Pittsburgh’s Nellie Bly gets spotlight in empowerment project

Joanne Klimovich Harrop | Tuesday, May 5, 2020 9:23 a.m.

Courtesy of Joanne Evans

Grace Evans, 20, of Bethel Park, a student at Alfred University, chose Pittsburgh’s Nellie Bly, a journalist, inventor and charity worker, for a project honoring the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment.

This was a different kind of draft for the National Football League.

It featured players who made their mark in the game of life.

The draft consisted of 32 iconic women pioneers in American history, honoring the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Thirty-two students from colleges and universities across the U.S. are featured wearing an NFL-style jersey emblazoned with a historical woman from their region or city. Each student described the life and contributions of the woman featured on their jersey.

Thank you for the coverage @nflnetwork. Watch segment on @NFLTotalAccess this Wed. Others please share @CBSThisMorning @TODAYshow @vladduthiersCBS @GMA @NFL @SUNY https://t.co/iUBOC7gTLG pic.twitter.com/LZdfgPt65P

— Art Force 5 (@ArtForceFive) April 27, 2020

One of those students is Grace Evans, 20, of Bethel Park. A student at Alfred University, studying art history and Spanish, Evans chose Nellie Bly, the pen name for a world-famous journalist born in Armstrong County in 1864 as Elizabeth Cochran. She was also an inventor and charity worker who was widely known for her record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days.

Bly was selected with the 18th pick. Actress and singer Doris Day went first to Cincinnati. Some other draft picks include Aretha Franklin, Susan B. Anthony and Helen Keller.

“Nellie impacted so many people,” Evans said. “There is so much history behind who she was. She did really important work as a journalist, and she opened a lot of doors for the profession.”

The project was done through Art Force 5, a group of students who use art to inspire discussion on topics of equality and social justice. The program, founded at Alfred University and funded by the State University of New York, is nationally recognized with students creating non-violence workshops and community art projects across the U.S., according to a news release.

The group collaborated with the NFL Network to produce “The Women’s Empowerment Draft,” which was featured Sunday on NFL360 and Monday on NFL’s Total Access.

Evans said the NFL did a great job of showcasing what the icons meant to the students.

“It is so cool to be part of this project, and to do it with the NFL Network is huge because I am a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan,” Evans said. “The first word I ever said was ‘football.’ We spend so much time honoring sports icons and wearing their jerseys how about wearing the jerseys of women who did so much for this country? Why not have a draft about them showing who they were and where they came from?”

There is a 30-minute video of the draft here and fans can watch the NFL Network’s feature on The Women’s Empowerment Draft here.