AUGUST 18, 1920.

ANNIVERSARY of the ratification of the 19th Amendment in Tennessee by a close vote. This story will be presented on TV in 2020 because of a collaboration between Hillary Clinton and Steven Spielberg.

PERFORMER PETE SEEGER AND HIS SUFFRAGE ACTIVIST AUNT, ANITA POLLITZER

Remember the folk performer and composer Pete Seeger? Most likely you aren’t aware that his maternal aunt, Anita Politzer, was a votes for women supporter and key organizer for the National Woman’s Party in Tennessee in 1920. Tennessee was the last state needed for the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Find out about this special angle on the ratification process: Take a look at the link from Woodstock Times (March 2017) by Marguerite Kearns: “Pete Seeger, Anita Politizer, and the War of the Roses.”

DOCUMENTARY—”THE BLACK SUFFRAGIST”

A documentary is in the works for “The Black Suffragist: Trailblazers of Social Justice.” Everything shedding light on the first wave of the women’s rights movement is essential. Filmmaker Jennifer Rolle notes on her web site: “If you have a relative who was a suffragist or a member of the 19th century women’s club movement, I would like to hear from you. Also, if you have something that you would like to add to my dialogue on 19th century African-American women and women’s rights, or women’s equality in general, please reach out me at the web site for the film.”

Jennifer Rolle hails from the Bronx where her mother introduced her to the joys classic movies. She is producing the documentary in association with the feminist media group, Women’s Voices Now. Jennifer is a New York University grad and is a former member of the Uniworld Group advertising agency. She currently resides in Montclair, New Jersey with her daughter, Tiana, and two fur babies.

FIRST WAVE DESCENDANTS MAKE THE NEWS

Descendants of the first wave of US women’s rights movement are making the news. These folks, who inherited long memories, are associated with statues or plans to establish them, such as the project by friends and descendants to build a statue of Ida B. Wells in Chicago, and the Anthony/Stanton statue in NYC’s Central Park. Other examples include this web platform dedicated to Edna Buckman Kearns and her “Spirit of 1776” suffrage wagon that’s in the collection of the New York State Museum in Albany, NY.

MAKE AUGUST 26TH A FEDERAL HOLIDAY

There is no federal holiday that honors women. To address this need and build on the success of Women’s History Month in March of each year, the National Women’s History Project has put out a call to join the Women’s History Alliance. There is no cost to sign up to help this momentum.

CALL FOR MEMBERS BY THE NATIONAL WOMAN’S PARTY

A hundred years ago the National Woman’s Party, based in Washington, DC, was a mover and shaker in the politics associated with suffrage activism. Today the NWP is a historic site and national monument with valuable artifacts to preserve and history to teach. This site—the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument—was added to the National Park Service during the Obama administration. The NEP offers special programs, tours, and advocacy about the organization’s participation in the first wave of the US women’s rights movement. Link.

There is so much material still to be gleaned from the first wave of the women’s rights movement in the United States.

LetsRockTheCradle started as a blogging tour of the cradle of the women’s rights movement in the United States in 2013. Sign up for posts by way of email. Subscription form on the home page.

LetsRockTheCradle.com is publishing up a storm. It’s one of the sister sites of Suffrage Wagon News Channel.