OLLI Spring 2026_pageturn - Flipbook - Page 16
First, Fearless, and Faithful:
Learning from Jeanette Rankin
Mondays, March 9 – 30
Participants in this
1:30 – 3:45 p.m.
group receive free tickets
to the Dallinger Series
Peoria Public Library,
kickoff event!
Lakeview Branch
Jeanette Rankin was a suffragist, peace activist,
workers’ rights advocate, and champion of
democratic reform. She ran for Congress twice as
a Republican and was elected 34 years apart—a
remarkable achievement. Rankin remained
faithful to her beliefs, no matter the personal
cost, even while serving within what was then
the largest “old boys’ club” in America. She was
the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress.
Rankin voted against U.S. entry into both World
War I and World War II; during the latter, she
was the only member of Congress to oppose
going to war with Japan. During her first term,
she introduced legislation that later became the
19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting
women the right to vote. We'll learn more about
this pioneering woman as we read and discuss
Winning the Earthquake: How Jeanette Rankin
Defied All Odds and Became the First Woman in
Congress available online, through local libraries,
and booksellers.
$45 – Facilitated by Roberta Parks, retired VicePresident of UnityPoint Foundation and frequent
OLLI facilitator.
Seats available: 18
Peoria Riverfront Museum Board Chair Todd
Baker relaxes with OLLI Executive Committee
members Rob Parks and Gary Nelson prior to last
year's inaugural Voices & Visionaries Series.
16
STUDY GROUPS
Great Decisions 2026: Discuss the Most Critical
Issues Facing America Today
Tuesdays, March 10 – April 28
12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Goodwill Commons
America is facing critical issues right now that
bear enormous consequences. Using materials
from the Foreign Policy Association, participants
will have the opportunity to discuss these topics:
America and the World: Trump 2.0 Foreign
Policy, Trump Tariffs and the Future of the World
Economy, U.S.-China Relations, Ruptured Alliances
and the Risk of Nuclear Proliferation, Ukraine
and the Future of European Security, Multilateral
Institutions in a Changing World Order, U.S.
Engagement of Africa, The Future of Human
Rights and International Law. Participants should
plan to read the analysis for each topic as the basis
for weekly discussion. The 2026 Great Decisions
Briefing Book is available online at: www.fpa.org
$45 – Facilitated by Don Samford, Peoria Area
World Affairs Council program chair and frequent
OLLI instructor, and Angela Weck, Bradley
University Instructor, and frequent OLLI instructor
and facilitator.
Seats available: 20
Reel Representation: 50 years of LGBTQ+ Films
Fridays, March 13 – May 22 (every other week)
1:30 – 3:45 p.m.
Peoria Next Innovation Center
Join us for a sampling of films from 1970 to
today highlighting the diversity of the LGBTQ+
experience. We’ll start with a documentary
showing changes in how this community has
been depicted in film over time from the silent era
on. The films have comedy, drama, romance, the
AIDS crisis, activism, & a coming of age story.
1. The Celluloid Closet (1995) & The Boys in the
Band (1970)
2. The Birdcage (1996) & Priscilla Queen of the
Desert (1994)
3. Rafiki (2018) & Tár (2022)
4. Torch Song Trilogy (1988) & Will & Harper (2024)
5. Moonlight (2016) & Brokeback Mountain (2005)
6. Milk (2008) & Pride (2014)
$45 – Facilitated by frequent OLLI facilitators,
Rebecca Carlson, Roger French, Denise Hocker,
Wayne Cannon, Jake Bowers - Peoria Proud
Treasurer, and guests.
Seats available: 20
