[SOA] Woodland Cemetery Honors Local Suffragist Jewelia G. Higgins with Garden & Historic Marker Dedication

[Emily Gainer]

Forwarding by request.

Hello,

As America marks its 250th anniversary this year, I'm reaching out on behalf of The Charity's Children Project and the descendants of Jewelia Galloway Higgins to share news of a June 27 dedication in Dayton honoring her legacy. The event — which includes the unveiling of a National Votes for Women Trail marker funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, alongside the dedication of the Higgins Garden at Woodland Historic Cemetery & Arboretum — sits squarely within this year's national conversation about whose stories shape the American story. As our founder Patricia Smith Griffin puts it, this is about restoring memory and reminding future generations that these histories belong not only to Black history, but to American history. It is, in her words, our declaration: "I Too Sing America."

As we approach July 4, 2026, we believe Higgins's story — a Black suffragist whose family's faith, activism, and leadership span more than two centuries in the Miami Valley — offers a meaningful entry point into Semiquincentennial coverage rooted in community, place, and recovered history.

We'd welcome the chance to connect you with descendants, historians, and partner organizations in advance of June 27, and we invite you to attend the event. Interviews, high-resolution photos, and archival images are available on request.

Full release below and attached as a PDF. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.

Kind Regards,

JaQuelynn Griffin

The Charity's Children Project, Inc.

charityschildrenpr at gmail.com<mailto:charityschildrenpr at gmail.com>

charityschildren.org<http://charityschildren.org/>

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PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:
Patricia Smith Griffin
The Legacy of Charity’s Children

JaQuelynn Griffin
The Charity’s Children Project
charityschildrenpr at gmail.com<mailto:charityschildrenpr at gmail.com>

https://www.charityschildren.org/

https://www.charityschildren.org/event-details/the-higgins-garden-dedication-1

https://woodlandcemetery.org/event/jewelia-higgins-garden-and-marker-dedication-ceremony/

“I Too Sing America”: Woodland Historic Cemetery & Arboretum and The Charity’s Children Project Announce Higgins Garden Dedication and Historic Marker Installation Honoring Suffragist Jewelia Galloway Higgins

June 27th Community Celebration Will Honor a Living Legacy of Black History, Suffrage, Service, and Generations of Dayton Leadership

DAYTON, OHIO — At a moment when communities across the nation are reclaiming overlooked stories and reexamining whose histories are publicly remembered, Woodland Historic Cemetery & Arboretum and The Charity’s Children Project will gather descendants, historians, preservationists, and community members on Saturday, June 27, 2026, for the Higgins Garden Dedication and installation of the Jewelia Galloway Higgins National Votes for Women Trail Historic Marker funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.

More than a historic marker dedication, the event represents a living continuation of a Black American legacy rooted in faith, activism, suffrage, education, resilience, and community leadership spanning more than two centuries in the Miami Valley. Born in Dayton in 1873, Jewelia Ann Galloway Higgins inherited a history deeply woven into the earliest chapters of Black Dayton. A descendant of Charity Davis Caesar Broady—among Dayton’s first Black settlers—Higgins carried forward a multigenerational tradition of activism and public service that began in the era of enslavement and continued through the Underground Railroad, women’s suffrage movement, World War I, and the struggle for civil rights.

A suffragist, humanitarian, and organizer, Higgins became the first African American Red Cross nurse in the Dayton area and worked tirelessly to advance voting rights during a period marked by racial segregation and discrimination. Through her leadership in organizations including the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs and the Women’s Christian Association (“Colored YWCA”), she expanded opportunities for Black women and families throughout Dayton.

Alongside her husband, Rev. Charles D. Higgins—a boyhood friend and later executor of the estate of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar—she helped build institutions grounded in faith, education, and social justice that strengthened Dayton’s Black community for generations. Now, nearly seventy years after her death, her descendants and community partners are ensuring that her story—and the larger story it represents—will no longer remain hidden in family archives and fading photographs.

“This is not simply about unveiling a marker,” said Patricia Smith Griffin, founder of The Charity’s Children Project and executive producer of the award winning podcast, The Legacy of Charity’s Children. “This is about restoring memory, honoring sacrifice, and reminding future generations that these stories belong not only to Black history, but to American history. In many ways, this event is our declaration: ‘I Too Sing America.’”

The June 27th gathering will transform Woodland Cemetery & Arboretum into a living space of remembrance, storytelling, and celebration. Guests will experience a pictorial exhibit, guided Black history cemetery tour, historic marker unveiling, fellowship gathering, and reflections on the continuing importance of preserving community memory.

The event also celebrates the creation of the Higgins Garden within Woodland Historic Cemetery & Arboretum—a permanent space honoring the Higgins family legacy and the generations connected to Dayton’s African American history.

A special thank you to the 2026 Keep Montgomery County Beautiful Beautification Grant Program for their support of the Higgins Garden.

June 27th 5pm - 7pm - $5.00

Event Schedule
5:00 PM – Guest Arrival & Chapel Exhibit Viewing
Guests will be welcomed into the historic Tiffany Chapel area where they may view a pictorial exhibit featuring historic photographs and materials connected to the Higgins family legacy.

5:15 PM – Opening Program
Brief welcome and opening remarks.

5:30 PM / 5:45 PM – Black History & Cemetery Tour
A guided walking tour highlighting historically significant individuals and sites within Woodland Cemetery & Arboretum, concluding at the Higgins Garden for a brief dedication ceremony and unveiling of the Jewelia Galloway Higgins National Votes for Women Trail Historic Marker.

Approximately 6:00 PM – Outdoor Social & Food Truck Gathering
Guests will return to the Tiffany Chapel area for fellowship, refreshments (for purchase), and food truck service provided by D’Lish Catering, owner Jasmine Brown.

Tentative conclusion at approximately 7:00 PM.

Statement from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation
“At the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, we’re proud to help communities across the country celebrate local history through our historical marker grant programs,” said Steve Bodnar, Associate Director for Strategic Marketing at the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. “Every Pomeroy Marker tells a story, honors a legacy, and strengthens the fabric of a community. Jewelia Ann Galloway Higgins was a trailblazing suffrage leader, humanitarian, and community advocate whose work advanced voting and civil rights in Dayton and beyond. Her legacy lives on through this National Votes for Women Trail marker, which serves as an important reminder that history is all around us and that markers like this help keep these stories alive for future generations.”

About the Pomeroy Foundation
Established by entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Pomeroy in 2005 to bring together his two greatest passions, the William G. Pomeroy Foundation® is a private, philanthropic organization located in Syracuse, N.Y. As the nation’s leading funder of historical roadside markers, the Foundation has awarded more than 3,000 grants for markers in 49 states and Washington, D.C. To learn more, visit wgpfoundation.org<http://wgpfoundation.org/>.

Statement from Sean J. O'Regan
President and CEO
Woodland Historic Cemetery & Arboretum
“Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum is pleased to support the dedication of Higgins Garden and the installation of a historic marker honoring Jewelia Galloway Higgins. This project reflects Woodland’s mission to preserve and share the stories of those entrusted to our care, while helping bring greater recognition to Mrs. Higgins’ important legacy as a Dayton suffragist, humanitarian, civic leader, and advocate for justice and community progress.”

About The Charity’s Children Project
The Charity’s Children Project is a public history and cultural preservation initiative dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and sharing multigenerational African American history through archival preservation, storytelling, exhibits, and community programming.

The June 27th dedication is part of a broader series of public history initiatives connected to The Legacy of Charity’s Children, the award-winning podcast exploring hidden and overlooked stories rooted in Dayton’s Black history and beyond.

The Charity’s Children Project, a pending 501(c)(3), maintains a charitable checking account through The Dayton Foundation and currently operates in grateful fiscal partnership with Young, Black & Giving Back Institute under the leadership of Executive Director Ebonie Johnson Cooper.

Event donations will directly support the ongoing growth and care of the Higgins Garden within Woodland Historic Cemetery & Arboretum.

--
Patricia Smith Griffin
The Charity's Children Project, Inc.
The Legacy of Charity's Children, LLC
CharitysChildren.org




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