Queer Domesticity: The Relationships of Settlement House Workers

Settlement work thrived in the early days of the 20th century, with nearly 500 Settlements providing service nationally at the movement’s peak. The history of large movements such as these can often overlook the details of the dedicated individuals who led them. In honor of Pride Month, The Gables is hosting a virtual panel featuring several of the more famous Settlement Houses – Hull House, Henry Street Settlement, and The House of the Seven Gables – in a discussion regarding the women who dedicated their lives to their Settlement and the role their sometimes closeted relationships held in strengthening their work. Speakers on this panel include Nadia Maragha, Education Manager at Jane Addams Hull House Museum, Katie Vogel, Public Historian at Henry Street Settlement, Ashely Hopkins Benton, Senior Historians and Curator of Social History at The New York State Museum, Dakota Russell, Executive Director of The House of the Seven Gables, and James Giessler, Executive Director/ CEO of North Shore Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth. > Click here to register < MEET THE PANELISTS! Nadia Maragha holds a master’s degree in political science, with a focus in comparative urban politics and international human rights. She has more than ten years’ experience in informal education, mostly in museums. Her work and research at the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum include developing educational content for exhibitions, writing about Hull-House’s history, leading public tours and programs, and presenting on subjects like the settlement’s work in public health, Chicago folklore, and Hull-House’s arts history.         Since 2017, Katie Vogel has had the rare opportunity to serve as the in-house Public Historian for a social services, health care, and arts agency: Henry Street Settlement, a historic organization on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. In this role, she animates the Settlement’s permanent history exhibition, where the organization’s team members, community members, and visitors from across the United States and world learn about the Settlement’s role in local, national, and world history. Vogel organizes regular panel discussions related to Lower East Side history and, with the Close Friends Collective—a group of public historians—developed a series of queer history walking tours of the Lower East Side and East Village. Vogel received her master’s degree from Brown University’s Public Humanities program in the Department of American Studies. For five years, she worked at the Tenement Museum, leading tours about New York City immigration and migration history.     James Giessler has been working in the nonprofit sector for over 30 years. During this time, James has been an event planner and director of development for an HIV/AIDS organization, a development writer and director of corporate and foundation relations for a comprehensive university, executive director of a cancer support organization, president and chief development officer for an innovative start...