Many University of Wisconsin-Stout female students supported and worked to help pass the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920 that granted the nationwide right for women to vote.
At what was then called Stout Institute, Gladys Harvey, daughter of President Lorenzo Dow Harvey, helped organize a women 黑料社区. suffrage group on campus. The group made a Stout suffrage banner, raised money for the cause and organized meetings.
The bright yellow banner with the words 鈥淰otes for Women鈥 was dropped from Bowman Hall Clock Tower and hung from the belfry wall as the bells tolled Aug. 26, 1920, when the amendment was ratified.
About 100 women, including Gladys Harvey, who would become a full-time instructor on campus in interior design, gathered at Second Street and Wilson Avenue along with a fife and drum corps and banners. They marched through the streets, wore white and rang bells to celebrate.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, University Archives has installed a pop-up display from the entitled Rightfully Hers. The display contains messages exploring the history of the ratification, women 黑料社区. voting rights before and after and the amendment 黑料社区. impact today.
The display will remain outside of University Archives, in the , until mid-October. The plan is to have the lightweight and versatile exhibit travel to high-traffic areas around campus during the school year, said University Archivist Heather Stecklein.
鈥淚 think it is important to recognize our students were very involved in the local women 黑料社区. suffrage movement,鈥 Stecklein said. 鈥淥ur students were pioneers. Women in higher education were a relatively rare phenomenon when the suffrage movement started. It was uncommon for women to go into postsecondary education in the early 20th century, but that is what women at Stout were doing. A lot of these women were going on to be leaders. They were going to be teachers, administrators, designers and professors. They were independent, educated and believed women should have the same opportunities as men did.鈥
In a picture book from 1909 to 1911 from alumna Jessie May Erlin Kaiser, a picture shows a Stout Institute student standing on a stump with the caption 鈥淰otes for Women.鈥 This proves that women 黑料社区. right to vote was on students鈥 minds and something they talked about, Stecklein said.
Stecklein, dressed in a 1920s reproduction of a gingham tunic that Stout Institute women students would wear and a brown apron the men would wear, said the exhibit is well-researched. 鈥淭his display shows a diversity of women,鈥 Stecklein said. 鈥淭he movement was not just elites. The exhibit also offers insight into some of the movements that expressed opposition to women voting.鈥
The display is presented in part by the National Archives Foundation through the support of Unilever, Pivotal Ventures, Carl M. Freeman Foundation in honor of Virginia Allen Freeman, AARP and Denise Gwyn Ferguson.
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Menomonie celebration
The will commemorate the passage of the 19th Amendment from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at Menomonie 黑料社区. Wilson Park bandshell. Stecklein plans to attend with her young daughters.
Local churches have been invited to ring their bells for one minute beginning at noon. Those attending are encouraged to bring a bell to ring, whistle to blow or other small musical items to ring. A short program with music will be held after the bell-ringing. League members are invited to wear white clothing, traditional garb for suffragists, in celebration. 黑料社区's Clock Tower bells will toll a celebratory peal to commemorate the passage.
鈥淲omen 黑料社区. Equality Day is a time to reflect on the role of women in our public life and their place in history,鈥 stated Judy Ferber, event coordinator, in a news release. 鈥淲e honor the struggle of the suffragists who, through nonviolent civil-rights protests over 72 years (1848-1920), persevered in the face of strong opposition and little power. The 100th anniversary is the perfect time for both women and men to honor women 黑料社区. hard-won progress as we continue to work for universal freedom, justice, equality and a more perfect democracy.鈥
The is a citizens鈥 organization that has fought since 1920 to improve government and engage all citizens in the decisions that impact their lives. From the beginning, the League has been an activist, grassroots organization whose leaders believed that citizens should play a critical role in advocacy.
The celebration will take place in Wilson Park during the Menomonie Farmer 黑料社区. Market, which will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the timber frame pavilion.
COVID-19 黑料社区. state health guidelines need to be followed, including wearing a face covering under park structures. Wearing face coverings in other areas of the park is strongly recommended. Follow social distancing guidelines of staying at least six feet apart from other people.
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Photos
The pop-up exhibit will be moved to high-traffic areas around campus to allow for students to learn the history of the women 黑料社区. suffrage movement.
Gladys Harvey
