The Nineteenth

I want to share the founders of the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) outside of my tribute to the states’ women list and into a special feature to highlight their achievements. Their foresight and strength in sharing the message made heads turn. People stopped to listen. People started to rally. And change was coming. Susan B. Anthony , b. February 15, 1820, d. 1906 Susan Bromwell Anthony traveled the country as a leader of the suffrage movement. Growing in a Quaker family, she appreciated the beliefs that all people are created equally. Her brothers and sisters constantly fought for equality and emancipation of slaves. She herself took the stage speaking for freedom of slaves. Ms. Anthony did attempt to vote in 1872, arrested and fined $100. The reaction brought the suffrage movement to the forefront of conversation. Elizabeth C. Stanton , b. November 15, 1815, d. 1902 Elizabeth Cady Stanton “formulated the agenda” for women’s rights. The prominence of her family

Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring is noted as the start of Modern Environmentalism. Pennsylvania was the seventh state to ratify on June 24, 1919. In 1962, Rachel Carson released Silent Spring with reviews by government leaders stressing this is “…the most important chronicle of this century for the human race.” (SCJ William O. Douglas) Today it is noted as the start of modern environmentalism. Mrs. Carson’s mother, a life tutor, encouraged her to observe and learn from nature. She studied marine biology, and was the first scientist of the U.S. Biological Survey (now the US Fish & Wildlife Service). She wrote three books of the sea, sharing the scientific lessons in creative and eloquent writing. Silent Spring was her final book. The acclaim and response started the environmental movement. The research started later in her career as friends drew her to the effects of airplanes dropping chemicals, specifically DDT used to control mosquitoes and insects, on fields. She in

Lucky to see one of my selected women to also have a very intense week of debate and news. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has stood up strong this week. And makes her more interesting to learn about. New York was the eighth state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez is known as one of the largest upsets in the 2018 midterm primary election as she won her seat against 10-term incumbent, Joe Crowley. She is the youngest woman at 29 years old to serve the US Congress, and has shared her experience openly through her social media network. Her Puerto Rican culture and community has shaped her views on diversity. Following her advocacy for Bernie Sanders campaign in 2016, she fought for causes of America including the Flint, MI water crisis and Dakota Access Pipeline, the latter being the most significant issue that inspired her to run for Congress. She used outreach and support to defeat the incumbent who spent 18x the amount of funds she had available. According to CNBC,

Diving into the research of Ohio, it was apparent that it is a state that fosters new thinking and opportunity. There are multiple notable women, pioneers in their occupations and causes, born in Ohio. In lieu of prioritizing them, I chose to highlight the originations and accomplishments of Ohio by sharing five “firsts”. Ohio was the seventh state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment. Toni Morrison, First woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature Toni Morrison writes heart-jerking novels of the emotions and plights of African Americans, relating to stories from slavery, to illustrative stories of life and relationships. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993, the first black woman of any nationality. The award cited, Toni Morrison, “who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality.” She taught, wrote fiction, operas, and poems, to share with the world the importance of feeling through a story

The movement was more than a small effort. It took years, women and men advocating together. Wars. Advancement in society. The end of slavery. A different world. The women’s suffrage movement began long before June 4, 1919. The founding women of the suffrage movement were women politically active through their work in the abolitionist and temperance movements. In July 1848, 240 woman suffragists convened in Seneca Falls, New York to assert the right of women to vote. The Civil War prolonged the advancement of the movement for many years, including the Reconstruction Era where the 15th Amendment was adopted, granting African American men the right to vote. This amendment was deliberately not stretched to include into the sphere of gender. The National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) began in 1869 by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to work together toward pushing for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), led by Lucy Ston

The adventuring heart of Amelia Earhart intrigues me to imagine her feelings sitting at the end of her life. What did she see? Did she feel adventure, fear, confusion? The legacy she shared with the world is remarkable and my replay of her emotions sends goosebumps throughout my arms. Kansas quickly jumped on board to ratify on June 16, 1919. Amelia Earhart started a journey of challenging gender boundaries and exploration quickly. Six months following her first flight, she bought her first airplane, and coined it “The Canary”. On December 28, 1920, pilot Frank Hawks gave her a ride that would forever change her life. “By the time I had got two or three hundred feet off the ground, I knew I had to fly.” On May 20, 1932, Ms. Earhart took off for her first flight, and the first for all women, across the Atlantic. She landed near Londonderry, Ireland after troubles of winds, weather, and mechanics. Earhart felt the flight proved that men and women were equal in “jobs requiring inte