Good TV and Herstory
TOHO founder Kaitlin Calogera
A Tour of Her Own (TOHO) is a local company founded by fellow DC tour guide and friend of Historic America, Kaitlin Calogera. Kait was keenly aware that there was a lack of representation for women’s stories in public history, specifically in tourism, and decided to do something about it. In 2018 she founded TOHO, the first tourism company in Washington, D.C. to focus exclusively on women’s history. She mobilized a team around her vision and mission, and they created dozens of tour experiences that integrate the challenges and contributions of women into the narratives, reframing and rethinking traditional history in public spaces.
Just like the rest of us in the travel industry, Kait and crew had to pandemic-pivot. TOHO created a tiered membership program, and their offerings are no longer limited to in person tours. Check out THE LINEUP - they've got virtual tours and programs, professional development, educational workshops, and other special events that seek to elevate women’s history. Tourism is facing a long and slow recovery, but in the midst of these challenges, TOHO has embraced new opportunities.
One of the most exciting new offerings is a virtual course that uses a pop culture television show to explore the lasting impact of 1970’s second wave feminism. This is public history at it’s finest; entertaining, accessible, grounded by fact and elevated with conversation.
Rose Byrne as Gloria Steinem in FX show Mrs America
Let’s start with the show itself. Have you watched the FX series Mrs America yet? Mrs America is a 9 episode mini series that aired in April of 2020 and is currently streaming on Hulu. The show is a historical drama that details the political activism surrounding the Equal Rights Amendment. The story is told through the eyes of the women who were at the forefront of a controversy that would divide our nation. Liberal women like Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm, and Bella Abzug led the progressive movement, pushing for the proposed ERA amendment. Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum gave voice to an unexpected thread of conservative backlash, American women opposed to the Equal Rights Amendment. The cultural battleground sparked women, both conservative and liberal, to become civically engaged and politically active in unprecedented numbers. The women who led these movements had a profound effect American politics, giving rise to the Moral Majority and shifting the American political landscape.
When the TOHO team watched and tweeted about the show last spring, they did what all historians do...they researched. Deep dives into newspaper archives, video reels, photographs and other primary sources left them with...well...a virtual course. While the course itself has no affiliation with FX/Hulu, and the show is a made-for-tv version of the truth, they use the miniseries as a springboard into a larger exploration of second wave feminism.
Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly in FX show Mrs America
When you register for the course you will receive access to an online portal and an 18 page resource packet that breaks down the characters & timelines highlighted in the show. The online portal put’s the team's extensive research at your fingertips, consolidated into an organized and digestible format. The course is a three week program; you watch the episodes on your own and then come together virtually for the course itself. The first half of the LIVE component is a presentation from one of TOHO’s experts, breaking down the accuracy of the history presented in the show and offering behind the scenes tidbits for each episode. The second half is open for discussion, personal reflections and reactions, and any questions the watch experience provoked.
The next public offering of this course begins February 11th. Sign up on eventbrite and use promo code WOMENLEAD when you register for $50 off the ticket price. Sale ends tonight at midnight, so don’t delay!
