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Strong women to be honored during 'Strong Comes After' program for women's history
Lesa Postell

Lesa Postell

 Western North Carolina women who have exhibited strength in leadership will be honored at a program entitled "Strong Comes After."

As a wrap-up of celebrating March as Women's History Month, the program will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 31, at the Mountain Heritage Center on the Western Carolina University campus.

The program will begin with a Cherokee prayer by Myrtle Driver honoring women as the glue that holds together a society. Joyce C. Dugan, first female principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, is one of the women who will be honored that night.

Also honored will be Brenda Oliver, first female mayor of Sylva; Martha Queen, Chairperson of the Jackson County Board of Education; Mary Jane Queen, legendary balladeer. Leni Sitnick first female mayor of Asheville; Marie Colton, first female speaker pro tem of the North Carolina legislature; Wilma Dykeman, author and speaker; Willie Vincent, Western region and North Carolina 1998-99 Business Person of the Year; Oralene Graves Simmons, Director of Asheville's YMI Cultural Center; Helen Moseley-Edington, retired Asheville teacher and author.
The 10 are winners of the Outstanding Women Award 2000 presented by the Western Carolina Women's Coalition.

In addition, a special honor will be given to one Jackson County woman who helped initiate a program to keep alive mountain crafts while helping mountain women attain self-sufficiency.

Each woman will briefly share her story, which will be interspersed with highlights of the docu-drama "Strong Comes After" written by local writer Amy Ammons Garza and directed by Barbara Eberly.

In the docu-drama, Lisa Postell, above, of the Greens Creek community of Sylva plays the role of the strong mountain woman, keeping alive the lifestyle of her ancestors.

Refreshments will be served before the program which is free and open to the public.

In addition to the Western Carolina Women's Coalition, the program is sponsored by the Jackson County Council For Women and the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.

For additional information, visit the www.takefridayoff.com/jacksonwomenindex.htm.

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