Tag Archives: suffrage centennial

Remember Inez Milholland when you vote in 2016!

Remember Inez Milholland, America’s suffrage martyr! on Vimeo.

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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“Stamping for Suffrage,” an Article by Kenneth Florey

Stamping for Suffrageby Kenneth Florey

Given past practice, it is highly likely that the US Postal Service will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the federal amendment granting women the right to vote in some fashion. Doubtless it will issue at least one postage stamp honoring “Votes for Women,” if not, more probably, a “souvenir sheet,” containing a variety of stamps picturing different elements of the movement.

In 1948, for example, the post office printed a stamp honoring the “one hundred years of progress of women” featuring images of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Carrie Chapman Catt. In 1970, the PO distributed an issue for the 50th anniversary of the suffrage amendment picturing a “votes for women” touring car that was so popular during the campaign. And in 1995, it honored the 75th anniversary with a very colorful design featuring a large group of suffragists in front of the Capitol Building. Its souvenir sheets celebrating the major events of the different decades of the 20th century included a stamp delineating a woman voting.

PAST HISTORY OF THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE HONORING SUFFRAGE ACTIVISTS

The Post Office has not neglected individual suffragists either. There have been stamps honoring Susan B. Anthony (twice), Lucy Stone, Elizabeth Blackwell, Abigail Adams, Dr. Mary Walker, Julia Ward Howe, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, Belva Lockwood, and Alice Paul. Still yet to be pictured are such notables as Harriot Stanton Blatch, Anna Howard Shaw, and Inez Milholland, the suffrage martyr. Victoria Woodhull, the first woman ever to run for President (1872), has not been graced with a stamp either, although her period notoriety, particularly her stance on “free love,” could preclude her from ever appearing.

But again, I suspect that in 2020 we will see a souvenir sheet picturing either famous events from the suffrage movement or famous suffragists, perhaps a combination of both. The reason why I believe in the possibility of multiple stamps is that the PO in its current budget crisis has not been bashful in printing many different series to attract stamp collectors. If cartoon characters, famous chefs, baseball players, jazz musicians, Olympic athletes, early TV memories, and Gulf Coast lighthouses can be honored with multiple issues as they have been, surely the centennial celebration of women’s right to vote should attain at least equal if not greater recognition.

STAMPING FOR SUFFRAGE? THERE ARE SEVERAL POSSIBILITIES!

The Post Office welcomes ideas for stamps from citizens. If you have a suggestion about possible suffrage stamps, you can pass it along on the following official link: https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/csac/process.htm. Perhaps those of us who are interested could send in collective suggestions. One additional note: There are several sites, which can be found readily enough on the Internet, that will take photos and drawings that you submit and make them into stamps, complete with postage. These stamps are valid, and can be used in place of regular stamps. Prior to 1920, suffrage supporters made up their own postcards. Would it not be fitting in 2020 for people interested in women’s rights to print up their own stamps as well?

Check out Kenneth Florey’s website and his recently published book, “American Woman Suffrage Postcards: A Study and Catalog.” Image, courtesy of Kenneth Florey who will be speaking on May 28, 2016, 1 p.m., at the World Stamp Show and Exhibition at the Javits Center in New York City on May 28-June 4, 2016. Because of its size and scope, the show and exhibition is only scheduled every decade; the anticipated international attendance is  250,000.  The U.S. Postal Service will issue two stamps for this show.  The title of Florey’s presentation is “Philatelics, Postcards, and the Woman’s Suffrage Movement.” For more information. can be found at http://www.ny2016.org/Event.aspx?eventid=312

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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Six days left on Kickstarter campaign for Inez Milholland film

INEZsignsPROMO5

Inez Milholland: America’s suffrage martyr. She died for women’s right to vote.

Just six days left to join the campaign to introduce Inez Milholland to American voters. You can be a part of the push to distribute the beautiful short documentary, Inez Milholland ~ Forward into Light. With your help, Martha Wheelock and Wild West Women (wildwestwomen.org) will be sending 10,000 free copies to schools, libraries, organizations and anyone working to encourage voting.

Make it happen today ~ click over to Kickstarter, choose a reward and make a pledge.  You can see the trailer there too. Kickstarter http://tinyurl.com/hjzoqdw  Everyone should know about Inez. OR Send a tax-deductible contribution marked “Inez” to NWHP, 730 Second St #469, Santa Rosa, CA 95402.
The National Women’s History Project will help distribute the INEZ film.

SuffrageCentennials.com is working to bring the story of Inez Milholland to American voters in this election year.

Visit the InezMilhollandCentennial.com web site.

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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Letter to NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo supports 2017 suffrage centennial funding!

2017-goldDecember 23, 2015

The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of New York State, NYS State Capitol Building, Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo,

We, the undersigned, write to thank you for signing into law last month the legislation creating the New York State Women’s Suffrage 100th Anniversary Commemoration Commission. New York’s accomplishment in 1917, of women winning the franchise three years before ratification of the 19th Amendment, deserves broad celebration, public education, and promotion.

This anniversary can – and must – be our moment to prominently place New York State in the national and international context that our history deserves, while also helping to shape the future of the struggle for full equality that women have still not achieved. We humbly suggest that it is an opportunity to create a legacy that brands New York State as a place where equality and opportunity for all people are truly valued and celebrated.

Therefore, as you prepare your executive budget for the upcoming fiscal year, we ask that this once-in- a-lifetime anniversary be recognized with resources commensurate to the occasion. Moreover, investments during this period can create tourism destinations that will continue to generate income for the state and local communities and create jobs for years to come.

As the Commission will begin its work in 2016, and the celebrations should build toward the national anniversary in 2020, it is essential that multi-year funding be appropriated. Specifically, we request that funding be included, beginning for:

staff support and related expenses for the Commission itself; Centennial events, tourism packages, conferences, and programs during 2016-2020; investment in “the product” – capital investment funds for the more than two dozen historical and cultural resources related to women’s history statewide; and marketing to promote the events and sites, including web development, social media, and other mechanisms, for example through I Love NY.

Females comprise more than 51 per cent of the state’s population. The acknowledged birthplace of the American women’s rights movement – and arguably the international women’s rights movement – is in New York State. This is a legacy opportunity that we are confident will benefit the entire state.

Thank you very much for your consideration

Sincerely,

Martha Robertson  and Susan Zimet, Friends of Women’s Rights National Historical Park and President, 2020: Project Women.

CC: Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul Mary Beth Labate, Director, Division of the Budget FY2016-2017.

Signers: New  York State Cultural Heritage Network, Lynn Herzig, Coordinator, 63 members; Philip P. Arnold, Ph.D., Director, Skänoñh—Great Law of Peace Center Syracuse University Syracuse, NY; Heidi Bamford, Western New York Library Resources Council Buffalo, NY; Dr. Betty M. Bayer, Professor, Women’s Studies Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY; Louise Bernikow, Gotham Center for New York History, New York, NY; Tara Bloyd, “Spirit of 1776” Suffrage Wagon, Santa Fe, NM; Sandi Brewster-Walker, Chair and Executive Director, Long Island Indigenous People Museum; David Bruinix, Macedon, NY; Bonnie Callaghan, South Bristol, NY; Menzo Case, Generations Bank and Right to Run 19K, Seneca Falls, NY; Billye Chabot, Executive Director, Seward House Museum Auburn, NY; Dik Cool, Publisher, Syracuse Cultural Workers Syracuse, NY; Robert P. J. Cooney, Jr., National Women’s History Project Half Moon Bay, CA; Julia Corrice, Chair, New York Heritage Digital Collections’ Women’s Suffrage Centennial Committee South Central Regional Library Council Ithaca, NY; Sarah Craig, Executive Director, Caffe Lena Saratoga Springs, NY; William G. Dolback, President, Ticonderoga Historical Society, Ticonderoga, NY; Patricia F. Dolton, Historian for Town of Greenwich Washington County, NY; Kevin S. Douglas, Advisor, World War One Centennial Commission New York, NY; Adriene Emmo, Treasurer, Friends of Women’s Rights National Historical Park Founding member, Women’s Institute for Leadership and Learning Seneca Falls, NY; Dr. Peter Feinman, Institute of History, Archaeology, and Education Purchase, NY; Susan Goodier, Ph.D., Editor, New York History Journal Public Scholar, New York Council for the Humanities SUNY Oneonta Department of History, Oneonta, NY and Hamilton College, Clinton, NY; Alice Graves, MLIS, Hospital Library Services Program Manager Southeastern NY Library Resources Council Highland, NY;  Melinda E. Grube, Ph.D., Cayuga Community College, Phelps, NY; Kimberly Harvish, Educator, Chapman Historical Museum Glens Falls, NY; Robert Hest, Director, New York Cultural Heritage Tourism Network Mountain View, NY; Linda Hoffmann, Ithaca, NY; Andrea Holroyd, Old Songs, Inc. Voorheesville, NY; Barbara Howard, Yonkers, NY Women on the 20s Campaign; Deborah L. Hughes, President & CEO National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House Rochester, NY; Lyle Jenks, President, Board of Trustees 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum Ontario County, NY; Marguerite Kearns, Co-Chair, Inez Milholland Centennial, National Women’s History Project; Susan Lesser, Ithaca, NY; Bruce Levy, Plainview, NY; Mary-Carol Lindbloom, Executive Director, South Central Regional Library Council Dryden, NY; Kerry Lippincott, Executive Director, Geneva Historical Society Geneva, NY; Judith A. Lonnquist, Esq., Friends of Women’s Rights National Historical Park Seneca Falls, NY; James G. Loperfido, Cayuga County Arts Council Auburn, NY; Jody Luce, Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark Peterboro NY; Katie MacIntyre, Generations Bank and Right to Run 19K, Seneca Falls, NY; Nancy Mion, Bayport, NY; Ilka Morse; Capital District Library Council Albany, NY; Ann Morton, Morton Archaeological Research Services Macedon, NY; Reginald Neale, 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum Executive Committee Ontario County, NY; Carmen Negron, Wesley Hills, NY; Brian C. O’Connor, MA, MSLS, North Country Community College Saranac Lake, NY; Diane O’Connor, Ticonderoga Historical Society Ticonderoga, NY; Laura Osterhout, M.L.S., Rochester Regional Library Council Fairport, NY; Valerie Paley, Ph.D., Vice President, Chief Historian and Dean of Scholarly Programs, Director, Center for the Study of Women’s History New-York Historical Society New York, NY; Jennifer Palmentiero, Southeastern NY Library Resources Council Highland, NY; Antonia Petrash, Long Island Woman Suffrage Association Glen Cove, NY; Jane Plitt, Campaign Coordinator Friends of the Women’s Rights National Historical Park Seneca Falls, NY; Kathy Rand, Friends of Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls, NY; Diane Robinson, former Farmington Town Historian Farmington, NY; Joan E. Seaman, Long Island Library Resources Council Long Island, New York; Andy Spence, Old Songs, Inc. Voorheesville, NY; Kay Spence, Old Songs, Inc. Voorheesville, NY; Martha Swan, Executive Director, John Brown Lives! Westport, NY; Olivia Twine, Historical Society of Woodstock, Woodstock, NY; Dr. Sara B. Varhus, Vice President for Academic Affairs Nazareth College Rochester, NY; Edward Varno, Executive Director Ontario County Historical Society Canandaigua, NY; Sally Roesch Wagner, Ph.D.; Founding Director, The Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation, Adjunct Faculty, The Renée Crown University Honors Program, Syracuse University Public Scholar, New York Council for the Humanities; Cassie Ward, Executive Director, New Castle Historical Society, Horace Greeley House Chappaqua, NY; Dr. Marie Watkins, Canandaigua, NY; Judith M. Wellman, Director, Historical New York Research Associates Professor Emerita, State University of New York at Oswego; Kerri Willette, Metropolitan NY Library Council New York, NY; Doris Wolf, Third great granddaughter of Susan B Anthony’s grandmother Waterloo, NY; Carol Ritter Wright, Fairport, NY.

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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ACTION ALERT: Sign letter supporting funding for NYS Suffrage Centennial Commission!

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Sign letter to NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo about funding for 2017 suffrage Centennial Commission! on Vimeo.

A letter goes out right before the Christmas break to NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo thanking him for signing the bill creating a New York State suffrage commission that will begin work in 2016. The idea is to add funding to enable gearing up for the 2017 state observance and onward to the national 2020 suffrage centennial when American women will have been voting for 100 years. Send an email TODAY to:

martha.o.robertson@gmail.com

Tell Martha Robertson that you’d like to sign onto the letter so that the goal of 50-60 signers can be met before the holiday. Your signature will make a difference!

Support women’s suffrage friendly blogs and organizations.

NEWS ALERT: Four U.S. states have women’s suffrage centennial celebrations before 2020. Find out more in this video.

Watch the Video

Become a detective into the past of women’s suffrage stories on Vimeo.

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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NYS suffrage centennial commission one step closer to reality, plus news notes!

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Follow Suffrage Centennial News & Storytelling! on Vimeo.

Support New York State’s women’s suffrage centennial commission for 2017. Both houses of the New York State Legislature approved the creation of the suffrage centennial commission during the 2015 session. Now it’s time for Governor Andrew Cuomo to sign the bill. It’s said to have been pushed to the top of the pile of bills to sign in the near future. Once the bill is signed, the push is on to get $2.9 million funding for the commission’s work.

You can help by signing the petition. Write an electronic letter. Call the Governor’s office at 518-474-8390.

Help spread the word via social media using #NY4Suffrage. Donate $10+ to the NYS Council for the Humanities.

Here at SuffrageCentennials.com we’ve been following the “Suffragette” film (Trailer) and the November 2015 release of “10 Days in a Madhouse” (Trailer). Most often, period films are love stories. But these two films have women characters who drive the plot. The release of the “Suffragette” film in theaters across the nation has been getting plenty of attention. Let us know what you’re doing to bring attention to “Suffragette.” Get your organization involved!

Check out the special November 8, 2015 program about “10 Days in a Madhouse” at Suffrage Wagon Cafe. The 200th birthday celebration of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s 200th birthday was celebrated with a party at Cooper Union in New York City on November 12. And the Women’s Rights Park in Seneca Falls, NY has a special program scheduled for Saturday, November 14, 2015.

On January 1, 2016 the centennial observance for Inez Milholland, America’s suffrage martyr, will be launched. Follow SuffrageCentennials.com during 2016. Sign up for the newsletter. Become a partner and participate in the action campaign. We’re partners with the Inez Milholland centennial observance. Details to follow soon.

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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“Suffragette” film from UK has many excited about its implications!

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“Suffragette” film from U.K. raises questions for discussion! on Vimeo.

Dr. Helen Pankhurst sends message to American women voters from the U.K. on Vimeo.

The day is drawing near in the US for the release of “Suffragette,  the feature film from the UK about the Votes for Women movement in England. And it’s great to hear that Dr. Helen Pankhurst, the great granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, has a small role in the film. Many of the performers who are stepping up to the plate have been commenting on the importance of linking today with the past, especially with issues that remain unresolved today. The recent London premier of “Suffragette” was accompanied by a protest by Sisters Uncut, a demonstration that places current concerns squarely on the table –issues such as domestic violence and budget cuts impacting women in the UK.

Find out about Dr. Pankhurst’s thoughts about the film and the family name she carries. The release of the “Suffragette” film is also expected to be an open door for American activists busy planning the US women’s suffrage 2020 centennial celebration.

Meryl Streep has been granting some excellent interviews related to her performance in the “Suffragette” film as Emmeline Pankhurst. Her work in lobbying the U.S. Congress to move the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution forward is much needed and it has been an extraordinary contribution. Bravo. Directed by Sarah Gavron and written by Abi Morgan, “Suffragette” stars Carey Mulligan,Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson and Anne-Marie Duff.

We’re reminded time and again that many of the issues of the early 20th century, as portrayed in the “Suffragette” film, persist today. The film publicity has been ample and the graphic posters memorable. The struggle for equality remains uphill, say many who are optimistic that the film will open Hollywood to more opportunities for women performers, directors, producers, and support staff. “Suffragette” and “10 Days in a Madhouse” are two productions weighted heavily in favor of women’s history that will hopefully have recognition at the Oscars.

Those who believe that women should have the same rights as men (that is, feminists) are insistent that the future of the planet relies on a balanced representation of the world’s population in decision making. Public discussion of this topic has been associated with the “Suffragette” previews and pre-release publicity, another reason the production deserves widespread support. Stay tuned for our pre-release coverage of “10 Days in a Madhouse,” the US film about investigative reporter Nellie Bly based on her undercover reporting that’s scheduled to open in early November. With more than 90% women performers in the production, “10 Days in a Madhouse” is written and directed by Timothy Hines and produced by Susan Goforth.

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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Suffrage centennial road trip & campaign to restore suffrage movement silent film!

Suffrage Envoys, v. 3

Author Anne Gass set out on September 21, 2015 for a Sara Bard Field cross-country trip for woman suffrage that will continue through November 19, 2015. She left from San Francisco headed for Auburn, then Reno, and onto Salt Lake City, Midvale, Utah and then will drive across Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Chicago, Ohio, and then upstate New York where she’ll visit Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Albany. She’ll be in Wilmington, Baltimore and finally Washington D.C., and finally arriving in November 16 for several nights before returning home to Maine. Travel can be unpredictable, as Sara Bard Field and her companions often found before the construction of modern highway networks. You can follow the road trip online.

The trip traces suffragist and poet Sara Bard Field’s cross-country automobile trip that carried a petition from the Panama Pacific Exposition to President Woodrow Wilson demanding the 19th Amendment to the constitution. Anne is seeking more information and artifacts from the historic journey, which was sponsored by Alice Paul’s Congressional Union (later the National Woman’s Party) and was met by a large demonstration in Washington D.C. 100 years ago.

"Mothers of Men"

Mothers of Men, a melodrama made in 1917, one the few surviving women’s suffrage films, stars Dorothy Davenport. Made just three years before the 19th Amendment, the production attempted to show the nation how strong women could be if allowed to hold political office. The only known film elements are held outside the United States and have been deteriorating to the point that it is imperative to begin the restoration. Donations are requested. For more information.

IN OTHER NEWS: The Honorable Margaret Milner Richardson received the Silent Sentinel award on September 17, 2015 from the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial project. Elizabeth Crawford continues with her blogging in anticipation of “Suffragette” film from the UK. New Zealand suffrage petition with 24,000 names available online. Continuing coverage of Woodstock, NY town board resolution supporting 2017 and 2020 suffrage centennials that shares local women’s history with a broader audience (Women in Black). Book for young people about Silent Sentinels and the picketing of the White House. U.S. suffrage martyr Inez Milholland honored on National Voter Registration Day. Follow 2016 Inez Milholland centennial on Twitter. Suffrage Wagon Cooking School celebrates its first birthday. Fundraising for the proposed statue of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in Central Park continues. Susan B. Anthony Museum and House 2015-2016 lecture series announced.

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 Zealand women’s suffrage movement petition in a digital wheelbarrow

Time is passing!September 19th is Women’s Suffrage Day in New Zealand because it became the first nation in the world for its women to win the right to vote in 1893 after a long and difficult campaign. A large roll of names on the suffrage petition is now preserved at Archives New Zealand. The international significance of this document has been recognized by its inclusion on the UNESCO Memory of the World register of documentary heritage. The Ministry of Culture and Heritage Manatū Taonga worked with Archives New Zealand and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to make the petition available online.

Members of the public can help preserve and contribute to New Zealand’s rich history by accessing the database which contains information on more than 24,000 New Zealand women, an added incentive for those searching for the names of relatives on the petition. For more information. New Zealand’s ministry for women has released the following statistics in order the demonstrate the work needed in the present and future:

64% Around two-thirds of university graduates are women. 35% More than one third of women work part-time. 14.75% The percentage of women directors on the NZX top 100 listed companies. 41.7% The percentage of women on state sector boards and committees. Up to $5.3 billion The estimated annual cost to New Zealand of family violence. $1.2 billion The estimated annual cost to New Zealand of sexual violence. 25% The lifetime prevalence of sexual violence experienced by women (2009). 13th New Zealand’s ranking out of 142 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2014. For more information about New Zealand.

SUFFRAGE NEWS FROM DOWN UNDER: “That Bloody Woman” is a rock opera that opened in NZ about the country’s insistent suffrage activist, Kate Sheppard. Link.

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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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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