--- title: "Female Re-Enactors of Distinction Honor a Hidden Past Through Storytelling" id: "37809" type: "post" slug: "female-re-enactors-of-distinction-honor-a-hidden-past-through-storytelling" published_at: "2017-04-17T21:00:57+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T16:22:34+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/04/17/female-re-enactors-of-distinction-honor-a-hidden-past-through-storytelling/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/04/17/female-re-enactors-of-distinction-honor-a-hidden-past-through-storytelling.md" excerpt: "One organization gives voice to African-American women of the Civil War era. Also: How to create a culture of active employee engagement." taxonomy_category: - "Learning" taxonomy_post_tag: - "arts education" - "AssociationsNow" - "history" - "Leadership" - "storytelling" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Director" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Female Re-Enactors of Distinction Honor a Hidden Past Through Storytelling Today is Emancipation Day in Washington, DC, a city holiday marking the abolition of slavery in the District. And last week, as part of their Emancipation Day commemoration, members of the [Female Re-Enactors of Distinction (opens in a new tab)](http://www.afroamcivilwar.org/programs/39.html) (FREED) donned period-era dress and delivered powerful monologues about the “nameless, faceless” women of the Civil War to an audience of government employees. FREED, an auxiliary organization of the African American Civil War Museum, is doing the vital work of telling the stories of Civil War-era black women, a group the history books often overlook. The volunteer re-enactors depict a mix of real-life historical figures such as Hallie Quinn Brown (1850-1949), a college professor who toured Europe delivering talks about the black experience, as well as crafted personas. “African-American history is pretty much lost,” Frank Smith, founding director of the African American Civil War Museum, [told the Washington Post (opens in a new tab)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/black-female-civil-war-reenactors-give-historys-hidden-figures-new-voices/2017/04/14/58e273ce-1a52-11e7-972d-ca200b378c42_story.html?utm_term=.c6d747926801) . “For many years, the Confederacy owned the narrative … in the last 15 or so years, we’ve been trying to turn that around.” ### Engaging Employees > How do you best engage your employees? A top [#CEO (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/CEO?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > answers [https://t.co/3jhAne7smo (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/3jhAne7smo) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnprofs (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnprofs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#business (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/business?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#entrepreneur (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/entrepreneur?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#leadership (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/leadership?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [pic.twitter.com/FtWuCQDbDW (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/FtWuCQDbDW) > > — Sidecar (@sidecarglobal) [April 16, 2017 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/sidecarglobal/status/853670957323603971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Much has been said and written about “servant leadership,” the philosophy that being a leader requires a mindset and set of practices rooted in serving others. Ari Weinzweig, cofounder of Zingerman’s Community of Businesses and a big proponent of servant leadership, [recently spoke with Association Success (opens in a new tab)](http://www.associationsuccess.org/article/5-lessons-on-employee-engagement-from-ari-weinzweig) about how this approach pays off handsomely in better employee engagement. Weinzweig shares five lessons on engagement, including that leaders should treat employees as they do customers. He also recommends that employees learn all aspects of the business they work in. This requires a lot of time and effort, but Weinzweig contends that the more employees know about the context and larger vision of the organization, the more they are empowered to contribute. ### Other Links of Note **“Media is hard.”***CNNTech* reveals [why GoPro’s media business fizzled out (opens in a new tab)](http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/14/technology/gopro-media-business/index.html) . **Do you allow your employees to use Airbnb while traveling?** *MeetingsNet* shares why many organizations are [reluctant to add home-sharing to their travel policies (opens in a new tab)](http://www.meetingsnet.com/meetings-fuel/safety-predictability-flexibility-worries-adding-home-sharing-travel-policy) . **Infographic of the Day.***Top Dog Social Media* shares the best ways to [market to different generations through social media (opens in a new tab)](http://topdogsocialmedia.com/how-to-market-to-different-generations-on-social-media/) . Slave houses. Oak Alley Plantation, Louisiana (StevenGaertner/iStock) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#arts education](https://associationsnow.com/tag/arts-education/) [#history](https://associationsnow.com/tag/history/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#storytelling](https://associationsnow.com/tag/storytelling/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoCelebrating Black History Month: Hanif Smith Shares His StoryFebruary 1, 2024](https://associationsnow.com/2024/02/01/celebrating-black-history-month-hanif-smith-shares-his-story/) - [VideoAmerican College of Emergency Physicians: ACEP Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation ProgramSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/american-college-of-emergency-physicians-acep-geriatric-emergency-department-accreditation-program/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents Practical AI-How Associations Are Putting It To WorkJanuary 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/01/29/associations-now-presents-practical-ai-how-associations-are-putting-it-to-work/) - [PodcastWhy Associations Must Rethink Learning and Community TogetherMarch 26, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/03/26/why-associations-must-rethink-learning-and-community-together/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2017%2F04%2F17%2Ffemale-re-enactors-of-distinction-honor-a-hidden-past-through-storytelling%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !