Suffragist of the Month - February, 2019

Suffragist of the Month – February, 2019

Angelina Grimké Weld, 1805 – 1879 Angelina Grimké Weld was born in Charleston, South Carolina, February 20, 1805, the fourteenth and youngest child of the wealthy and influential Grimké family. Her father John was a well-known jurist; her mother Mary Smith managed her large family and numerous slaves with an iron fist, but by the […]

A Suffrage History Lesson

Anyone who has studied the woman suffrage movement knows of its unfortunate history of racism; we are again reminded of this by New York Times editor Brent Staples’ Sunday opinion piece, When the Suffrage Movement Sold Out to White Supremacy. In addition to a detailed history of offenses by white suffrage leaders against black suffragists, […]

102 Years Ago Today – Suffragists Under Attack!

January 18, 1917 On January 10, 1917 suffrage leaders from the Congressional Union, discouraged by President Wilson’s refusal to support the suffrage amendment, decided on a daring, attention-grabbing demonstration – picketing the White House. Silent Sentinels appeared at the White House gates, holding banners with such messages as “Mr. President, How Long Must Women Wait […]

The Incredible Life of Mary Louise Booth – An Exciting New Book!

Suffragist Mary Louise Booth lived in the small village of Yaphank on eastern Long Island. But while her village was small her life was lived on a much larger stage. She was the Secretary of the Women’s Rights Convention with Susan B. Anthony in 1855, an esteemed author who wrote the first History of the City […]

Suffragist of the Month, January 2019

Harriot Stanton Blatch, 1856 – 1940 From the moment of her birth on January 8,1856 Harriot Stanton Blatch had the mantle of the woman suffrage movement tucked firmly around her. As the daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, organizer of the 1848 Seneca Falls Woman’s Rights Conference, and head of the movement, there was small chance […]

A Merry Suffrage Christmas!

A Merry Suffrage Christmas!

Today we think of postcards as flimsy bits of paper sent primarily from vacation destinations, and even that usage has changed recently in favor of texting, or sending home digital emails and photographs. But during the woman suffrage movement era the postcard was a popular device that was widely used to document political movements, while […]

The Gift of Recognition

The Gift of Recognition

There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of statues throughout our country recognizing the work and achievements of men, but not many celebrating the historic contributions of women. That seems to be about to change. Here are four examples of such statues that  are in the process of being created to celebrate the ratification of the 19th […]

Giving Thanks For Those Who Help Us Celebrate Suffrage

Giving Thanks For Those Who Help Us Celebrate Suffrage

One of the best things about the upcoming centennial celebration of woman winning the vote is the new books that are gradually emerging for both adults and children. New to our Women’s History Bookshelf is a delightful new picture book by New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, illustrated by Maira Kalman, Bold and Brave: Ten Heroes who […]

Suffragist of the Month, November 2018

Suffragist of the Month, November 2018

In a break from my traditional celebration of an individual for Suffragist of the Month, this month we celebrate all the women who ran for office this midterm election. Some won, some lost, but all exhibited the same courage and stamina of the suffragists, and all should be celebrated. We began on November 5th with […]

Sammis Celebration Update

The celebration of the centennial of Ida Bunce Sammis’ election to the NY State Assembly will be Monday, November 5, 2018 at 10:30am, at 70 Main Street, Huntington, NY. Previous post omitted the time.  Please note time and date, and join us!

Remember the Triangle Fire!

Remember the Triangle Fire!

  The Long Island Woman Suffrage Association has become a Participating Organization with the Remember The Triangle Fire Coalition, an organization that strives to remember and honor those who died in the horrendous fire on March 25,1911. One hundred forty-six mostly young immigrant women, died when they discovered the doors were locked, and the fire […]

Suffragist of the Month - October, 2018

Suffragist of the Month – October, 2018

Pauline Newman, 1890 – 1986 Pauline Newman was first and foremost a labor organizer whose childhood spent in the sweatshops of lower Manhattan showed her first-hand the need for working women to organize and lobby for higher wages, better working conditions and restrictions on child labor. But she was also a suffragist, who believed the […]

America's First Woman Voter- Deborah Dunch Moody

America’s First Woman Voter- Deborah Dunch Moody

As we approach another election day we might do well to remember a strong-willed and brave immigrant who was the first woman known to vote in the New World – Deborah Dunch Moody. Deborah was born around 1586 in Wiltshire, England to a wealthy and influential family. Her father was a member of Parliament; her grandfather […]

The League of Women Voters in action.
L to R ; Pat Maher, Jane Thomas, Mona Morris, Pat McCormick, Antonia Petrash

Celebrating Constitution Day & Citizenship Day!

Today, as we celebrate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, I was privileged to join with fellow members of the League of Women Voters at Sagamore Hill, home of Theodore Roosevelt, a National Historic Site, to witness the swearing in of forty-six new citizens, originally from twenty-seven different countries. After they were sworn in the League […]

Suffragist of the Month - September, 2018

Suffragist of the Month – September, 2018

Sara Bard Field, 1882 – 1974 Sara Bard Field was born September 1, 1882 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to George Bard Field and Annie Jenkins; the family would eventually consist of five children. Her father was a staunch Baptist and imposed his iron will on his children; he refused to allow Sara to attend college because […]