Tag Archives: suffrage history

Book for young people about Silent Sentinels & White House pickets: 2017 centennial & December publication

The Silent SentinelsIn order to celebrate women’s suffrage centennials, we need an appreciative audience. This is best accomplished with an informed and educated public. But not until relatively recently has the history of all the people, not just military and political figures, been the focus of history instruction.

Jason Nord, a teacher in Nebraska who has taken on this challenge, is close to the end of a Kickstarter campaign to fund the publication of a book for young people ages 9-12 years about the women who picketed the White House in 1917.

Nord says that he loves to teach American history in such a way that excites his students, and this happened when he told them about the National Woman’s Party, a group of suffragists that protested outside of the gates of the White House in 1917.

For the most part, he says the struggle for votes for women has been taught in the following way: There was a problem with equal rights. It was fixed with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920 that guaranteed American women voting rights. Case closed, and now we don’t have to think about it anymore.

“I enjoy digging into history in a way that’s not normally told,” Jason Nord said. “It can be odd, controversial, and it gets kids thinking in a wide direction. When I told them about the White House protest, the students were spellbound. They wanted to do research and take action. I was frustrated over the lack of resources for young people to learn.” When he presents the real story, Nord said students are fascinated. And thus the Silent Sentinels book, the first of a series of a press he founded, Equality Press, that will tell stories of equality and justice for a young audience.

Serena Kearns

An extra perk for the book is the story of 12-year-old Serena Kearns, the youngest Silent Sentinel on the picket lines in 1917. Her story will be told by Jason Nord at book signings and events promoting the book although Serena’s participation didn’t come to Jason’s attention until after the Silent Sentinels book was well into production. A narrative about a young person who picketed the White House will make the book immediate and relevant for young people, Nord believes. The story of Serena Kearns and her family in the movement for votes for women is being told on the “Spirit of 1776” suffrage storytelling series (SuffrageWagon.org).

The year 2017, the centennial of the picketing of the White House, means that now isn’t too soon to be planning for this observance. Says Nord, “Equality Press was founded on the idea that education can help us to create a more just and peaceful world.” The Silent Sentinels book is scheduled for distribution in December 2015.

TO ORDER & FOR KICKSTARTER 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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News notes from the Suffrage Centennial front!

Watch the Video

News Notes about women’s history features suffrage movement storytelling! on Vimeo.

There’s more awareness and recognition than ever of the 95th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. And individual states have been celebrating their accomplishments over the past few years. A bill to create a New York State suffrage centennial commission was approved during the 2015 legislative session by both houses. But the commission has no funding and lacks the governor’s signature. Stay tuned for news updates!

TWO UPCOMING NYS SUFFRAGE-RELATED CONFERENCES:

The Upstate New York Women’s History Organization (UNYWHO) conference is set for Saturday, September 19, 2015 at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY. The event is cosponsored by the Women’s Rights National Park. Sessions include women’s digital histories, U.S. women’s wartime activism, Women in WW I, second-wave feminism, colonialism and power, sexuality and the law, feminist documentary, and evidence and inference in women’s history. The New York Women’s Suffrage Centennial Conference is set for October 1, 2015 at the Holiday Inn, Waterloo/Seneca Falls, NY), 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The New York Council for the Humanities and Generations Bank are conference partners with the NYS Cultural Heritage Tourism Network.

NEWS NOTES:

Woodstock, NY is the first community to pass a local resolution supporting the NYS women’s suffrage centennial observance in 2017. Other towns and cities are expected to gather support on the local level.  The “Spirit of 1776” suffrage storytelling series moved forward when Wilmer Kearns entered the narrative, as told by Bess, Edna’s best friend. Check out the two-part series about suffrage activist Charlotte Perkins Gilman and her story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” a revealing perspective by Wendy Bird: Part I, Part II. Four states have upcoming women’s suffrage centennial celebrations. The September program at Suffrage Wagon Cafe will feature the new book by Kenneth Florey about American woman suffrage postcards published by McFarland.

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 family storytelling to the next generation. Suffrage Centennial videos on Vimeo.

 

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Young people will energize campaign for national suffragist memorial!

Happy New Year from Suffrage CentennialsThe Turning Point Suffragist Memorial Association (TPSMA) has launched a new program to engage college-age students in order to honor the generations of activists who persevered through the 72-year struggle for women’s suffrage. The TPSM University Affiliates Program urges students to assume an active role in the development of the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial and encourages student involvement and activism on U.S. college and university campuses nationwide.

TPSMA is a non-profit organization committed to building a national memorial commemorating the suffragists by 2020, the year that will mark a century since the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. This goal can only be accomplished if the necessary awareness and funds are raised, especially in this year of the 95th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.

Students can join the affiliates program as individual members or as members of a campus-based TPSM student group. Annual dues, once paid, secure the new affiliate’s membership along with opportunities to participate in fundraising events and awareness-raising campaigns. As affiliates, students will be invited to enter contests, submit content for publication on TPSMA’s blog and social media pages, help educate their peers about women’s rights and history, and reflect on the women’s suffrage movement in a variety of ways.

Registration of student affiliate members and student groups for the 2015-16 academic year opened on August 3, 2015 and will be accepted on a rolling basis. Annual membership dues are $19 per student. For more information or to register, contact Whitney Stohr and Lauriane Lebrun at wstohr@suffragistmemorial.org.

Be on the Cutting Edge with your Support of the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial on or before the 2020 suffrage centennial 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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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!

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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Story of the Fourth of July co-conspirators

Do you know the story of the five co-conspirators who crashed a national Fourth of July centennial celebration?If not, you aren’t alone.

Picture the scene: July 4, 1876. Philadelphia, PA. A national celebration with visitors from all over the world.
The platform’s filled with dignitaries, but the co-conspirators waited until after the reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Declaration

At this very moment Susan B. Anthony was ready to make a move along with Matilda Joslyn Gage, Sara Andrews Spencer, Lillie Devereau Blake, and Phoebe W. Couzins.

Anthony marched up to the platform filled with centennial officials. She formally presented the Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States, an update on the declaration from back in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York.

THE MESSAGE: that the nation must not turn its back on the Unfinished American Revolution by denying women equality and the right to vote.

After delivering the proclamation, Anthony and others distributed copies to the crowd and left the centennial hall. THE RESULT: Pandemonium. General Howley, chairman, shouted for order to be restored.

THE OUTCOME: Suffrage activists held their own independence celebration in Philadelphia.

The July 4th Co-conspirators

AUDIO ACCOUNT OF WHAT HAPPENED on July 4, 1876 at the Fourth of July national centennial, as told by Elizabeth Cady Stanton in her memoir, Eighty Years and More. Read by Amelia Bowen for Suffrage Wagon News Channel.

NOW, LET’S FIRE UP THE BARBEQUE GRILL in 2015 and have some fun!
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Thinking about travel to Seneca Falls, NY: Listen to audio podcast, “Trouble Brewing in Seneca Falls”

Convention Days in Seneca Falls, NYWhat's to see in Seneca Falls, NY

July is the month to celebrate the 1848 Women’s Convention in Seneca Falls, New York. And if you’re planning to visit Seneca Falls, NY for the annual three-day celebration, note the dates. July 17, 18, and 19, 2015. Consult the Convention Days web site for the daily schedule. And then start by listening to the short podcasts from Elizabeth Cady Stanton reporting from her early days living in Seneca Falls, NY up to the point of the July 1848 convention and after.

And now the entire audio series of “Trouble Brewing in Seneca Falls.” Podcast #1. Podcast #2. Podcast #3. Podcast #4. Podcast #5. Podcast #6. Podcast #7. Audio by Librivox. Production by Suffage Wagon News Channel. The June program of Suffrage Wagon Cafe featured visiting Seneca Falls, NY with videos, audio, and recommendations for travelers. Take note of the special report on the 1848 Seneca Falls convention on SuffrageCentennials.com  Visit our TRAVEL link with travel notes and recommendations.

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June 19th is a big day for Iceland’s suffrage centennial celebrants!

Highlights of Suffrage Centennials: From now to 2020, go where the action is for votes for women! on Vimeo.

Move over United States and let Iceland move into position as a trailblazer and one of the best nations in the world for women. This year Iceland celebrates its suffrage centennial of women voting for the past 100 years. But it’s more than the date. The buzz is about what Iceland has been able to accomplish since 1915 when women partially won the right to vote, and then in 1920 all Icelandic women stood in line before the ballot box.

For the past five years the World Economic Forum has applauded Iceland for having the smallest wage gender gap. An equal number of men and women are involved in government. And the nation elected its first woman president in 1980. In this year of Iceland’s suffrage observances, the Reykjavík City Council’s Presidential Committee is coordinating 100 activities, planned and produced by a wide variety of organizations. These events include art exhibits, rallies, issue campaigns, panel discussions, classes, festivals, and many special programs. June 19th is Women’s Rights Day in Iceland. On October 24th, women in Iceland go on strike to bring about an even better standing for wages. They’ve been doing this for the past 40 years.

Iceland women's suffrage centeninialIceland suffrage exhibit

The exhibition “Visions of Women” from Iceland is based on photographs and documents from the years 1910 to 1920 when women in Iceland organized for the right to vote. The aim of the exhibition is to honor the women, their lives and times. A part of the exhibition is Guðrún Sigríður Haraldsdóttir´s multimedia installation “kven:vera.” The installation uses materials and methods the artist developed in her art practice in recent years. Tryggvagata 15, 1st floor. Entry free.

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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

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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