The Thomas Merton Center was awarded $45,000 to produce In Sisterhood, an oral history project that will highlight influential leaders in the women's movement in the latter part of the 20th century. The project will record 20 oral histories on digital video, create a multimedia exhibit that includes a portrait gallery of 20 notable Pittsburgh activists, and produce two five-minute videos using interview footage. A website that incorporates photographs, quotations, and video clips from the oral histories will also be created. The website will serve as both a fundraising tool and a promotional vehicle for the project.

The goal of In Sisterhood is to determine what inspired individuals to undertake groundbreaking work that "changed the system" for women. They will explore, on an individual level, the insights these women have about their strategies and abilities to bring about changes in social justice. The oral histories will also serve as a lasting tribute to these honorable women allowing them to continue to inspire civic action and foster regional pride among future generations.

At least two installations of the multimedia exhibit will be mounted in 2008. The first exhibit will be at the annual Governor's Conference on Women, which will be held in Pittsburgh in October 2008 and is expected to draw as many as 3,000 attendees from across the state, representing diverse ages, classes, races and ethnic backgrounds. The second exhibit will take place in Greensburg in November 2008. Additional venues in Allegheny, Washington, Butler, and Beaver counties are currently being sought for an extended exhibition period for the project reaching into 2009, including a month-long Pittsburgh exhibition targeted for Women's History Month in March 2009.

Upon completion, the collection of oral histories will be donated to the University of Pittsburgh library system, making them accessible to scholars, teachers, and all others interested in the women's movement in the Pittsburgh region for years to come.

In Sisterhood: The Women's Movement in Pittsburgh is a project of the Thomas Merton Center (TMC), an established nonprofit community organization that has been educating, organizing and taking action to promote peace and justice for 35 years. The TMC's credits include establishing the Greater Pittsburgh Community Foodbank, founding the first local chapter of Amnesty International, and providing fiscal sponsorship for dozens of projects undertaken by groups in the region including a documentary film project entitled, Enough IS ENOUGH: The Death of Johnny Gamage, the Urban Arts Project, and Code Pink (women for peace). The TMC's monthly newspaper, The NewPeople, is an important resource for activists and the organization's website provides an up-to-date action calendar of events as well as a directory of local groups. The TMC has more than 700 members and an annual budget of $192,000 (2006).

In Sisterhood will be managed by Patricia Ulbrich, Ph.D., a progressive social scientist, independent scholar, member of the University of Pittsburgh's Social Movements Forum. For more than three decades, Dr. Ulbrich's research has focused on women's studies and women's issues, including how individuals' race, class and gender shape their life chances, the history of the women's movement and its impact as a catalyst for change. In addition to her broad knowledge and skills, she also brings personal experience to the project, having co-founded The Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania. In Sisterhood represents an opportunity for Dr. Ulbrich, a TMC member, to continue to pursue her interest in and commitment to celebrating women's accomplishments and providing opportunities to empower women so they can achieve their full potential.