Two (and possible three of us bloggers) don’t have much time to spend on the road, so you can imagine we’ll be making the most of the opportunity. It’s all about how as women we specialize in maximizing our resources and working together, whether it’s in the present, past or future.

The idea of a blogging tour started with the suffrage campaign wagon called the “Spirit of 1776” that had a day of glory on July 1, 2013. That’s when the State of New York set aside July 1, 2013 as the “Spirit of 1776” Wagon Day to commemorate the centennial of the wagon’s first journey in 1913 from Manhattan to Long Island to campaign for women’s rights and the right to vote.

The resolution in the NYS Legislature took the combined efforts of the two heads of the state legislature’s tourism committee (both women), the state legislative women’s caucus, volunteers, plus a new organization emerging on the NYS scene, Votes for Women 2020.

Women organizing and helping each other has been going on a long time. Even if the venues change, we’re still doing it. Many people still don’t know much about the suffrage movement. Some people’s eyes glaze over when they hear the word “suffrage.” They ask: “Can’t you choose some other word than suffrage? It sounds painful.”

The good news is that over the next few years considerably more people will understand what is being referred to by the term “suffrage.” They’ll finally realize that this first wave of feminism took 72 years (1848-1920) and involved tens of thousands of women working together to achieve a goal –the right to vote.

It’s amazing just how many people who’ve even heard of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott and Alice Paul and Matilda Joslyn Gage and others somehow think that women’s right to vote resulted from a handful of Votes for Women leaders making private deals with high government officials in cigar-filled rooms.

That’s why we’re adding more names to those who rocked the cradle in New York State, including Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and many more. And this is why the Cradle Blogging Tour is such a great opportunity. It means you’ll be able to come along with us and perhaps even get inspired enough to take this journey yourself and take the family along.

The national park at Seneca Falls will be one of the stops, plus the Susan B. Anthony House in Rochester, and the home and center of Matilda Joslyn Gage in Fayetteville, plus much more.

It’s not necessary to leave home to join us on the blogging bus. There are no worries about parking, hotel overnights, meals. This road trip is intended to build interest in and momentum for the upcoming centennial of women voting in New York State in 2017 and the national centennial suffrage observance in 2020.

The suffrage movement or the first wave of feminism is a classic example of women helping women. Relatively few of these activists were paid for their work, other than a very few who received token amounts for expenses and speaking engagements. Most were volunteers who raised money by selling suffrage literature, newspapers, memorabilia and trinkets. Many devoted their lives to the cause, as did their daughters and grandchildren. Now that’s women helping women, and we need to spread the word. As women we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We’ve been helping each other for generations. Some might say that we have this instinct in our DNA.

If you think it’s early to be thinking about the future and preparing for it, consider this: We have an opportunity to create a splash with our fabulous history in the years leading up to 2020 (the national suffrage centennial), but it requires building interest in the opportunities these suffrage centennials provide. Join us and help make our circle wider.

Sign up for the Cradle Road Trip by visiting Let’s Rock the Cradle, a project of Suffrage Wagon News Channel, the web site and blog that tells the story of the suffrage campaign wagon in New York City and Long Island.

Get on the bus by signing up for the blogging tour at LetsRockTheCradle.com (http://letsrockthecradle.com)

Don’t make a fuss. Get a front row seat on the blogging bus. For more information, visit Suffrage Wagon News Channel (http://suffragewagon.org ) and LetsRockTheCradle (http://letsrockthecradle.com)

Tell your friends and be the first person in your community to sign up. And in every way we can, let’s rock the cradle. ++

2012 marks the 95^th anniversary of New York women winning the right to vote on November 6, 1917.  The suffragists’ spectacular electoral campaign, waged during the trials of World War I, changed American history and led directly to passage of the 19^th amendment and the enfranchisement of women nationwide.

This election year, we can appreciate anew the determination, perseverance, and skill of these New York suffragists – particularly after being defeated just two years earlier.  We also pay tribute to the far sighted, multi-cultural men of New York who passed the measure.

This election marked a bold chapter in American history and was a key part of the history of the Empire State.  Ultimately, it was a mutual victory where motivated women won equal rights for all women and regular men – male voters, not politicians – recognized the justice of their demand.  The woman suffrage movement offers us one of the best examples of Americans’ love of democracy and dedication to the ideals of liberty and justice for all.

Here is a brief, two-part summary of what New York women actually did in 1917, adapted from the text of “Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement” by Robert P. J. Cooney, Jr.Ÿ          Ÿ          Ÿ          Ÿ          Ÿ

Suffragists in New York State campaigned throughout 1916 and 1917 to win over the most economically powerful and politically influential state in the nation.

After their defeat in 1915, women’s groups throughout the state reorganized into the New York State Woman Suffrage Party (WSP).  Determined to try again, suffragists, as required, won the approval of two successive state legislatures to submit the measure to the voters, which in itself was a remarkable accomplishment.

The war in Europe helped define the theme of the campaign. Suffragists emphasized women’s patriotic contributions and the logic of establishing at home the democracy America was fighting to defend abroad. Still, the suffrage drive took place in the midst of deep anxieties about the war, with citizens experiencing a vast national mobilization which demanded tremendous energy and personal sacrifice.

“The war had cut across the picturesque propaganda activities which had enlivened the 1915 campaign,” noted Mary Peck, and it drew countless women from suffrage work. Gertrude Brown remembered that the suffrage campaign “seemed at its lowest ebb” during the early summer of 1917 but, “as summer waned and election day came nearer, enthusiasm again began to flame up.”

Restructuring the Woman Suffrage Party

Vera Whitehouse led the state Woman Suffrage Party, with Harriet Burton Laidlaw as vice-chair and Helen Rogers Reid as treasurer.  The WSP in New York City, led by Mary Garrett Hay, formed the backbone of the state effort. Under Hay, the WSP built up its own structure modeled on Tammany Hall, the powerful Democratic machine that controlled the city. Party members were organized by Assembly districts and election precincts, each of which had its own captain. In the city alone there were five borough leaders and 2,080 precinct captains.

Learning from their experiences in 1915, suffragists concentrated on strengthening support and weakening opposition in New York City. To that end, Hay appointed numerous women connected to Tammany Hall politicians to positions in the WSP. Organizers also reached out to working families and immigrant communities, heeding Rose Schneiderman’s advice that the way to the working man was through the working woman.

Winning Upstate Voters

Outside of the metropolitan area, over 80 organizers were active in upstate New York, holding thousands of meetings.  NAWSA paid four field workers who, with countless volunteers from New York and other states, spoke at military camps, circularized voters, and prepared special literature for churches.  These field workers crisscrossed the state constantly during 1917, speaking and seeking endorsements as well as collecting signatures. The pace was often exhausting, with long distances to cover between meetings. Suffragists were especially active in Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, and other major cities where they advertised on billboards and street cars, and used large electric signs to flash their message at night.

 Trade unionists and settlement house workers were zealous in promoting the suffrage amendment in New York City’s working class and immigrant neighborhoods in 1917. Even though the main suffrage organizations tended to be run by the city’s social elite, support for the measure was strong among Jewish and other northern and eastern European immigrants, and among others who had fled to the U.S.

Woman suffrage was officially supported by all of the state’s political parties but suffragists still had to deal with wartime challenges, major party rivalries, the liquor industry, the prohibition concerns of male voters, and the virulent opposition of anti-suffragists.

Women’s War Work

Like its counterparts in other states, the New York State Woman Suffrage Party established a War Service Committee in 1917 to implement NAWSA’s wartime plan.  Party members sold Liberty Bonds, worked with the Red Cross and YMCA, and helped conduct a statewide military census.  Suffragists also knitted garments and supplies, and planted gardens to raise food for the war effort.

“In order to do all this work and more, we have had to lay aside much of our suffrage work,” reported WSP head Vera Whitehouse in August. However, “The change in sentiment in regard to women, because of the assistance they have given the government at war, has been enormous.”

Anxious not to lose such favorable support, the WSP publicly condemned the picketing of the White House by Alice Paul and the National Woman’s Party. Carrie Catt and others felt that the picketing alienated supporters, harassed the president, and confused the public. NAWSA and the WSP were constantly disassociating themselves from the “disloyal” NWP pickets and never objected to the government’s harsh and illegal treatment of the women during the year.

Still, similar arguments were made by both groups. Like the pickets, The Woman Citizen repeatedly argued that “suffrage for women is a part of that complete democracy so aptly named by Mr. Wilson as the object of this war.”  President Wilson did voice his support during the New York contest.

Harsher Opposition during Wartime

Patriotic appeals linking equal suffrage with the war effort were not enough to silence critics. Anti-suffragists kept up their active opposition, spending tens of thousands of dollars and increasing their personal attacks after the war began. Opponents accused Carrie Catt, Anna Howard Shaw, and other suffragists of having pro-German sympathies and claimed it was disloyal and unpatriotic to work for suffrage in wartime.

Groups like the Manhood Suffrage Association Opposed to Political Suffrage for Women advertised against the initiative, characterizing woman suffrage as an “irreparable calamity.”  Association president Everett P. Wheeler claimed that “Rome fell because her women entered public life.”

After a while, “absurd sallies and misstatement of facts grew tiresome,” recalled Gertrude Brown. “It was not those who labeled themselves anti-suffragists who delayed the coming of suffrage,” she emphasized.  “The dangerous opponents of woman suffrage, those who manipulated legislatures and engineered fraudulent elections, did not label themselves.”

With such powerful yet largely invisible opposition, the election was very much in doubt. Even in the fall, when Mary Garrett Hay predicted victory, Catt confided to Maud Wood Park, “I think Molly’s crazy; for she really believes we’ll win, though so far as I know she is the only person who does.”

Coming Soon  Part 2: “A Million New York Women Want the Vote”

Ÿ          Ÿ          Ÿ          Ÿ          Ÿ

© 2012 Robert P. J. Cooney, Jr  Adapted from the text of “Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement”

Here at Flocabulary, we use hip-hop music to make learning exciting and accessible to students. We recently created a song all about the history of women’s rights, and we couldn’t wait to share it with the NWHP community. Using our Women’s Rights Song as a jumping off point, this lesson plan allows students to focus in on key moments in the history of women’s rights and create a kinetic timeline of famous women in history. At the end of the lesson, students will use historical examples to support a plan for the future of women’s rights.

The Lesson Plan

1. Listen to Flocabulary’s Women’s Rights song. As students are listening, ask them to note down the different rights that women fought for throughout history, as well as current issues that women face. These issues are:

• Equal rights in the home
• Inability to own land
• Prohibition from voting
• Women being sent back to the home after WWII
• Educated women being bored at home
• Unequal pay
• Women currently owning 1% of land worldwide
• Women not being allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia
• No American head of state.

Explain to students that they will be learning more about the fight for these rights relate to periods of history through a research project and a creative presentation.

2. Break your class into 6 groups. Assign each group one of the time periods in history:

1. The French Revolutionary Era
2. The Civil War Era
3. Early 1900s
4. Post World War II
5. 1960s-1980s
6. The Modern Era

3. Each group should research and answer the following questions for its time period. They can begin research by clicking on the lyrics of our Women’s Rights song, and then using other online research techniques to find more:

• What major historical events happened in that period? How did these events affect women?
• What major rights issues were women facing during that period?
• Who were famous women during your time period who led the fight for specific rights?
• What were major women’s rights accomplishments during your time period? What important limitations still remained?
• From the beginning of your time period until the end, what changed for women?

4. After students have been given time to research, each group should create a skit that explains the answers to the questions. Give the groups time to write and practice their skits.

5. Started with the French Revolution group, have each group perform for the class while other students take notes. At the end this kinetic timeline, ask students:

Based on the successes and failures of historical women in their fight for rights, how do think current women’s rights issues should be addressed?

You can use this question as a basis for class discussion or as an essay prompt.

Like this song and lesson? Visit Flocabulary.com to access hundreds of songs, videos and lessons like these. 

Ginsburg was born March 15th, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York. After receiving her BA at Cornell University, she attended Harvard Law School receiving her LL.B. from Columbia Law School.  She began her career serving as a law clerk to Edmund L. Palmieri, Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, from 1959–1961.

Continuing her career, throughout many roles, advocating for civil rights, women’s issues, worker’s rights and equality, she became a key player in contributing to the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, and served as the ACLU’s general Counsel from 1973–1980, and on the National Board of Directors from 1974–1980.

After being appointed Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1980, President Clinton nominated her as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court—taking her seat on August 10, 1993 next to Sandra Day O’Connor the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

She married Martin D. Ginsburg in 1954, and has a daughter, Jane, and a son, James. After 56 years of marriage, her husband passed away in June 2010. Not long after his passing, Ginsburg continued serving her position on the Supreme Court.

Ginsburg turning 79 today continues to serve the women of this country with her advocacy for equality and civil rights.  Ginsburg is an icon to young women of America, especially those pursuing a career in law.  Time and time again, she has proudly served her position to show that the Supreme Court is not entirely male —even when she was faced with some of life’s most difficult circumstances.

Ginsburg sets the standard for accountability; openly she has recognized the inaccuracies in history pertaining to equality, women, slavery, and Native Americans when no one else in her position seemed to be talking about such issues.  She continues to represent herself as a woman and more importantly as an individual that has ideas and perspectives that ultimately shape the outcomes of many issues currently facing our society and the world today.

Written by:
Kimberly Roush
Blog Manager

Sources:
http://www.supremecourt.gov/about/biographies.aspx
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/judicial/2009-05-05-ruthginsburg_N.htm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/01/justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-egypt_n_1248527.html

July 1848 is also  an important date in U.S history.  At the Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention, organized by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, promulgated aspirations for women to be able to cast their votes. Inspite of several nays and tribulations, women across the nation didn’t let it impede their dream.

A few battles for women’s suffrage, from 1848 til 1920,  were fought in earnest. As early as the 20th century, Alice Paul and the National Women’s Party used creative but radical plans as a way to implement a federal law for women to vote:  going to jail, staging demonstrations, holding large marches and even—picketing the white house.

 In 1913, Paul even led a march of eight thousand participants on President Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration day. An event that helped with the women’s suffrage movement was when World War 1 struck, and women were left to take up factory jobs and more active roles. After the war, and especially after Carrie Chapman Catt, head of the National American Women’s Suffrage Association, reminded President Woodrow Wilson what women have contributed during the war, and that they must be recognized with political equality.

Because of that and that women, every-day average women, took charge, he later supported women’s suffrage. Less than a year later the House of  Representative passed in a 304 to 90 vote , to amend part of the constitution.

Less than a year later, the House of Representatives passed, in a 304 to 90 vote, a proposed Amendment to the Constitution. Later on, by  June 4, 1919, the United States Senate also endorsed the Amendment.

Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan were the first states to pass the law; Georgia and Alabama rushed to pass rejections. The anti-suffrage forces, which included both men and women, were well-organized, and passage of the amendment was not easy. And on August 18, 1920, the final vote came in to pass the bill.

After getting a few more votes, on August 26, 1920, the Nineteenth amendment to the U.S Consitution became law. This epoch in women’s history, allowed women to vote in fall elections, as well as in presidential.

So on this day in history, let us all remember these amazing women. Tell your daughters, mothers and grandmothers all that women have done to make history by remembering what this day means. Also, please check out our store:www.nwhp.org

By Sherryn Daniel

 But “The Greatest Inspirations” by Listiani Wijaya has found a home in the hearts of many:  accountants, consultants, attorneys, architects, auditors, architects, body builders, sport people, engineers, entrepreneurs, IT (Information Technology) people, bankers, teachers, lecturers, professors, students, readers, writers, business people, religious and non-religious people, poets, marketers, housewives, directors, managers, artists, financial advisors, financial analysts, business analysts, other analysts, journalists, and countless others.

Given these turbulent and changing times, her mellifolous sounding poetry speaks candidly about our humanity and is easy to ascertain. It’s simple, direct and clear, just the way a top-notch book ought to be.

This book is a hidden gem. Just reading a few pages alone, anyone could easily boast that  it has– in some way, shape or form–benefited, blessed, or inspired them to embark on life in a singular but honest way.

If my words don’t sway you towards Wijaya’s gift for colorful metaphors, allusions or lexicon than hopefully these other readers could change your mind:

“Great collections! I am very impressed. Wijaya’s book truly contains the greatest inspirations and thoughts that are really relevant to anyone in nearly any situation. I highly recommend this wonderful book to anyone.”

- Amrit Kayastha, Internetworking Engineer, Equant, Aurora, CO, U.S.A.

“Listi’s poetry is indicative of her natural qualities as a person; graceful, worldly, optimistic, inquisitive, and wise beyond her years. You can tell that her writings flow easy from her heart and soul, and are relevant to us all, no matter who we are. I have always learned much from Listi regarding how we should live life, and believe that her poetry can speak to us all during these changing and turbulent times. Poets like Listi are hidden gems that can speak to our humanity, when we find them.”

 Jack Buffington, Director of e-Business, COORS Brewery, Golden, CO, U.S.A.

“I have had the opportunity to know Listiani very well and I know that you will be as excited as I was to read her works. You will find her insights and writings to be very open, honest and refreshing, much like a young child who discovers the joy of walking alone for the very first time. As you read through her feelings you will be able to enjoy that pleasure in your life, not merely as a spectator, but as a participant in life once again.”

 Robert (Bob) Lowry, Allstate Insurance Company, Castle Rock, CO, U.S.A.

Interested in learning more about Wijaya’s newest book? Check out this link.

By Sherryn Daniel

This highly coveted event will serve as a great opportunity for local businesses to network, mingle and to learn about women leaders all across the globe. It will also showcase senior women in leadership positions who will share success stories, best strategies, and women-to-women global insights at this year’s program.

Covering topics at this year’s event  include: Global Women in a Man’s World, Women and Positive Leadership, Global Women in Government, Public/Private Partnerships, Marketing & Brand-Building Across the Global Economic Spectrum, and “I Did it My Way” in the Corporate World.

Featured Guest Speakers:
H.E. Meera Shankar, Ambassador of India to the U.S.
H.E. Josefina Pitra Diakité, Ambassador of Angola to the U.S.
Marc Pritchard, P&G, Global Marketing & Brand Building Officer

Featured Panelists & Moderators:
Deb Kielty, WTCI, President & Executive Director (Moderator)
Leslie Mancuso, Jhpiego, President & CEO (Moderator)
Sheela Murthy, Murthy Law, President (Moderator)
Ellen Lord, Textron Defense Systems, Sr. VP & General Manager
Linda Maloney, Sabre Systems, Sr. Systems Engineer and 
 My Mom Flies, President Jessica Glazer, JHU Carey Business School,

 Asst. Director and Head Teaching Fellow, Harvard University
Ellen Yankellow, Correct Rx Pharmacy Services, President
Christina Huang, McCormick & Co, Director Q.A., Asia Pacific
Martine Rothblatt, United Therapeutics, Chairman & CEO

Date: June 1, 2011

Time:9:00am – 3:30pm  (8:15am registration/coffee)

Address:  Jim Rouse Visionary Center, 800 Key Highway, Baltimore, MD

Tickets: $90 (early bird)
$125 (after May 1

What people have to say about last year’s event:

“I gained inspiration from the panelists that has energized me to deal with significant challenges in a different way.” – ARINC
 
“The speakers were inspiring, and their message of passion and commitment to their work in deserving regions of the world is one that we can all take to heart.” – Embassy of Canada

Anyways, How to Climb Mr. Blanc in a Skirt by Mick Conefrey surpasses all my prior assumptions. When I first picked up this book, and slightly glanced at the cover and perused the pages. I misinterpreted this book to be a dry account on women’s history. Lucky for me, I read each chapter fully and can conclude that it has yielded a hardcore fan of female adventurers. Me.

This non-fiction account on women in history making and not making succesful voyages opened up my eyes to the trials and tribulations of women breaking into a man’s world, concerning traversing far and distant lands.

This historical travel guide was skillfully written by Mick Conefrey, an award winning film maker and acclaimed writer of The Adventurer’s Handbook.  It takes an empathetic man to write so candidly about the struggles women have encountered from the turning point of the 19th century and onwards. His humor, insight and accurate portrayel  of female explorers  flourish this pepto bismal- colored paper back.

The book, itself, is broken into five chapters: Who, Why and How?; Where?; People; Women Travel to Venus, Men Travel to Mars; and How to survive foreign travel. Each chapter has intricate sub-categories, etched with black n’ white illustrations of what the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and parts of South America were like in an era where exploration was a fresh new concept for Victorian women.

My favorite chapter, thus far, was ” Women Travel to Venus. Men Travel to Mars”.  It opens up with a frank quote from twentieth-century mountaineer, Annie Peck.

“One of the chief difficulties in a women’s undertaking an expedition of this nature is that every man believes he knows better what should be done than she”.   

After turning this page, the reader sees a creative illustration of former Olympic sailor Ella Mallart and of parliament member Peter Fleming enmeshed in sketchings of Chinese architecture, symbols and cameras.  The next page juxtaposes both explorers in  a neat, lineless chart and exposes the hardshipes female explorers, such as Mallart, face in comparison to male explorers. The rest of the chapter follows in that pattern and also gears into narratives of the explorer’s personal lives playing out in their voyages.

Romance, heartbreak, financial disturbances, prejudices and media-laced scandals trail several of these female explorers, poignantly embraced by Conefrey’s rambunctious imagination. It’s a must-read for fans of women’s rights, historical non-fiction and of fine-tuned literature.

By Sherryn Daniel

 In it’s quiet and graceful ways, this organization has been collectively honored by the United Nations Association of New York for League-based initiatives in fighting against human trafficking.

Generally, projects that the league head typically don’t get alot of attention, outside the league. Projects are often completed within a day but it often takes weeks, even months to coordinate and set-up everything smoothly. 

 If you want to read more about this wonderful non-profit’s recent accolades please check out this link.

By Sherryn Daniel

By  Christine Fox