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Give Her Credit: The Untold Account of a Women's Bank That Empowered a Generation with Scholar Grace L. Williams
Saturday, October 17, 2026
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Free Admission, but registration is required at: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/coloradospringspioneersmuseum/event/2026lectureseries/
ABOUT THE BOOK
In the 1970s, a new wave of feminism was sweeping America. But in the boys’ club of banking and finance, women were still infantilized―no credit without a male cosigner, and their income was dismissed as unreliable. If bankers weren’t going to accommodate women, then women had to take control of their own futures. In 1978 in Denver, Colorado, the opening of the Women’s Bank changed everything.
It was helmed by bank officer B. LaRae Orullian and the brainchild of whip-smart entrepreneur Carol Green, who forged a groundbreaking path with their headstrong colleagues, among them: Judi Foster, investment research whiz; Edna Mosley, unyielding civil rights advocate with the NAACP; Mary Roebling, renowned financial executive; Betty Freedman, a socialite and fundraiser; and Gail Schoettler, a formidable Denver mover and shaker for social justice. Coming together and facing their own unique road to revolution, they built the most successful female-run bank in the nation. It wasn’t easy.
Give Her Credit follows the challenges, uphill battles, and achievements of some of the enterprising women of Denver who broke boundaries, inspired millions, and afforded opportunities for every marginalized citizen in the country. It’s about time their untold story was told.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Grace L. Williams is a scholar of feminism and economics who moonlights as a financial reporter and podcast co-host. Whether it's shares of a company or this season's must have, Williams is passionate about what we’re buying, why we’re buying it, and how it contributes to many a bottom line. Throughout her near-decade of self-employment, she has tapped into the mindset of consumers and "followed the money" to dig deep into what they prioritize and care about as it plays out against an ever-changing market landscape. Williams is the author of Give Her Credit, a book that spotlights women's banks in the 1970s and is an alum of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where ironically she wrote a thesis on “Freeganism,” which is the magical art of surviving while buying nothing. Her writing has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Harvard Business Review, Yahoo Finance, Stephens, Financial Advisor IQ, and RIA Intel, among many others.
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215 S. Tejon Street, 80903, 215 S Tejon St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903-2206, United States
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