The suffrage movement was one of the most significant moments of political mobilization in our country’s history. The demand for equality at the ballot box began in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848 with the world’s first women’s rights convention. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, prominent activists of the time, likely could not have imagined this task would require a sustained effort spanning several decades. A diverse collection of women were activated through meetings held in small communities like Norwalk, Wilton, and Ridgefield as well as by protests on a national stage attracting the media’s attention. While it is important to look back at the rule-breaking strategies of the women (and the men) who got us here, it is even more important to look forward and ask ourselves what needs to change in order to make America more equitable. We reached out to local influencers—from the young to the not so young, from the political left to the right. Who or what do you most admire about the suffrage movement? KIMBERLY WILSON, actress, survivor: The Suffrage Movement had its obvious, and oft-named leaders, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Alice Paul, however, we must include the powerful voices and activism provided by former slaves and free black women including Harriet Tubman, Maria Stewart, Mary Ann Shadd Cary, and many others.
In 1851, Sojourner Truth spoke at the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, and delivered her powerful speech, “Ain’t I a Woman.” That message of equality still resonates today. When the 19th Amendment was made law in 1920, it did not extend to women of color, Asians, Hispanics, and American Indians. This is the other historical truth: that discrimination, inequality, and racism blocked these women from their rights until the activism—including the tireless work by Fannie Lou Hamer—helped to bring about the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which finally afforded black women the right to vote in 1965. Forty-five years after the 19th Amendment was ratified! SHARON SOBEL, The Turnover Shop of Wilton president, adjunct professor of English at UConn and Norwalk Community College, novelist: Margaret Fuller, the first editor of the Transcendentalist periodical, The Dial, is almost always overlooked as one of the inspirational lights of the early feminist and suffrage movement. Susan B. Anthony credited her as an influence on her evolving philosophy, and Hawthorne may have used her as the inspiration for the literary characters Hester Prynne (The Scarlet Letter), and Zenobia (The Blythedale Romance). Her book Woman in the Nineteenth Century is considered the first major feminist work in the United States. She was the first full-time American book reviewer, and the first woman allowed to use the library at Harvard College.
I admire the many who stood behind them to shift a campaign into legislation
HILDEGARD GROB, executive director, Keeler Tavern Museum and History Center, Ridgefield: I admire all women who rose up and raised their voices in support of women’s votes. Yes, some came from privileged backgrounds and thus had the financial means to support their activism, but they all took the road less traveled and fought for their beliefs thereby defying social norms and expectations. I also admire the (smart!) men who stood beside them and supported them. They clearly understood that plurality and diversity is a huge advantage (and a competitive edge) in every aspect. WILL HASKELL, State Senator Connecticut’s 26th District: In college, I took a course about Women in American politics. It was the first time I had learned about Alice Paul, which is a pretty sad reflection of the priorities contained in our history curriculum. I was astonished to read about the heroic hunger strike she organized in a D.C. jail. This strike eventually landed her in the hospital, where she was force-fed. Paul was singled out for placement in a psychopathic ward, not because she suffered from any mental illness, but instead because she steadfastly picketed outside President Wilson’s White House demanding the vote. Paul lived in our community at her home in Ridgefield, and her heroism is a reminder to all of us that we should never waste the opportunity to participate in our elections. Too many citizens, especially those in my generation, take the right to vote for granted and forget that Paul once starved herself so that our elections would be open to all. BRENDA MCKINLEY, director, Ridgefield Library: I admire Sojourner Truth for her shear bravery in standing up for the rights of black women, and, truly, all people. Despite the inequality we still see today, we have so many opportunities and outlets for making change. It is difficult from our perspective in 2020 to fully grasp how extraordinary her activism was 100 years ago. ANN PETTIGREW NUNES, Policy, Strategic Information and Planning Branch,
