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MIDWINTER RECESS FAMILY PROGRAMMING—CELEBRATING ELIZABETH JENNINGS GRAHAM
February 21, 2020 | 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Free with Museum Admission100 years before Rosa Parks, Elizabeth Jennings Graham refused to give up her seat. Join us for special family programs celebrating the story and spirit of this civil rights pioneer.
Author Storytime: Beth Anderson, Lizzie Demands a Seat!
11:00am-11:30am, Screening Room, Mezzanine
Join children’s book author Beth Anderson for a special, conversational reading of her new book, Lizzie Demands a Seat! Elizabeth Jennings Fights for Streetcar Rights. Ages 5-12 and accompanying adults
History on Wheels
10:00am-12:00pm, 2:00pm-4:00pm: Middle of the Platform
Make discoveries and learn fun facts about public transportation through handling materials that rotate with each monthly theme. All ages.
Artmaking: Community Heroes Signs
11:00am-12:00pm, 2:00pm-3:00pm: Gaster Education Center, back of the Mezzanine
Drop into the Education Center to be inspired by Elizabeth’s efforts for equality in our transit system, and think about how we can work to make our communities better. Who are some of the everyday heroes who have made positive changes in our communities? What other changes would you like to see? Create signs to honor or suggest this work, and then carry your signs throughout the museum! Ages 5+ and accompanying adults
Performance: Welcome to Elizabeth’s Classroom
12:00pm, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm: Screening Room, Mezzanine
Hear the story of Elizabeth Jennings Graham from a modern-day teacher named after the woman who won a landmark case in the push towards desegregating public transportation in New York City. Limited seating given on a first-come first-served basis. Ages 5+ and accompanying adults
Collaborative Activity: Streetcar Salad
12:00pm-2:00pm: Lunchroom, Mezzanine
Learn all about early, horse-drawn surface transit in 19th century New York! Explore maps from the period to see where you could travel by streetcar and how our modern-day transit follows early routes, and consider the pros and cons of horse drawn street transportation versus buses today. Then, work with fellow visitors to create a large, collaborative drawing of a 19th-century streetcar. Ages 3-12 and accompanying adults
Museum Highlights
12:00pm-1:00pm: Meet at the front of the Mezzanine, next to the lobby
Join this tour to explore the story of the building of New York’s subway system, the evolution of the City’s surface transportation, and our priceless collection of vintage subway and elevated cars dating back to 1904. Ages 12+
Reading Nook
12:00pm-2:00pm: On the Streets Exhibit, Mezzanine
Explore child-friendly books about equal rights and social justice at your own pace, and reflect on Elizabeth Jennings Graham and her efforts for equality.
Multimedia Timeline: Elizabeth Jennings Graham
Ongoing: Lunchroom, Mezzanine
Stop by the lunch room to learn more about the life and times of Elizabeth Jennings through historical sketches and early photographs, a timeline of surface transportation in New York City, and more about others who fought for equal rights during and after Elizabeth Jennings’s lifetime.