In late 2014, The Kentucky Commission on Women partnered with the Commission on Women Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, to raise public and student/teacher awareness of the diverse and important contributions of Kentucky women through a broadcast quality film presentation.
The priority rationale for creating the film documentary based on the Kentucky Women Remembered Exhibit was to provide insight into the unique roles of women and their valuable contributions to the history, growth and development of the Commonwealth. Secondly, the film would chronicle and highlight significant accomplishments of little known Kentucky women that will serve as an added resource for historians, educators and students. Third, the film would be comprehensive, diverse geographically, ethnically and politically, including women from the exhibit as well as other notable Kentucky women essential to telling “the story.” The film would be informative in order to serve as a backdrop for the impact women have had overall in science, literature, politics, arts, education, business, religion, athletics, entertainment and the military in Kentucky.
There are many Kentucky women whose leadership, creativity and hard work have made a lasting impact, not only on the Commonwealth, but on the nation and the world. These women deserve to be remembered–and their lives and work offer outstanding inspiration to young Kentuckians. From history books to the big screen, Kentucky’ story has long focused on the achievement of its men. For a number of years, the Kentucky Commission on Women has worked to rectify this oversight through research and outreach. The film was one way to tell the stories of Kentucky’s women leaders in a way that can never be forgotten — through the power of film.
This film, in length and scope, is a starting point for continuing research on the contributions of and the history of women to Kentucky. It is a catalyst to urge historians, educators, students, organizations, and others to fill in more of the gaps while demonstrating how damaging the injustice of gender inequity in Kentucky history has been. The film enlightens, presenting well known women, past and present, and introduces to many, for the first time, women who have essentially been written out of Kentucky history. The film inspires those who see it to value women’s accomplishments and recognize future opportunities to preserve and document accounts of the stories and contributions of women.