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PART II: Charlotte Perkins Gilman & “The Yellow Wallpaper” still read today!

Editors’ Note: This is the second part of the two-part article about Charlotte Perkins Gilman by Wendy Bird, an advocate for social justice and equality of opportunity and a strategic consultant for non-profits, government, and philanthropy.

GilmanSliderby Wendy Bird

Part II 

What is One to Do?:

Like the haunting “nevermore” of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “what is one to do” in “The Yellow Wallpaper” becomes a chilling rallying cry against the injustices of the “rest cure.” Disenfranchised and isolated, the unnamed woman feels she cannot be heard over the voices of her husband and brother, both doctors. In her words, “Personally I disagree with their ideas. Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. But what is one to do?” The woman senses that her husband’s profession may actually be impeding, rather than aiding, her recovery and wellbeing, saying, “John is a physician, and PERHAPS–(I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind)–PERHAPS that is one reason I do not get well faster. You see he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do?” For the woman, her husband’s belief that she is not sick and, therefore, not in need of quality medical care, as opposed to just “rest,” cannot be overcome: “If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression–a slight hysterical tendency–what is one to do?” As the protagonist becomes increasingly upset (“I am getting angry enough to do something desperate”) and ultimately goes insane (“I’ve got out at last”), the reader is left to wonder if something might have been done to prevent the tragedy after all.

Girl Power Matters:

Gilman adds complexity to the story by introducing Jennie, John’s sister. Rather than serve as an ally to the ailing woman, Jennie inadvertently contributes to the woman’s demise by upholding the unwanted isolation and inactivity of the “rest cure” and, by extension, the “men know best” stereotype. Before long, “Jennie sees to everything.” Like John, Jennie tries to escalate control over the woman: “Jennie wanted to sleep with me–the sly thing! but I told her I should undoubtedly rest better for a night all alone.” Just as she begins to fear her husband, the woman begins to fear her sister-in-law, saying, “even Jennie has an inexplicable look.” Without anyone to support her ideas and suggestions, the woman’s isolation extends beyond the physical into the mental and emotional.

Innovative Storytelling:

Gilman uses several strategic literary devices to advance her point of view. First, Gilman presents the protagonist as a woman without a name. By the end of the story, we know the names John, Jennie, Mary, Henry, and Julia, but not the name of the ailing woman, underscoring the woman’s sub-status treatment. Second, Gilman uses the wallpaper as a metaphor for the stifling treatment of John and Jennie, enabling the woman to criticize her family without drawing the ire of conservative readers. For example, echoing John and Jennie’s relentless oversight, the woman says, “There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down. I get positively angry with the impertinence of it and the everlastingness. Up and down and sideways they crawl, and those absurd, unblinking eyes are everywhere.” Finally, Gilman uses familiar language to draw readers in and win their trust, making her ultimate denouncement of the “rest cure” more compelling. Initially, for example, John and Jennie are described as “loving,” “dear,” “sweet,” and “careful,” as to be expected from family members. The woman would never prioritize her own needs over those of her husband: “of course, I would not be so silly as to make him uncomfortable just for a whim.” The woman even expresses gratitude for her husband’s treatment, saying, “it is lucky that John kept me here.” Like the woman, the reader is drawn in by the false promises of the “rest cure” and, in turn, also shocked and dismayed by its tragic consequences.

Impact:

With its masterful storytelling, Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” raised serious questions about the “science” behind the “rest cure” and amplified a voice still hear too little in women’s health care: a woman’s. Other writers such as Virginia Woolf also criticized the treatment, laying the foundation for improved understanding of women’s health needs and effective treatments moving forward.

Epitaph:

In 1935, suffering from incurable breast cancer, Gilman chose to use chloroform to end her life on her own terms. In a note she left behind, Gilman described her choice as a human right: “When all usefulness is over, when one is assured of unavoidable and imminent death, it is the simplest of human rights to choose a quick and easy death in place of a slow and horrible one” (Radcliffe Magazine). While still controversial in health care today (as recently evidenced, for example, by Brittany Maynard in “My Right to Death with Dignity at 29”), in death, as in life, Gilman exercised autonomy and the power of choice

The original collection of the “Papers of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 1846-1975” is located at the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University. For more information and the online collection, please visit the “Charlotte Perkins Gilman Digital Collection.”

RESOURCES:

Part I of the article series on Charlotte Perkins Gilman by Wendy Bird.

FREE AUDIO of “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

The Woodstock (NY) town board in August passed a resolution honoring Woodstock women in history, including Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and affirming the NYS suffrage centennial celebration in 2017. This is the first time a local community has taken such a step, and it’s likely that other towns and cities will do the same.

Suffrage CentennialsimagesFollow SuffrageCentennials.com on Facebook page, Twitter, email subscription, and the Quarterly Newsletter. Sign up for email on this web page. Stay up to date with postings, audio podcasts, and videos. Plan for your suffrage centennial event. And don’t forget to pass on women’s suffrage storytelling to the next generation. Suffrage Centennial videos on Vimeo.

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“Equal Means Equal” film upcoming, plus lots of suffrage centennial news notes

"Equal means Equal" film“Equal Means Equal” is a documentary film about the status of women in America that will put suffrage centennial celebrations into perspective. It’s expected to be released in 2016. We’ll be featuring efforts to push for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by 2020, the nation’s suffrage centennial celebration of 100 years of American women voting.

Welcome this weekend to delegates attending the AAUW state summer convention on July 24-26, 2015 at Cazenovia College.  The AAUW state organization in New York is a long-time friend of women’s suffrage centennial events and celebrations. A big thank you to the NYC Department of Records & Information Services for mentioning SuffrageCentennials.com on Facebook and Instagram. The city records department has committed to planning five years of programs featuring women’s history topics and special events associated with the upcoming 2017 New York suffrage centennial. Check our Twitter feed for ongoing announcements. To sign up for news about the 2016 suffrage centennial observance honoring America’s suffrage martyr Inez Milholland, check out this link. We’re featuring women’s history and suffrage events from a variety of organizations as a regular feature on our Twitter feed.

Celebrate the 95th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on August 26, 2015, Women’s Equality Day, by downloading a file with pertinent information from the National Women’s History Project.

IN OTHER NEWS: Women’s Equality Party formed in UK to bring women’s issues out into the public. Save the Sewall-Belmont House says the National Park Service. There’s a list of possibilities as to how this important historic site can be operated in order to keep its doors open. Women’s history artifacts in the collection of the New York State Museum publicized. Story of the July 4th co-conspirators in 1876. If you missed Convention Days in Seneca Falls, NY this summer, set aside some time for a pilgrimage to the Finger lakes region of NYS this coming fall. Another “save the date” reminder for the October 1 conference promoting cultural heritage tourism and suffrage through the NYS Cultural Heritage Tourism Network. A recent press release from NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York is the most visited state by overseas travelers for 14th year in a row. Will New York be ready for its 2017 suffrage centennial? Funding sought for recently-passed New York suffrage centennial commission, but the observance is approaching quickly. Stay tuned!

Suffrage CentennialsimagesFollow SuffrageCentennials.com on Facebook page, Twitter, email subscription, and the Quarterly Newsletter. Sign up for email on this web page. Stay up to date with postings, audio podcasts, and videos. Plan for your suffrage centennial event. And don’t forget to pass on women’s suffrage storytelling to the next generation. Suffrage Centennial videos on Vimeo.

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The 95th anniversary of the 19th Amendment on August 26, 2015. . . plus news notes

This coming August 26th, Women’s Equality Day, is the 95th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that extended the right to vote to American women. There are many media references to 2020, the nation’s suffrage centennial or the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. And five years to go might seem like a long time, but the time is passing quickly. The Women on Money campaign this year set 2020, the national suffrage centennial, as its goal for the U.S Treasury to place a woman’s image on national currency. And advocates for the revival of the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) are also looking toward 2020 for the completion of the ERA’s ratification. There’s still plenty of time to plan something special for August 26th. Check out the audio recording to find out about the designation by the U.S. Congress in 1971 to create Women’s Equality Day on August 26th.

OTHER NEWS NOTES: New York State residents are urged to contact their state representatives in the NYS Assembly and Senate to fund the New York women’s suffrage centennial commission that will be planning events and celebrations in 2017. The New York Council for the Humanities has made available a web site link that makes this easy for the state’s citizens. New York State women won the right to vote in November 1917. The year 2015 is the centennial observance of the 1915 NYS suffrage referendum that may have lost, but an infrastructure was created that led to the 1917 victory. For more information. October 1, 2015 is the date for a conference sponsored by the NYS Cultural Heritage Tourism Network at the Holiday Inn Waterloo/Seneca Falls, 9-4 p.m., to address issues including: Working with “I Love NY” to promote 2017 events, the connection of Native-Americans, African Americans, and religious groups to the women’s rights movement, and how to attract visitors to the state during 2017. For more information.

Suffrage CentennialsimagesFollow SuffrageCentennials.com on Facebook page, Twitter, email subscription, and the Quarterly Newsletter. Sign up for email on this web page. Stay up to date with postings, audio podcasts, and videos. Plan for your suffrage centennial event. And don’t forget to pass on women’s suffrage storytelling to the next generation. Suffrage Centennial videos on Vimeo.

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Buckle your seat belt for suffrage centennial celebrations that could knock your socks off!

Suffrage centennials are taking the nation by storm! on Vimeo.

New York State is positioning itself to be a frontrunner in cultural heritage tourism that could demonstrate to the nation the type of sustainable economic development that’s possible on the ground. Current shifts toward favorable public opinion about the history of women’s voting rights and upcoming suffrage centennial celebrations suggest that such observances can be meaningful as well as economically advantageous for local communities, regions, states and the nation.

In recent years, the following states celebrated their centennials of women winning the vote prior to 1920: Wyoming (1890), Colorado (1893), Utah (1896), Idaho (1896), Washington (1910), California (1911), Arizona (1912), Kansas and Oregon (1912). Montana and Nevada observed one hundred years of women voting in 2014 with special events, projects and activities. New York’s centennial celebration is scheduled for 2017, with Michigan, Oklahoma and South Dakota to follow. And there’s the upcoming national suffrage centennial in 2020.

SUFFRAGE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF GOING VIRAL

Opportunities for New York State are in the early stages and they follow the best practices of states that have already held suffrage centennial observances. The pieces are in place to develop cultural tourism networks and infrastructures. There’s a state suffrage centennial commission recently passed in the NYS Legislature, the involvement of state agencies, the result of long and dedicated work by citizens and organizations working together.  New York City and upstate communities are involved. Passionate grassroots advocates have taken leadership roles. Funding is available. And the internet is exploding nationwide and around the world with stories of amazing women, today and in the past. A major motion picture, “Suffragette,” will direct public attention to voting rights struggles. It’s a matter of bringing all of this together that will make the difference between blowing an opportunity and the potential of suffrage centennial celebrations going viral.

We can’t take anything for granted in a controversial climate that has marginalized women’s history over the past century. We could miss opportunities and assume that someone’s in charge, when in fact, a grassroots collaborative initiative is underway that could be taking on more than it can handle. The good news includes the efforts of visionaries who have set 2020 as the goal of achieving equality for women in the United States. There are stirrings in the U.S. Congress to revive the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) by 2020. A woman on U.S. currency is now a possibility. Special projects are downright exciting, including the building of a statue of women in NYC’s Central Park, a nationwide women’s trails initiative, upcoming conferences, literary initiatives, a proposed suffragist national memorial outside of Washington, DC, and a core of dedicated activists who view sustainable economic development of cultural heritage tourism as key to the process.

COMPARED TO THE 2017 WORLD WAR I CENTENNIAL OBSERVANCE, WOMEN’S CELEBRATIONS COULD TURN OUT TO BE A FLASH IN THE PAN

Compared to the big bucks being invested in the national centennial observance of World War I in 2017, the story of women and our accomplishments could turn out to be little more than a flash in the pan. Getting our story out to the nation takes dedicated and persistent work. Local communities must set priorities about how to honor this extraordinary opportunity. There’s a cultural struggle underway in light of the 2016 presidential elections and a great deal of past neglect of women’s history to overcome. A great deal of our history has been buried or marginalized. We can blow these openings and opportunities. And we can built infrastructures and constituencies that will last longer than any planned centennial celebrations.

WE NEED ALL HANDS ON DECK!

Are you on board? The move to celebrate suffrage events and centennial celebrations is about insisting on taking our place in the sun, assuming leadership, and spreading the word about how we stand on strong shoulders with not only women’s issues but our shared national activist history. Marriage equality was once thought impossible. One commentator recently called the activist who took down the Confederate flag in South Carolina as someone who had committed “patriotic civil disobedience.” Women’s suffrage history has a strong tradition of patriotic protest. We can connect the past and present and future by supporting efforts to build sustainable lifestyles and practices necessary for life in the 21st century and beyond. We’re moving mountains, but we can’t take anything for granted yet. Let’s make the most of every door that opens to us. We can sail through the challenging times ahead if we pull together. We’re on our way. Onward!

Suffrage CentennialsimagesFollow SuffrageCentennials.com on Facebook page, Twitter, email subscription, and the Quarterly Newsletter. Sign up for email on this web page. Stay up to date with postings, audio podcasts, and videos. Plan for your suffrage centennial event. And don’t forget to pass on women’s suffrage storytelling to the next generation. Suffrage Centennial videos on Vimeo.

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New York State could blow its 2017 suffrage centennial celebration or it can lead the way to 2020!

Goal of 200 storytelling videos about women’s suffrage movement makes learning American history easy for young people on Vimeo.

Just because New York State has an opportunity to market its unique position as the “Cradle” of the women’s rights movement in the United States doesn’t mean it will be successful. All the pieces are in place for New York to walk into the sunset with the entire nation and the world paying attention. This requires a correct balance of circumstances and attitude. If New York State believes it can bus people in from China and Australia and have them leave excited, it’s possible. And it’s more likely that the intentions will be good but there won’t be the necessary followup and input and grassroots support to make it work. The key is in bringing the right balance of excitement and connection together, to link the past and present and redefine the “Spirit of 1776” for a new time and place and set of conditions in this contemporary world.

WE COULD BLOW THIS OPPORTUNITY, OR ALL THE PIECES COULD COME TOGETHER!

Today the internet is exploding with stories of suffrage activists. Sometimes they’re called suffragettes. Other times they’re referred to as suffragists. In the past, some women preferred one term over the other which is why we here on SuffrageCentennials.com refer to votes for women advocates as suffrage activists. It’s important to not leave anyone out. Many different types of people were involved in shaking up the status quo during this time in history, including men and those who opposed the idea of women voting altogether.

Women vote in high numbers today. More than at any other time in history, there’s a fascination with storytelling about the votes for women movement. We even find descendants of the anti-suffragists lamenting the day women won the right to vote. It’s essential the entire story of the suffrage movement be told: the warts, the compromises, the courage, especially the parts revealing the movement’s weaknesses and prejudices.

LET’S TELL THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT…!

Women of the 20th century didn’t invent racism, classism, and sexism. They inherited it. We’re all born into this social and economic system where discrimination and prejudice is profitable, which is why women’s suffrage storytelling can bring us together as we peel back the layers. The storytelling about this remarkable social movement of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers, other family members and ancestors has the potential of completing the unfinished American Revolution, hopefully in our lifetimes.

There are so many stories to tell. Women’s suffrage storytelling was featured on Suffrage Wagon Cafe on July 8, 2015. Storytelling features the women of the past reaching out through time to meet us where we are today. Transferring the messages and spirit and content into upcoming women’s suffrage events and celebrations is up to us. Let’s get together to celebrate suffrage centennial celebrations, whether in New York State in 2017 or the national observance of the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 2020!

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Suffrage Centennials News Notes Roundup

CentennialSliderThe National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites (NCWHS) and the National Women’s History Project (NWHP) have joined forces to create a national clearinghouse for information on state woman suffrage celebrations leading up to the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution on August 26, 2020. Such an effort will culminate in the creation of a nationwide woman suffrage trail highlighting the role of each state in the 72-year struggle from 1848 to 1920. The NCWHS and NWHP invite state governments, as well as women’s groups and history organizations, from across the nation to join this effort. The call also includes identifying women’s history sites. For more information, contact Pam Elam at plelam@aol.com.

The Suffrage2020 Listserv has valuable information that will be delivered to you personally by email if you sign up. In a recent bulletin there’s a suffrage centennial timeline, women’s suffrage resources, and news about a new document listing Women’s Heritage/History Trails and Tours around the nation. Post to Suffrage2020 by sending an email with your message to Suffrage2020@thezahnisers.com.

To celebrate the centennial of the White House picketing for woman suffrage that began in January of 1917, the editors of Women and Social Movements in the United States invite women’s history faculty, students and independent scholars to join a crowdsourcing experiment.

Historian Jill Zahniser compiled extensive information about women suffrage picketers and their supporters that was published as a database in the March 2015 issue of WASM. Women from 35 states and the District of Columbia are represented in the database. Zahniser has launched this project by constructing the database and writing 500-word biographical sketches of six women activists. Another 28 already have biographical sketches in Notable American Women. Biographical sketches of the remaining 190 picketers and their supporters are needed for whom there are no authoritative biographical sketches. Twenty educators in U.S. women’s history have volunteered to mentor students in their classes between now and June 2017 in the methods of researching and writing these remaining biographical sketches. Are you a graduate student or independent scholar who would volunteer to write one or two of these sketches?

Jill Zahniser will edit these new suffragist sketches and they will be published in the fall 2017 issue of Women and Social Movements in the United States. If you don’t have access to this journal, access to the excel spreadsheet which contains this database and related files from the project will be provided. Contact WASM co-editor, Tom Dublin at tdublin@binghamton.edu.

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Special report about Seneca Falls women’s rights conference in 1848!

Watch the Video

Special report about Seneca Falls women’s rights convention! on Vimeo.

If you’re expecting Seneca Falls, NY to be like Disneyland, you’ll be disappointed. The town and its past is better suited to an introduction to how women’s history and American history intersect. And those interested include regular tourists as well as those who view their travel as a journey or a pilgrimage to the roots of our history as a nation. There’s a special report, now available on the web site of the Women’s Rights National Historic Park, that will give you a shot in the arm of understanding the significance of the 1848 women’s rights convention. And if you’re headed to Seneca Falls in the future, it’s a recommended read before you leave town.

The Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention and the Origins of the Women’s Rights Movement, a special report by Dr. Judith Wellman, puts the conference into perspective and adds to other discussions about whether or not the 1848 convention was all people claimed it to be. There had been stirrings about women’s rights long before 1848, but Wellman notes that the Seneca Falls convention marks the “beginning of the organized women’s rights movement.”

The Seneca Falls gathering set the model for women’s conventions. It nailed the theme of the movement, that is, the connection between women’s rights and the nation’s founding ideals. Seneca Falls set the agenda for the suffrage movement and modeled methods for moving toward the goal of equality. In short, Seneca Falls was a “pivotal” event, one that Wellman argues in a comprehensive report, a perspective that’s also reflected in her 2004 book, The Road to Seneca Falls; Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the First Woman’s Rights Convention.

Read the special report. Find out what else is being said about Seneca Falls, such as the work, The Myth of Seneca Falls: Memory and the Women’s Suffrage Movement, 1848-1898 by Lisa Tetrault. And take into consideration what’s going on in Seneca Falls, NY during 2015, such as Convention Days in July. And check out the special program about Seneca Falls at Suffrage Wagon Cafe in June. Seneca Falls, NY is expected to be a hot spot for travelers during the 2017 New York suffrage centennial. Get a jumpstart now!

Check out other travel destinations.

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Suffrage centennial planning is taking off in New York State

New York is getting ready for its 2017 suffrage centennial on Vimeo.

New York State is humming with women’s suffrage centennial planning activity. There’s the recent bill establishing a state suffrage centennial commission that’s now on its way to the NYS Assembly. New York City is buzzing with suffrage centennial planners active, organizations looking ahead, and citizens involved with their share of the action.

There’s considerable activity underway in NYC to celebrate the victories of the women’s suffrage movement across lines of race and class, with national landmarks (the Statue of Liberty, Fifth Avenue, Union Square) as a background for political theater and celebrations.

A fall gala in 2017 will honor NYC suffragists and feature their descendants. Sponsored by the Gotham Center for New York History, Suzanne Wasserman and Louise Bernikow are enthusiastic organizers. If you’re a descendant of a NYC suffragist, an invitation will be sent your way if you get in touch. Find out about the Suffrage Soapbox and a Facebook page, Votesforwomenny, for NYC suffrage centennial events and celebrations. Louise Bernikow (louisebernikow@gmail.com), 212-6626307, can be contacted for more information. Louise’s book, Milliners & Millionaires: New York City Women and the Fight for the Vote, will be published in 2017.

The New York State Museum will feature a special exhibit in 2017: “Votes for Women: Celebrating New York’s Suffrage Centennial” that’s scheduled to open in the fall of 2017. The state museum has acquired a series of 1917 Franklin County women’s suffrage petitions from Jean Kubaryk, a teacher at North Warren Central School District. The “Spirit of 1776” suffrage campaign wagon will also be on exhibit at the state museum in 2017. The state Council for the Humanities has held workshops about funding for 2017 centennial programming and taken an active role in planning for the centennial observance.

After a year and a half of work, the NYC Parks Commissioner has approved the Central Park women’s statue project proposed to honor Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. All the details, including the location, can be found on the website www.centralparkwherearethewomen.org. Next steps include the design phase and approval by the city Public Design Commission.

Women posterThe NYC Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) is celebrating the state’s 2017 women’s suffrage centennial by launching activities and programs from 2015 to 2020 to bring attention to New York City’s under-recognized female activists of the past and present, as well as inspiring activism. DORIS is hosting an exhibition through June 30, 2015 entitled “Women Make History: A March Through the Archives” at 31 Chambers Street in New York City. Group tours are welcome. Contact visitorcenter@records.nyc.gov for more information. There’s an evening of music, performance, art, and oratory on November 12, 2015 honoring Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s 200th birthday at Cooper Union in NYC. Tickets will go on sale in the fall. Visit the NYC link at www.WomensActivism.NYC. Follow on Twitter and Facebook. Contact Tracy Penn Sweet – tsweet@records.nyc.gov for more information.

The Central Park suffrage statue activists will be shifting into a fundraising phase to pay all costs for the proposed statue and its endowment fund. Even though the Statue Fund is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization, fundraising is challenging. So Pam Elam, President of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Statue Fund, Inc., sends out the reminder: “A thanks, again, to everyone who has already endorsed the statue campaign and/or made a pledge/donation. Please help us spread the word and gain new endorsers and donors. Your help would be greatly appreciated.”

If you have specific plans for celebrations in 2017 and 2020, let us know and we’ll highlight upcoming events. We’re also gearing up for the 2020 Votes for Women national suffrage centennial. Follow Suffrage Centennials for trends, news, and views.

PLUS SUFFRAGE NEWS FROM UPSTATE NEW YORK:

On July 22, 2015, join historian and singer Tisha Dolton as she leads a discussion and sing-a-long of some of the songs that helped shape the 72-year struggle for the enfranchisement of women in the US. It’s part of the Adult Summer Reading program at Rensselaer (NY) Public Library. Tisha has a new Facebook page that highlights her activities and programs.

We’ve been collecting suffrage centennial news from New York State–a sampling from our archive : #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 Stanton related events

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Next steps for NYS bill for women’s suffrage centennial 2017 & 2020!

WATCH THE VIDEO: Answer the Clarion Call to Celebrate New York State’s 2017 Suffrage Centennial on Vimeo.

NYS Senate bill 2388 to establish a state women’s suffrage centennial commission for 2017 passed  and is on its way to the New York State Assembly. Next steps: If you’re a New York State resident, contact your state Assembly representative and track the progress of the bill in the NYS Assembly where the bill is sponsored by Democratic Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther and others. If passed by both chambers the legislation will create a thirteen-person commission consisting of appointees to coordinate the state’s commemorations. See details of bill in above link. Women voters: this is about how your voting rights were won.

The Senate bill was sponsored by NYS Senators Little, Hoylman, Kennedy, Parker, and Valesky. The bill calls the upcoming 2017 state centennial “a milestone moment for the state… Equal opportunity is as important a topic today as it was when Susan B. Anthony was arrested in Rochester for attempting to vote.”

The 13 appointed members in the NYS Senate bill are designated as the commissioner of parks, recreation and historic preservation, the commissioner of education, the commissioner of economic development, the president of the League of Women Voters of New York State, the superintendent of the Women’s Rights National Historical Park, the president of the Susan B. Anthony Museum and House, the director of the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation, 1a member of the board of the New York Council for the Humanities as a non-voting member, one member appointed by the governor, one member appointed by the temporary president of the senate, one member appointed by the speaker of the assembly, one member appointed by the minority leader of the senate, and one member appointed by the minority leader of the assembly.

The commission’s terms go from 2017 to 2020, the nation’s national suffrage observance. The bill’s primary focus is to “… plan and execute an organized series of statewide conversations and programs that celebrate the accomplishment of women’s suffrage.” The commission may be funded, although the appropriations have not yet been approved.

SuffrageCentennials_Button_2015_v2imagesFollow SuffrageCentennials.com on Facebook page, Twitter, email subscription, and the Quarterly Newsletter. Sign up for email on this web page. Stay up to date with postings, audio podcasts, and videos. Plan for your suffrage centennial event.

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VOTE IN NYS SENATE: Bill to create a NYS 2017 suffrage centennial commission!

2017 Suffrage Centennial

At 3 p.m. EST today, May 27, 2015, it’s possible to find out what NYS Senate representatives are saying about the proposed bill to establish a 2017 state suffrage centennial planning commission. It’s Senate bill 2388. If you haven’t made your voice heard, now’s the time to contact your representative. The NYS legislative session is close to an end. Use the Twitter hashtag, #NY4suffrage, for updates today and your comments!

YOU CAN TAKE ACTION BY CONTACTING YOUR STATE SENATOR, STAYING IN TOUCH WITH #NY4SUFFRAGE TWITTER HASHTAG, AND WATCHING NYS SENATE VIDEO OF PROCEEDINGS AT 3 P.M. EST!

Suffrage CentennialsimagesFollow SuffrageCentennials.com on Facebook page, Twitter, email subscription, and the Quarterly Newsletter. Sign up for email on this web page. Stay up to date with postings, audio podcasts, and videos. Plan for your suffrage centennial event.

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