Take Back the Narrative: Housing Justice

Housing Justice: Storytelling Series

September 10, 2023

Sunday, September 10 | 12:00p – 2:00p | FREE

Harriet Beecher Stowe Center | 77 Forest Street, Hartford

If rain prevents the outdoor event, it will be moved into the Visitor Center Classroom or the Day House Parlor.

Light lunch will be served.
Spanish interpretation will be available.
Event is open to all ages.
Blankets and chairs will be provided, but visitors are welcome to bring their own.
Registration is not required.

This is a storytelling event organized with the Black Infinity Collective, Nonprofit Accountability Group, and Connecticut Renews that aims to raise awareness about housing injustice and combat harmful stereotypes about homelessness. Speakers will share their experiences of housing emergencies, local organizations will discuss the work and advocacy they are involved in, and attendees will be able to share their stories, learn about resources, and get involved with organizations to be part of the solution working towards ending the housing crisis.

Three speakers will share their experiences with housing injustice and navigating emergency housing systems. Through personal narrative, we amplify the voices which are usually excluded on the journey from experience to policy. Representatives from local organizations and advocates will discuss their work, available resources, legislative actions, and the connection between housing and health and environment. Attendees will be invited to share their experiences if they wish, learn about resources and connect with services, and get involved with advocacy work.

The grounds will offer a variety of seating options, including blankets on the ground and chairs already set up. We hope the outside setting and “picnic” style seating will create a comfortable atmosphere. Soft music, that will not interfere with the tours and offerings of either the Stowe Center or the Mark Twain House, will play at the beginning and end of the event as well as between speakers, to contribute to a welcoming atmosphere.

Location Stowe Center Lawn

Doors Open 12:00p

Program 2:00p

School Group Interest Form

School Group Interest Form 2024

Thank you so much for your interest in a group tour at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center! Please help us schedule your visit by answering the questions below.

School name:

Please suggest three dates and times when your group would like to visit. (Note: the Stowe Center is closed on Sunday and Tuesday.)

Contact Teacher Name:

Contact Teacher Email:(Required)

Contact Teacher Phone Number:(Required)

Number of students expected to attend:(Required)

Please enter a number from 8 to 40.

Please identify the grade level(s) of attending students:(Required)

Likely number of chaperones (including other teachers):

The Stowe Center requires one adult per every 10 students.

Are there special student, teacher, or chaperone accommodations that can help us serve you best?

Do you plan to have lunch on site?

Yes, please.

No, thank you.

Are you interested in scheduling a joint visit with our neighbor, The Mark Twain House and Museum?

Yes, please

No, thank you.

If yes, have you already contacted The Mark Twain House?

Yes

Adult Group Interest Form

Group Tour Interest Form 2022

Thank you so much for your interest in a group tour at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center! Please help us schedule your visit by answering the questions below.

Group Name:

Name of Primary Contact:(Required)

Contact Email:(Required)

Contact Phone Number:(Required)

What date would you like to visit? (The Stowe Center typically books group tours for Thursday through Sunday visits.)

Expected number of visitors:(Required)

Please enter a number from 20 to 42.

Please indicate the number of adults, seniors, and children expected in your group:

Are there special accommodations that can help us serve you best?

Are you interested in a joint visit with our neighbor, The Mark Twain House and Museum?

Yes, please.

No, thank you.

If yes, have you already contacted The Mark Twain House?

Yes

Isabella Beecher Hooker

Isabella Holmes Beecher Hooker (1822-1907)
An ardent member of the woman’s suffrage movement, Isabella Holmes Beecher Hooker joined in the cause along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

Isabella was the first child of Lyman Beecher and his second wife, Harriet Porter Beecher.

Isabella began her education at Catharine Beecher’s Hartford Female Seminary and lived with her sister Mary Perkins. In 1841 she married John Hooker, a descendant of Thomas Hooker, the founder of Hartford. John Hooker was a lawyer and an abolitionist.

In the early 1860s Isabella got involved in the woman’s suffrage movement. Isabella joined Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony as a member of the National Woman’s Suffrage Association in 1869. She was a founding member of the Connecticut Woman’s Suffrage Association. Isabella’s ideas of equality were influenced by John Stuart Mills’ On Liberty and the Subjection of Women.

In 1871, Isabella organized the annual convention of the National Woman’s Suffrage Association in Washington D.C. and presented her argument before the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate. Her husband, John Hooker, believed in his wife and supported her activities. He helped Isabella draft a bill to the Connecticut Legislature giving married women the same property rights as their husbands. The bill passed in 1877. Isabella annually submitted a bill granting women the right to vote, but it did not pass in her lifetime.