Mar 8, 2022 - News

Remembering women's history by L lines

Monica Eng

transit map — A snippet of The Women's L Project. Map courtesy of The Women's L Project

Inspired by a similar New York City map, retired Lutheran minister Janet Volk spent much of last year creating a hypothetical Chicago transit map called "The Women's L Project."

The map replaces current station names with those of women who worked and lived near the stops.

Why it matters: International Women's Day offers a great time to reflect on Chicago women's history using the map as a fresh guide.

How it works: Volk tells Axios that she partnered with designer Jessika Savage to research and highlight Chicago women who worked in "justice, social work, business, education, medicine, the arts, literature, politics, and science … with little, if any, recognition."

The project includes women like Hazel Johnson, Peggy Terry, and Angie Navedo Rizzo.

The surprise: "Women who became 'inadvertent activists,' … because of where they lived, the jobs they had, their race, etc., they courageously led and organized for the good of the people in their communities," said Volk.

Her hope: "People will be intrigued by the map and visit the project website, where they can not only learn about each woman, but find out ways to connect with the women's causes."

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Remembering women's history by L lines

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