Blast from the past: Suffragist cartoons!

We at FMF are always in favor of singing, dancing educational resources. We're currently assembling the schedule for the National Young Feminist Leadership Conference, which will include workshops on running for office and the legislative process, amongst many other topics.

Consequently, I felt compelled to revisit the classic Schoolhouse Rock animated video I'm Just a Bill, which describes the policy process to children. While poking around online, I was delighted to discover Schoolhouse Rock produced feminist videos too! Sufferin' 'til Suffrage provides a manic overview of the American women's suffrage movement, which of course culminates in winning the right to vote in 1920 with passage of the 19th Amendment.



Want to see more feminist cartoons? The Sewall-Belmont House was the historic Capitol Hill base for Alice Paul's National Woman's Party during the original Equal Rights Amendment fight. In addition to ERA exhibits, the house has a terrific collection of Nina Allender political cartoons supporting the struggle for voting rights that preceded the ERA. Allender's powerful images contributed to the push for women's equality, so check 'em out at the Sewall-Belmont House in person or online.

The Sewall-Belmont House has early feminist march banners, Susan B. Anthony's desk, and many more inspiring artifacts from pioneering women's rights advocates. It is chilling to walk the halls of a home steeped in the movement, where bold women plotted legislative strategies to win progress for American women. Your campus activism will write the next chapter of women's history, so join us at the conference in DC this March as we continue agitating for equality!

Correction: The initial post incorrectly cited the Sewall-Belmont House as the headquarters of the women's suffrage movement. It was actually the headquarters of the Equal Rights Amendment effort headed by the National Woman's Party. Thanks to former FMF intern Caroline Sellars for the tip-off!

Happy birthday Alice Paul!

Alice Paul, the suffragist leader and author of the original Equal Rights Amendment, was born 125 years ago today.

Paul was a true radical in her day, stopping at nothing in her quest for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing a woman's right to vote. The organization she co-founded in 1916, the National Women's Party, held demonstrations, parades, mass meetings, and picketed regularly outside the White House, the first political group to do so. When Paul and her fellow protesters were arrested for "obstructing traffic" outside the White House, they were thrown in prison. While incarcerated, the suffragists held a hunger strike and attracted much attention to their cause. The Nineteenth Amendment, which guaranteed women the right to vote, was finally passed in 1920.

Alice Paul's other great achievement, the Equal Rights Amendment, has sadly never been added to the US Constitution. Paul originally wrote the amendment in 1923. Congress passed the ERA in 1972 but it came up three states short of ratification. Since then, it has been reintroduced in every session of Congress. The amendment reads: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States on account of sex."

Some ideas of how to celebrate the life of the great Alice Paul:

• Lobby your representatives in Congress to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. Educate your community about the importance of the ERA.
  
• Hold a viewing of Iron Jawed Angels, a movie about her fight for suffrage.
• Visit the Sewall-Belmont House in Washington, DC, Alice Paul's former home and the headquarters of the National Women's Party.
• VOTE. Nothing says "thanks for fighting for my fundamental civil rights" more than voting!
  

Image by Nina Allender via Sewall-Belmont House

Help Put Alice Paul into the New Jersey Hall of Fame!

Okay, for all you feminist history nerds out there (and those that are not, but that definitely should be!), this is your chance to honor one of the movement's greatest leaders, Alice Paul.

Paul, who spent her lifetime working for women's rights, securing suffrage and introducing the Equal Rights Amendment into Congress in 1923, has been nominated for induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2010.

One of several candidates in the history category this year, it is up to us to ensure that she continues to be remembered for her extraordinary amount of dedication to equal rights throughout the twentieth century. You need not be a resident of New Jersey in order to vote, but all votes must be in no later than November 20, 2009. To cast a vote for Alice Paul, visit the New Jersey Hall of Fame's website at http://www.njhalloffame.org/

Since next year (August 26, 2010) will be the 90th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, it's only right that Alice Paul should finally be honored by her own home state. Vote today!


Photo Credit: bobster855 on Flickr