A collaborative event with President Lincoln’s Cottage, Death Positive DC, and the DC Pregnancy Loss & Infant Death Peer Support Group. Buy tickets here.

About this event

"Through the Eyes of Mary Todd Lincoln: Reflections on Grief and Child Loss": A collaborative event with President Lincoln’s Cottage, Death Positive DC, and the DC Pregnancy Loss & Infant Death Peer Support Group.

Callie Hawkins, Interim Executive Director at President Lincoln’s Cottage, will talk to us about Reflections on Grief and Child Loss, a first of its kind exhibit that “bridges the Lincolns’ experience of the death of their children with modern families whose children have died” and brings “light to the experience of child loss across time and experience.” We’ll watch a short video about the exhibit and learn about Mary Todd Lincoln’s experience as a bereaved mother, how her grief has been perceived and portrayed by historians, and why her story is relevant today. 

Erin Wallace Morrison, Founder and Facilitator of the DC Pregnancy Loss and Infant Death Peer Support Group, will talk to us about the realities of pregnancy and infant loss and how parents who experience this type of loss generally do not receive the full spectrum of support they need. How do we support people experiencing pregnancy and infant loss (or any type of death)? How can we show up for our loved ones when we don’t know what to say or do? We’ll learn about local and national pregnancy, infant loss, and child death resources as well as how to find grief support when you need it. 

How does an exhibit about the death of Mary Todd Lincoln’s children in the 1800s help open conversations about child death and grief in the year 2021? Sarah Farr, Founder and Director of Death Positive DC, will facilitate these conversations, including a Q&A toward the end of the hour. Participants will have a chance to ask questions and share comments.

***Please note that this event will include discussions of miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant and child death.***

***This is not a support group or grief counseling session.***