Melba Moore will provide the title song for the second installation of “Voices of Resilience: The Intersection of Women on the Move” by guest curator Janine Fondon

SOUTH HADLEY — A museum exhibit that debuted two years ago at the Springfield Museums is back, this time updated with often little-known stories about the women who changed the course of history.

Curators of the “Voices of Resilience: The Intersection of Women on the Move,” say they hope the exhibit is a compelling and evolving look at the lives of women in Massachusetts and beyond who made contributions at the state and national level.

“We raise the voices of women, past and present, by acknowledging their critical narrative along history’s timeline,” said Janine Fondon, curator, who is an assistant professor and chair of undergraduate communication studies at Bay Path University.

This installation will open Sunday at 2 p.m. at South Hadley’s Center Church with a public reception and will be on view to the public through Oct. 15.

More than 50 uncommonly shared stories, photos, art and poetry explores the journeys of women, including early Black feminists, spiritual leaders, educators and musicians from the South Hadley, Amherst, Holyoke and Springfield areas.

The Republican columnist Barbara C. Bernard, of Holyoke, who has some seven decades of experience in communications in Western Massachusetts, including work in radio, television and print journalism, will also be highlighted.

“I am excited about the opportunity to share stories about women of color who were the first teachers, facility and staff at the local colleges in the 1960s and ‘70s,” said Demetria Shabazz, a scholar who worked with Fondon on this iteration of the exhibit. “It is important because they laid the foundation without models or mentors by stepping into theses spaces with courage.”

First launched at the Springfield Museums in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibit profiled women who have made radical, racial, social, political and educational impact for greater change in the community.

“This year, Voices will showcase the Combahee River Collective and the historic 1977 statement raising the voice of Black women with intention during an era of defining feminism,” Fondon said.

The exhibit will include singer and presidential honoree Melba Moore and Barbara Smith a Black feminist lesbian pioneer, activist and organizer who founded Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press. Former MacDuffie School teacher Amy Hughes, pianist Ruth Bass Green and Lucie Lewis a writer and former educator whose story traces back to the Salem Witch Trials will also have their stories told.

“What is great about the exhibit is that people will be able to relate to an aspect of their own lives,” Shabazz said. “That is fundamental in creating a statement that intersects oppression. We owe a lot to their ability to analyze their relationship to society. They made it easier for us to step into these spaces and feel like we belong.”

“On the 45 anniversaries of the roots of Black feminism we celebrate their great works,” Fondon said. “We cannot forget that we could not do what we do if they did not do what they did. This is expressing thank you and gratitude.”

The exhibit also highlights “Highest Star,” a song by Moore as the inspiration and guiding light for the project as well as the upcoming book, “It’s Our Movement Now,” a collection of essays which features a chapter by Fondon and is edited by Laura L. Lovett, Rachel Jessica Daniel and Kelly Giles.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Viewing hours are Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. For more information, or to schedule a tour, call the church 413-532-2262 or email voicescenterchurch@gmail.com.

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