SURPRISE NEWS ALERT: The “Spirit of 1776” suffrage wagon will be on exhibit from March 2020 at the New York State Museum in Albany, NY through the summer of 2020. And even better—news that the suffrage campaign wagon used by Edna Kearns and others during 1913 will be returning for an exhibit in Stony Brook, NY (Long Island) during September 2020.
This will be quite a homecoming. The wagon left Long Island in 1920 for Pennsylvania, and its return marks 100 years of being away from Long Island. At present, and the wagon is part of the permanent collection of the NYS Museum in Albany, NY. It has been exhibited there in 2010, 2012, 2017-2018, and now, 2020.
This year is what we have all been waiting for. It’s the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution and celebrations are taking place all over the United States and abroad.
ROSE BOWL PARADE IN CALIFORNIA
The year 2020 started with the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California. Women representing those determined to celebrate the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution were there. From the reports, the parade was a heart-felt and impressive event—not only for the recognition that it took 72 years from the 1848 women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, NY, but even longer. Women were active in rights campaigning from the official birth of the nation and before.
Here is a selection from the newsletter of the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites: “The crowd didn’t seem to recognize us just as a symbol of history, they saw us as a symbol of hope… Our chants changed as we marched from, ‘Votes for Women!’ to ‘Use your Vote!’ and the crowd joined in. In honor of float rider civil rights icon, Dolores Huerta, we began, “Si se puede!” Spanish for “Yes we can!” Again the crowd roared back. The energy never stopped, we were waving furiously and high-fiving hands even through the last block.”
The National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites is yet another example of the efforts of concerned citizens around the nation who have been working behind the scenes for the past decade to make sure that 2020 reflects the hard work by volunteers for years.
ARE YOU PLANNING AN EVENT FOR 2020?
Consider focusing a program on Inez Milholland, the US suffrage martyr. You can quickly pull together an excellent 15-minute film about Inez; the Gazette, a tabloid and handout on 2020 suffrage events and special celebrations published by the Women’s History Alliance (see their web shop for details), music by Earth Mama and other performers (see January 12, 2020 posting), plus many other resources.
In late 2019, Mt. Discovery was renamed Mt. Inez, in honor of Inez Milholland, the US suffrage martyr from upstate New York. The town of Lewis, NY and its residents are proud of the road markers erected locally, funded by the Pomeroy Foundation, to mark and locate Milholland’s grave and related locations. The Milholland family lived in Lewis, NY for many decades. And the town has been the site of many observances over the years to commemorate Inez.
There’s a terrific 15-minute film about Inez, perfect for 2020 observances and for the general public. And the renaming of Mt. Discovery in the Adirondack Mountain region of New York State is a milestone in the work conducted over the past decade to bring the stories about US suffrage activists to the attention of the public. Stay in touch with the many observances during 2020 to bring the story of the history of the US women’s rights movement to the attention of the broader public.
Visit InezMilholland.wordpress.com to follow updates. This blog was launched in 2016 to commemorate the centennial of Inez Milholland’s death.
Follow SuffrageCentennials.com during 2020.
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