Easier said than done—that is, the shift from real events to virtual events. If you don’t know about this valuable resource already, take a look at what’s available at the Library of Congress for your web based and digital creations.
Yes, we’re making changes and asking questions. It isn’t enough to cancel events and gatherings during this international health emergency. We have to work extra hard and keep our goals in mind.
Keep the 2020 suffrage centennial celebrations alive and well NOW.
NEW BOOK ABOUT THE US SUFFRAGE MARTYR, INEZ MILHOLLAND, IS IN THE WORKS
This is one of the features in the recent issue of the Gazette published by the National Women’s History Alliance.
CONCERN ABOUT THE RISE IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DUE TO PANDEMIC
The European Union is only one of the international forums concerned about the rise of domestic violence resulting from the lockdowns of areas around the world due to the virus pandemic. This isn’t new. Health crises have in the past led to domestic violence and this is no exception.
This is a video produced by the international movement associated with Eve Ensler (vday.org) that has been responding to this trend during so-called “normal times” that has been made even more alarming now. Here is musical and video commentary:
IF YOU WANT TO ADD SPICE TO YOUR ORGANIZATION’S PROGRAMMING…
Consider focusing a program on Inez Milholland, the US suffrage martyr. It may have to be a virtual event. If so, it’s a trial run to learn what it takes to function online during these troubled times. Planning may have to take mobility issues into consideration because of the many closings during the coronavirus emergency.
CONSIDER A RANGE OF POSSIBILITIES
If you are able to plan a “live” event sometime this year, you can quickly pull together an excellent 15-minute film about Inez, and add a copy of the Gazette, a tabloid and handout on 2020 suffrage events and special celebrations, to your guests’ resources. The Gazette is published by the Women’s History Alliance (see their web shop for details). There’s music by Earth Mama and many other performers.
Another possibility is a virtual event, gallery, or exhibition.
In late 2019, Mt. Discovery was renamed Mt. Inez, in honor of Inez Milholland, the US suffrage martyr from upstate New York. The town of Lewis, NY and its residents are proud of the road markers erected locally, funded by the Pomeroy Foundation, to mark and locate Milholland’s grave and related locations. The Milholland family lived in Lewis, NY for many decades. And the town has been the site of many events over the years to commemorate Inez.
There’s a terrific 15-minute film about Inez, perfect for 2020 observances and for the general public. And the renaming of Mt. Discovery in the Adirondack Mountain region of New York State is a milestone in the work conducted over the past decade to bring the stories about US suffrage activists to the attention of the public. Stay in touch with the many opportunities during 2020 to bring the story of the history of the US women’s rights movement to the attention of the broader public.
The “Spirit of 1776” suffrage campaign wagon was put on exhibit at the New York State Museum in Albany, New York in early March of 2020. It was scheduled to be there until the end of the summer of 2020. As of this date, the New York State Museum is closed temporarily. Find out about the wagon’s future exhibition at SuffrageWagon.org
SuffrageCentennials.com has been publishing since 2013.
2020 Suffrage Centennial Persists! The cover story below was published in Newsday, the Long Island daily, on March 8, 2020. We’re thrilled. More coverage coming soon.
To see the article, click on the arrow to the right of the center.
Follow SuffrageCentennials.com during 2020. And Suffrage Wagon News Channel has updates on the “Spirit of 1776,” suffrage campaign wagon used by Edna Kearns and other voting rights activists during 1913.
The celebration of 2020, the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote in the United States wasn’t a miracle that just happened. It is the result of hundreds of volunteers. For the past decade we have been networking and organizing with one goal in mind—that 2020 wouldn’t come and go without a splash.
STILL A LONG WAY TO GO…
This is a news alert. We have to make an immediate shift to digital presentations in order to keep the anniversary alive.
Back in 2013 when SuffrageCentennials.com started publishing, the future wasn’t secure at all. Many public officials weren’t even sure what the word “suffrage” meant. A few asked, “Does suffrage hurt?”
Persistence. That’s what kept the momentum moving forward. Determination and spirit. Now it’s 2020 and there’s so much going on that we couldn’t have anticipated. However, the goal of equality and an end to second class citizenship for girls and women is by no means realized.
THE BEHIND THE SCENES CAMPAIGNS
The “Spirit of 1776” campaign was one of many sponsored by Suffrage Wagon News Channel to keep the 2020 centennial in the public awareness.
The importance of March and Women’s History Month has been an ongoing contributor to this rite of passage.
That’s why your support is essential during 2020. Support centennials programs. Sponsor an event for friends, family, or your organization either live or on a digital platform.
Don’t forget that Inez Milholland, the US suffrage martyr, has renewed interest during 2020. Check in with InezMilhollandCentennial.com Stay in touch with news sources online featuring Inez Milholland.
We’re celebrating 2020, the year of the RAT-ification of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution that guaranteed voting rights for US women. This 100th birthday party is being celebrated across the US.
We’re making a transition to digital platforms.
THE CHANGES UNDERWAY, TODAY AND IN THE NEAR FUTURE
Many events and conferences scheduled for this month to celebrate the 100 years since the ratification to the US Constitution have been cancelled, as have most events involving small and large gatherings.
The 2020 centennial hasn’t been cancelled, however. We’ll be featuring the best actions to take to keep the anniversary alive in upcoming posts.
IT’S TIME TO MAKE THE BASIC CHANGES NECESSARY THAT HAVE PROMPTED US TO MARCH FOR 100+ YEARS.
LET’S CLEAN UP UNFINISHED BUSINESS NOW SO WE CAN MOVE FORWARD UNITED.
When the 2020 calendar produced by Syracuse Cultural Workers was published in 2019, no one could have predicted that the slogan “Hear Us Roar 2020” would apply to an international pandemic. Over the years we’ve been preparing for 2020. And the response has been overwhelming. This is because of the long-term advocacy for the upcoming observance on the local, state, and national levels. Over the long haul, the word has been spread and activities placed into action by regular people determined that this critical election year be acknowledged and noticed.
“HEAR US ROAR”
Over the past few weeks there has been an enormous wave of closings in order to halt the spread of a virus that has been overwhelming institutions, communities, and nations.
Don’t be surprised if the cancellation of events in the preparation stages comes to your community or organization or school, etc.
LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!
If you marked your calendar for a special event or trip to celebrate the 2020 festivities, check first. “Hear Us Roar 2020” is an attitude that’s spreading. Let your voice be heard.
As of today, there are no women running for US president to represent a major political party in the United States. Even after 100 years of women voting, those interested in the nation’s top job have been disappointed in the outcome or have been advised that “women can’t win.”
MARCHING FOR OUR RIGHTS FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS!
Women have been marching for their rights for more than 100 years.
Don’t forget this! Are we willing to march for another 100 years? How about 200? At what point does the following kick in?
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”
Women constitute well over 50% of registered voters in the United States. Think about it!
The “Spirit of 1776” suffrage campaign wagon scheduled for exhibition in the lobby of the New York State Museum (Albany, NY) during March and through the summer of 2020 can’t be seen because of the museum’s temporary closing. Check with Suffrage Wagon News Channel for more information.
The Brandywine River Museum of Art at 1 Hoffman’s Mills Road in Chadds Ford, Pa. is hosting an exhibition of little-known suffrage activists through June 7, 2020. The museum asked five artists to create portraits of 14 suffrage activists deserving of recognition but to date haven’t received the attention they deserve. This exhibit to feature women of color is another step forward. It brings to public attention a representative sampling of the tens of thousands of women activists who put themselves on the line for women’s voting rights across the nation.
EXHIBITION IN PENNSYLVANIA SIGN OF THE TIMES
In 2013 when SuffrageCentennials.com started blogging on the importance of advocacy for early women’s rights efforts, the time and effort hadn’t reached the momentum of today. The decentralized suffrage movement wasn’t understood, let alone given the attention it so rightly deserves. This activism, in many quarters, was viewed as boring and not deserving of attention.
SO MUCH HAS CHANGED WITH SUFFRAGE CENTENNIALS
So much has changed. This is in part to the extraordinary momentum built over the past decade by individuals and organizations on the grassroots. Most of such advocacy has not been funded by government or corporations. It stands as a remarkable collaboration behind the scenes. And since then, more effort and commitment has been applied to the deficit. It wasn’t long ago that the entire movement was dismissed as less than significant. This included women of all backgrounds.
SuffrageCentennials.com is one example of an effort, a labor of love, to bring awareness out from the underground. There are so many exhibits and programs that we can’t keep track of them. That wasn’t true back in 2013 when the campaigning of SuffrageCentennials began.
HAPPY WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH!
Keep the announcements and exhibit notices coming! Remember Inez Milholland, the US suffrage martyr, who gave her life for women’s voting rights. Find out news updates about Inez at InezMilhollandCentennial.com
It’s a reminder—and an important one—that women throughout the world are watching and paying attention. Women in the United States have been marching for their rights for more than 100 years. And by the looks of the upcoming 2020 presidential election, the candidates of the two major political parties will be featuring men.
Don’t let March 8, 2020 come and go without leaving a trail behind! The web platform for International Women’s Day has plenty of resources available. An example:
The web platform, InezMilhollandCentennial.com , has been updated in order to promote more awareness of Inez Milholland, the US suffrage martyr, during 2020. Check it out!
The above image of a statue of Inez is the vision of a Loveland, Colorado sculptor Phylicia Mann who is looking for supporters and funders.
There’s an active group marching every year in January to honor Inez Milholland. Find out more at the Facebook group—Adirondack Women’s March. The text below is from the Facebook book coordinated by Sandra Weber.
PITCH IN TO SUPPORT SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT INEZ
How about planning a special Inez Milholland program at home for friends and family, your organization, fundraiser, or special event? During 2020, the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution many organizations and special interests will be busy linking to centennial news and programs, especially in this presidential election year.
Sign up to receive news updates on InezMilholland.wordpress.com for highlights. Planning a trip that links your travel to suffrage events and celebrations? Are you’re in a position to suggest to educators special topics to study? Bring Inez Milholland out of the margins and check in with what’s available.
For more information about this 15-minute film, go to InezMilholland.org
There’s a network linking us together during 2020. SuffrageCentennials.com is part of it. But the roots go deeper than what’s immediately apparent. The year 2020 is being celebrated across the nation, not because of corporate funding, not because certain so-called party leaders haven’t been deeply invested in partisan politics. And not because a centennial celebration of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution just “happened.”
We’re celebrating 2020 as a turning point in the United States because thousands of concerned citizens drew the line and said “Enough is enough! We’re not going to let 2020 come and go without a peep.”
Remember the corporate cigarette ad in the past lobbying women to smoke cigarettes? They claimed we’d come a long way and should be glad we did. Why go “all the way” when we’ve already come a long way?
Sorry, but we aren’t spending our free time smoking cigars.
WHAT ARE OUR CHOICES?
BUSINESS AS USUAL doesn’t cut ice with women and others today who no longer accept a second class role. We can do better, and not with another round of candidates who claim we can’t do better and should be satisfied with less. Those parroting the themes of the old boy network may spout a loud line, but underneath they’re reinforcing the old adage, “Stay in your place. Women can’t win.”
We can make 2020 a turning point. Don’t sign up to reinforce the old and tired position that we can’t.
THE TOUGH QUESTIONS
Are we going to accept another century without women having equal rights under the US Constitution? Are we planning to keep marching into the sunset with the word “please” stuck in our throats? Are we going to continue marginalizing the accomplishments of those who have sacrificed and struggled for dignity and human rights in generations before us? How much longer will we tolerate blatant attempts to suppress the popular vote or eliminate voters from the rolls?
HOW MUCH LONGER ARE WE WILLING TO BE DUPES?
How far are we willing to go in support of a future where we’re no longer rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic? How much longer will the old boy network continue its condescending attitudes, including not opening up the tunnels of power and sharing chairs at conference tables when it’s urgent to work together and ensure a safe future for the planet and its diverse living forms? How much longer will we grin and bear social policies that put women and others down and tell us that we’ve “come a long way” when an increasing number realize finally that it’s time to go “all the way?”
During Women’s History Month in March, I’m honoring my grandparents—Edna Kearns and Wilmer Kearns—for whom women’s rights represented a family affair. Intergenerational activist started before me, and it will continue after me.
Start at home, and let’s spread our wings to our community, the nation, and internationally. I’ve been blogging about my grandparents since 2009. I’m completing a memoir during 2020 as a way for me to honor them. It will be published in 2021. Check out Suffrage Wagon News Channel.
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