of one local oral history project; it was a plea for area women to keep telling their stories.

History, said Karen Mason of the Iowa Women's Archives, is not about events; it's about people

"Every woman has a story to tell," Mason said. "Tell us yours."

What people said and did and felt is more important than dates, said Mason.

Mason spoke to the audience of nearly 90 people before the showing of the DVD featuring 10 Benton County women who shared their history in the 1980s. In recent years, several area residents preserved those histories electronically through a DVD; there is also an effort to put them online.

Mason spoke about her efforts to preserve the history of women. She said that while millions read about State University of Iowa student Dora Lee Martin Berry being chosen the first black Homecoming Queen, hardly anyone knows that Berry was not invited to participate in the Rose Bowl Parade.

"They said it was because she was only a sophomore, but everyone knew that it was because of her race," said Mason.

That story would have been lost forever, Mason told the crowd, if Berry had not shared it during a oral history project.

Mason urged everyone to share what they remember.

"Many people don't think their lives have been that imporant," she said."But all of their stories are important to their families and their communities."

About the DVD

Julie Zimmer and other AAUW members interviewed several women in the mid-1980s in order to preserve their histories. But they had saved those stories on audio cassette and their photos in slides. Both of those tecnologies are already long-outdated, Zimmer told the audience. A Humanities Iowa grant helped fund the digitalization of those stories.

To buy a DVD of the montage "Her Own Story" send a check for $15 +$2.30 S&H to Her Own Story or B.C.W. History Project at this address: