Each winter, the John White Series offers Museum supporters and the Northwest Montana community a chance to escape the frigid weather, enjoy fellowship with other Series-goers over a cup of coffee or cookie, and learn something new about the world around us.

“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,” embodies the uncompromising, independent leadership necessary for what the suffragist movement aspired: a vote, a voice and a vocation. The road to achievement for women was grueling, filled with biases and complexities. Scholar and history interpreter Mary Jane Bradbury walks this road again in her program "And Yet They Persisted: Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment". It is an important history to understand, not only for the tactics women used to prevail against the status quo of their day, but for the belief that women have an important role to play in the future.

The John White Speaker Series honors beloved Central School bell ringer and custodian John White, the son of a Texas slave, who served at Central School for over 30 years. He knew all the students, and they knew and respected him, as did the citizens of Kalispell in the 1920s through the 50s. John White graduated from Flathead County High School in 1922 and became perhaps the most remembered figure in the history of Central School.

All five presentations in the Series are at 2:00 PM on alternate Sundays at the Northwest Montana History Museum, 124 2nd Ave E. in Kalispell. Tickets are available at the Museum, Monday through Friday, 10 to 5, or at the door before each event. Last year's Series broke attendance records, so advanced purchase is recommended. Call 406-756-8381 for more details.