Report from the grassroots— from Marguerite Kearns

BREAKING NEWS:

Former Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch has been appointed as the head of the national Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission. The US Congress created the commission to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ratification to the 19th Amendment to the US, Constitution that became the law of the land in 1920.

Kleefisch, a former television reporter, served eight years as lieutenant governor under Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin in November. Her appointment to head the national suffrage commission is proving to be highly controversial.

From Marguerite Kearns:

I’m still plugging along, working on the grassroots to give women’s history a presence. I’m the representative in my state for the Votes for Women Trail that consists of working with the Pomeroy Foundation. The goal is to place women’s history markers in key strategic places in communities across the nation.

Now with the gift of the Pomeroy Foundation in New York State, five free Votes for Women trail markers (per state) will be part of establishing a national women’s suffrage trail for 2020. It’s a collaboration with the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites. Quite a mouthful.

The State of New Mexico placed a limited number of women’s history markers in key communities several years ago. There’s a database online, and support for this program of working on the grassroots. Wherever these women’s history historic markers are unveiled, there’s attention and an ongoing reminder of the work still to be completed in the arena of equal rights.

As state rep for NM, I have been approaching different statewide organizations to take up the challenge of placing five more markers for the 2020 suffrage centennial for the state. And the same effort is ongoing in other states across the country. Our goal is 2020, the suffrage centennial.

Several states still need coordinators for the women’s trail. Contact Nancy Brown and Marsha Weinstein. And visit the web site yourself.

SuffrageCentennials.com has been publishing since 2013. We started out as a blogging tour in the “Cradle” of the women’s rights movement in the United States. Now, we’re part of many teams working up front and behind the scenes to keep the idea of a 2020 suffrage centennial alive.