She Devils at the Door tells the true story of two formidable sisters, Lucy and Eliza Kennedy, who came of age in Gilded Age Pittsburgh, graduated from Vassar College, and became leaders of the suffrage movement.
Tag: Suffrage
Coming to Broadway: ‘Suffs’ Explores the Struggle for Women’s Equality—One That’s Far From Over
We at Ms. magazine are counting the days until Suffs arrives on Broadway, following its sold-out, extended run at New York City’s Public Theater.
The show opens in 1913 as the women’s movement is heating up in the United States. Anchored by a cadre of suffragists—“Suffs,” as they call themselves—they are in relentless, creative pursuit of the right to vote. Reaching across and against generational, racial and class divides, these brilliant, flawed women manage to entertain and inspire.
(This essay is part of “The ERA Is Essential to Democracy” Women & Democracy collection.)
How the Far Right-Wing Plans to Obliterate More of Our Constitutional Rights
In the last decade, the Convention of State Action (COSA) has become the fastest-growing Article V movement.
COSA advocates are pushing for Congress to call a convention to ratify a number of constitutional amendments which threaten the fabric of our democracy. If states have immediate standing to challenge the constitutionality of any enactments by Congress and the executive branch, the lives of women would be at risk.
Rewriting Herstory: Proposing an AP U.S. Women’s History Course
Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, Lincoln, Roosevelt, King, Kennedy and Reagan each played critical roles in the history of our country and remain household names. Yet what of Murray, Chisholm, Eastman, Stone and Stanton? These women contributed greatly to the success of America, yet remain largely unknown to most Americans, including high school students.
We are advocating to change this. As AP history students and educators, we propose the creation of a standalone AP United States Women’s History course. The youth of America are entitled to these stories traditionally left untold: the history of 50 percent of our population, who are currently a mere sidebar of token inclusion within a generic textbook on men’s history.
Reps. Cori Bush and Ayanna Pressley Lead Fight for ERA—100 Years After Its Introduction
ERA advocates in the U.S. have waged a 100-year fight just to get gender equality enshrined in the Constitution.
“The women of this country are exhausted, so we are leveraging every tool available,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), co-chair of the ERA Caucus.
“We won’t stop until the ERA is officially part of the Constitution,” said fellow co-chair Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.). “We owe it to our daughters, to the next generation, to those who fought before us.”
Persistence Overcomes Resistance: Honoring Women Suffragists Through Public Artwork
The percentage of women in politics, and many other professions, has grown significantly in the past few decades. However, when one looks at public artwork, women are almost nonexistent.
Inspired by the centennial of the 19th Amendment, the Chicago Womxn’s Suffrage Tribute Committee formed in 2020 in order to create public artwork to honor those who fought to legalize the vote for women. What originally started out as a one-mural project featuring suffrage leaders grew into three murals, all within one block of each other in the South Loop of Chicago.
It’s Women’s Equality Week—and Three More Total Abortion Bans Are About to Take Effect
On Thursday, existing laws in Texas, Tennessee and Idaho will take effect that either outlaw abortion entirely, or increase penalties for doctors who perform an abortion. The very next day, the U.S. will commemorate Women’s Equality Day. You’ll understand if we don’t feel much like celebrating.
Before this week, total bans were already in effect in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Coalition-Building Is Key to Moving Women’s Political Leadership Forward
We are at a pivotal moment where we need to move towards greater equality more rapidly, so the path to gender parity in civic and political leadership is not 200 years long.
Let’s move beyond partisan politics and individual missions to achieve our collective goal of increasing the number of women in elected and appointed positions across the country, and bringing our country closer to a representative democracy. We can only do this if we work together.
With a Powerhouse All-Women Cast, ‘Suffs’ Explores Activists Who Made Women’s Voting Rights Happen
Unlike the limited lessons of women’s suffrage many learn—Seneca Falls and Susan B. Anthony—Suffs digs deep into the gamesmanship wielded by the movement’s early 20th century leaders. Suffs opens April 6 at the venerable Public Theater in New York City. Lin-Manuel Miranda himself tweeted this week that >Suffs is “gobsmackingly incredible” and its writer and star, Shaina Taub as Alice Paul, is “the FUTURE.” I couldn’t agree more.
Our Democracy Has Problems. Women Have Solutions.
The U.S., one of the world’s oldest democracies, is now seeing a rise of antidemocratic views. But never fear. We come bearing good news. There is hope. And that hope, we believe, is the shared power and potential of mobilized women to forge a new movement for a 21st century democracy.
We hope you are inspired and encouraged by what this slate of women experts—working at all levels to reform and revitalize our democracy—have to say. And to hear more about democracy solutions and how you can get involved, join us March 8–10 from 3–5 p.m. ET for RepresentWomen’s democracy Solutions Summit, which brings together experts and leaders in election administration, voting rights and democracy reform who are working on innovative solutions that upgrade and strengthen our democracy.