Her Legacy: The August Centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment

The August Centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment!

BY THE GREATER GRAND RAPIDS WOMEN’S HISTORY COUNCIL

Sporting sunfl ower gold badges,

convention delegates of the National American Woman Suffrage Association descended upon Grand Rapids from across the country in 1899. A hub for state suffrage activity, the city was invited to host the national convention; and its major leaders--Susan B. Anthony, Anna Howard Shaw, and Carrie Chapman Catt--generated massive media interest. The stage at St. Cecilia was fl ower-strewn to honor the recent fi ftieth anniversary of the fi rst women’s rights convention in 1848 Seneca Falls, New York; but delegate badges honored the Sunfl ower State, Kansas. In 1867 it was the fi rst state ever to hold a referendum on women’s right to vote. Kansas failed then, but inspired male voters in other western territories and set up farther-fl ung referenda, as in Michigan in 1874.

On August 26th, 1920, the United States certifi ed the Nineteenth Amendment to its constitution: “Th e right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” Raise your glasses to its centennial!

Much had been asked of American women after the founding of our country, but for almost 150 years the U.S. did not ensure that women had the basic right of citizenship: the vote. Across the nation today, viewers of Th e Vote on PBS are astonished to meet the spirited and relentless American women who endured the 75-year fi ght; and readers of Elaine Weiss’s Th e Woman’s Hour are gipped by her riveting account of summer of 1920, when Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th amendment--by one vote.

Closer to home and for twenty years, the Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council has been uncovering local suff rage activists, previously invisible in city and state histories, and fi tting them into even the national narrative. For a short course, please visit our website’s suff rage page at ggrwhc.org. Tour the early days of the Michigan movement, fueled by 1880s opportunities to vote and run for school boards; the 1890s heyday when Grand Rapids hosted the national convention; the moves toward diversity as well as counterproductive racist moments; hijinks in the teens with fl oats and But also be aware that many people today believe that

newspaper takeovers; and a passionate fi nal push, when WWI soldiers demanded the vote for their mothers and 14,000 Grand Rapids women’s names ran in newspapers in support.

On August 26th, 2020, we had hoped for the electricity of an in-person celebration, seven-hundred strong-- raising our voices in the suff rage anthem; lending our ears to the decorous oratory of Victorian stages; witnessing a virtual parade of images from the last decade’s spectacle and print campaigns; honoring local women building on the right to vote by running for public offi ce; and thanking the descendants of major Grand Rapids suff ragists Emily Burton Ketcham and Alde Louise Tuck Blake, whose donations jumpstarted our early work and continue to fuel our eff orts today.

Th e GGRWHC works hard to honor the contributions of Grand Rapids suff ragists, to supplement the Michigan narrative, and to put more fl esh on the bones of the national story. As we build history, though, we also try ILLUSTRATIONS BY LIBBY VANDERPLOEG

Crow period of 1899, for example, Grand Rapids was the site of racial tension during the national conference. Read about this on our website, and please be alert to all aspects of suff rage history, positive and negative. to correct errors and emphases. During the emerging Jim

the Nineteenth Amendment underwrote the right of suff rage exclusively for white women. While it took the 1965 Voting Rights Act to counter continued voter suppression, mainly in the South, throughout most of the country African American women could go to the polls in 1920. At home in Chicago, Ida B. Wells was in fact an enfranchised woman!

GGRWHC’s programming to honor the 19th Amendment centennial has been interrupted by the coronavirus outbreak. For now, please stay safe but celebrate with us virtually and in print! Visit the digital su rage exhibit on our website (ggrwhc.org); follow our calendar electronically and in WLM; and stay tuned about August 26th: HER VOICE HER VOTE!

Small Business Owners!

We Are Here WITH and FOR You

GROW is here and will continue to support small businesses, entrepreneurs and our community with the tools, information and resources we have available as a Women’s Business Center, as a Small Business Administration Partner and as community members here in West Michigan.

Business Resources in One Place We're maintaining a list of webinars and resources listed on our website that have been created with small business owners in mind. These are tools provided by major organizations including the SBA, SBDC, IRS, Google and many local organizations, including many webinars createdby GROW volunteer facilitators. • Human Resources • Resilience & Managing Stress • Mental Toughness • Cloud-based Business Tools • Opening Safely for Employees & Customers • Managing Cash Flow • Paycheck Protection Program Forgiveness • Marketing In Times of Crisis

GROW GROW staff is also here to assist business owners to navigate funding options and other business concerns as our stay at home orders are lifted. We will help clarify your situation and do our best to identify the best options for your business.

Visit growbusiness.org/covid Email: info2@growbusiness.org to get started.

Contact us to Get Started While our office is closed we are fully staffed virtually, and ready to help! Reach out to us online at growbusiness.org or email us directly at info2@growbusiness.org.