WBGU-TV interviews Helen Rankin, the first African-American woman to serve in the Ohio House of Representatives.
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A documentary telling the story of both Democratic and Republican women who broke electoral barriers is the recipient of a $16,000 grant through the Ohio History Fund,, with an additional $10,667 in internal matching funds.
The documentary is the brainchild of Bowling Green State University Political Science Professor Melissa K. Miller, who is an expert on American politics. It is being produced locally by WBGU-TV, a PBS station.
The goal of “Trailblazing Women in Ohio Politics” is to serve as an oral history of several notable women in Ohio politics. Each won an office never before held by a woman/woman of color.
This includes Betty Montgomery, Ohio’s first female attorney general and a former Wood County prosecutor; Jo Ann Davidson, R-Ohio, the first woman speaker of the Ohio House; and Helen Rankin, D-Ohio, the first African American woman in the Ohio General Assembly.
“Their unique, lived experiences are fascinating history,” Miller said. “It’s our honor to illuminate their struggles and triumphs for a multi-generational audience.”
The documentary will combine on-camera interviews, artifacts from each trailblazer’s career and archival footage and photos – many from the Ohio History Connection archives. Each interview also will be housed at BGSU’s Center for Archival Collections, giving scholars access to their oral histories for decades.
“We were thrilled to receive the grant and to share these women’s story,” said WBGU General Manager Tina Simon. “Many of these history-making names are familiar, but their stories, as told by them, may not be.”
Simon added that WBGU is working to share the documentary with other PBS affiliates throughout Ohio and the nation.
Production on the documentary is expected to wrap-up in spring 2023. Plans are to host public screenings of the film throughout Ohio, co-hosted by the League of Women Voters.
Additional funding for the project was provided by Ohio Humanities. Other contributors include Maribeth S. and Martin E. Rahe as well as the Office of the President of Bowling Green State University.
WBGU is a PBS affiliate and partner of BGSU serving a 19-county region with award-winning programming and educational resources. For more information, visit www.wbgu.org.
The Ohio History Fund is made possible by contributions of state income tax refunds, sales of Ohio History “mastodon” license plates and other donations. For more information, visit www.ohiohistory.org/historyfund.
