Program guide or at cspan. Org history. Im honored to moderate this panel of Accomplished Women have each played significant rolls in the commemoration of womens Suffrage Centennial in 2020. My name is colleen and i served as the vice chair of the womens Suffrage Centennial commission which was a commission created by Congress Shall coordinate and organize the activities of the centennial year. Of course, like everyone in our commission had to deal the curveball due to the pandemic. In march of 2020 the commission and its excellent staff had to switch course and change activities and made a conscious shift to legacy projects. What i mean by legacy projects are historical markers, statues, monuments or installations that would have permanency beyond 2020 but i truly think the strategic was beneficial for the longterm. Highlights of the commission include providing Additional Support for the turning point memorial in virginia now completed and located near the site of the former prison. We provided thousands of books about womens suffrage to libraries that could benefit from our donation. We also supported the suffrage badge from the girl scouts which well talk about today. They had to podcast about the history of Womens Suffrage Movement that will last for a complete sitter bull. Time. We help support the construction of historical markers across the country related to womens suffrage. We personally lobbied by myself and anna to the president of the United States so that we could build a monument to be constructed in washington d. C. And talk about later. Other initiatives executed several Amazing Jumps on centennial year the hundredth anniversary of the amendments passage. Federal institutions including the library of Congress Host the National Archives and the smithsonian held exhibits to promote their collection concerning the history of womens suffrage. Public art was constructed across the United States and over 100 books were published on womens suffrage and voting. In short it was a terrific year from the efforts of the Commission Level to the states and localities and other organizations that help commemorate the anniversary. Now i would like to turn the conversation to our panelists today were all leaders in various centennial activities. Lets start with page harrington who is the author of interpreting the legacy of womens suffrage at sites. Page can you tell us a little bit about your book about how we approach the storage of womens suffrage at museums and other historical locations . What did we learn from the centennial and how will that affect future interpretations . Hi colin thank you so much. Thank you in the National Archives as well for inviting me and the rest of the speakers here tonight. I look forward to what will be i am certain a wonderful conversation with my colleagues. The book is interesting not quite out yet. It started as an idea i was on the museum which is in the capitol in washington d. C. For those who know the museum it was the fifth and final headquarters for the National Womens party which was a Prominent Organization with workforce suffrage. By president obama as the womens Equality National monument. I was the director there from 2008 until 2017. It was a good nine year span where i was able to learn more about the Suffrage Movement, and by people in the public certainly lots of School Groups came through to talk about suffrage. One of the things i heard most often was a one, how come i never learn this in school . That came from most of the adults i will say. And then second i would look around and see the photos and exhibits from the suffragists they would say they were white we were the women of color . I can honestly say we were not doing a very good job at sharing the full story. I think one of the most important pieces that will contribute to the legacy of the centennial as that is now expected for any museum, for any offer any exhibit we tell the full story. I think weve made a lot of progress. The book, as the title infers it is for museum practitioners and those who work at historic sites. Also though for people who are interested in history and learning a little bit more about the previous celebrations. The book starts with taking a look back at the 25th anniversary, the 50th anniversary and the 75th anniversary. We talk about the changes, socially are the changes from the previous decade really impacted what ever the suffrage commemoration was at that time. There is a lot of difference between 1920 and 1945. And again between 1970 and now here we are 2021 or talk about the changes between 1995 which was the 75th and 2020 for the centennial. Its an interesting look back. I advocate for a few things. First is to expand the timeline. We talk about suffrage and most cases are its a traditionally was the Womens Convention and end at 1920 which was the ratification of the 19th amendment. In many other people advocate for extending that timeline. I think the time line historic on how they interrelate to womens rights talk about the constitution the election of Kamala Harris not an abbreviated history any more and the second thing i really i touched on this before, i really advocate and make the case for making sure return but the full story. This means of course the many, many women of color who were involved in the Suffrage Movement. Women like mary church terrel, baldwin, moran, are simply too many to mention. The other piece of this and telling the whole story is also discussing throughout the Suffrage Movement to be a controversial i would say storyline. When its not about thing this person is bad for this person is good because he never did anything wrong its not about that. Its really about having conversations and learning more about the context in which these historical actors and how did they form their opinions what did they think about and how did they impact the Suffrage Movement . Some people say its complicated we dont need to get into that i certainly had heard that from lots of people what i said continually as long as humans are complicated are histories going to be complicated. Does not serve any actual purpose to continue saying things like she is just a product of thats our time. That was common during that era, which both are true. And yet we can dig a little bit deeper and talk about why and what were the systems, the policies, the communities, the laws that were in place that really did impact the women of color much more than the white women who were suffragists. I will leave it at that that is a snippet predicted site will be out on december 15 thank you so much will be available on those websites as well as amazon. Perfect. I would like to bring karen to this conversation. Served on the womens Suffrage Commission shes also the executive director of the terry houtman house. Can you talk to us a little bit about how you think this centennial highlighted previous untold stories, particularly about women in color . How are different organizations including the commission able to do that . Can you evaluate for us what was done well and what could have been done better . Hi colleen, good to see you again. I have been thinking about this over the last few days. This is not an easy discussion for me too participate in to be very honest and frank about it. I felt that unfortunately they pandemic certainly curtailed a lot of the things we wanted to do how complicated the history of suffrage has been and is in this country. To commemorate self, keeping the politics out of it with a documented having said that, i felt the commission as it could have been and amplify history of women of color how they were summarily dismissed out the womens movement. And for full disclosure on the president and ceo its the historical park. I am also a School Member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority sorority that fully participated with the Suffrage Movement and the very important in 1913. And so i come at this from living in this space all the time as a leader responsible caring for. Kevins legacy. Which is about 20 miles 1849. One year after the establishment. How race impacts all of what we do. Frankly before i built the race issue the commission should have done a much better job in amplifying the stork number of women we elected congress in 2018, that was a real moment to have 100 plus woman and National Elected office. I dont think because we stayed away from any kind of political concerns we did not amplify that in a way that encouraged all women at all levels to know they should fully participate there so many relationships that are so complicated we need to amplify really dig into what happened for instance the relationship between Elizabeth Cady stanton extremely compensated. I keep mentioning colleen i think colleen for all the work she did with sort of helping us stanton called other people of color and negative its an insult told her what was wrong with that yes he tolerated all of her behaviors many people in my community flat out call her a racist even for all the good work she did in suffrage that she was a racist. But they were very good friends despite that. There are valuable lessons to learn about that. He was lodged in her home for a period of time. When she died he did her eulogy. That was her choice. There was one where she was tone jeff to americas original sin of racism. So i think that is something that really has to be reckoned with. I dont think i can participate in womens groups without saying weve got to come to grips with this. Do be very honest, when the monument which is not sponsored by our Commission Per se but an essential part there have been no statues of women. Then there was the determination that there would be a statute of women. It was originally going to be Susan B Anthony and then at the last moment they decided that was not conclusive enough. Now, a lot of money had to go into that, over 8 million and a half to make sure the upkeep of the statue. And then they had the names of all the other suffragists they had identified at that time so they could show to the public Elizabeth Cady stanton and Susan B Anthony. You might want to say thats great we have a women statuary and renown central park except for me as an africanamerican woman when i heard there were no statues of women i honestly said at least thats one thing women got right. Until i found out they were going to go ahead with the statue. Because the lands on which central park is built, got used to be the only place where it was legal for african descent to own property in new york city. Theres still a lot of concern about that. There still issues related to the land being taken away. The houses are not beautiful theres all kinds of problems. Is the only place where its legal for blacks to own property it was taken away for the design park. I think with our history i credit senator barbara always encouraged the commission to look at the underbelly. To know all of the good, the bad, the ugly yes we should lift up everything i really honestly and truly feel there is so much more work to do so that suffrage for the act of inclusion and franchising so get to the ballot box to know every vote matters is so important. I dont want to take up a lot of time but in september a very good friend of mine is coming out with a book, walk with me which is a biography who talks about her struggle. I recommend that. Not in this forum but in a forum change her name from isabel at the altar of the Mother Church of the african episcopal church. Tubman visited many societies and she chose the African Methodist Church where she would have her membership and where she would participate fully. Frederick douglass gained his preaching credentials at the zion church. It is not coincidental these people all participated truly in the Suffrage Movement shows what is known historically as the freedom church. You have a large social justice agenda. I think there needs to be some concentration on that. I was at a meeting most of the delegates were women. They were three women vying for office and maybe half a dozen men also vying for office. They were two positions available. No women were elected. Theres also the issue of women still not being comfortable voting for other women. I think that needs to be more fully explored by the work that needs next. As for the. Tubman home and National Parks we use our naturalization ceremony in 20202 amplify womens suffrage so we can let our new brothers and sisters are new americans know people thought very hard to have the vote to participate fully. In previous times the legal women voters used to be there to get out information to help with the educational process. I know im taking a lot of time feel africanamerican woman i am so not satisfied in what we did to commemorate the first 100 years. I really truly hope you get engaged in determining what we want the next 100 years to look like to tell the whole story. Lastly there is some media done a year ago today with the former president went all the commissioners were there for his signing into law the proclamation of recognizing the 100th anniversary. But it was really hard for me, quite frankly as a woman of color to be there. I am a long time champion of fair housing and anything in the Affordable Housing space to hear people of color in the suburbs and the things that were said by her highest elected officials seem to undo a lot of the work we were trying to do to really forge understanding between people. Every network, every cable channel i heard from people who knew me from prek that i had not talked to since then he saw the image of me standing there so i think we really have to have better control as it relates to how we amplify women in the next 100 years. And i will stop now. Karen thank you for those reflections. I dont know if we have had a chance to actually talk since that day when we worked together in the white house. That was an extraordinary media event by the white house to promote a particular message. We were certainly as a commission going for appropriately media event not of our own going to cooperate your account of that day and recalled the discomfort by a number of people including myself as someone in a nonpartisan position to be put in that type of situation, unfortunately. But, i want to talk a little bit more. I want to get to rebecca and shannon. Karen it sounds like the one the things you are very concerned about was, there was a discussion of the role of race in the Suffrage Movement not as indepth in other words we didnt engage with it would have caused accurate reflection in your mind is that a safe thing to say . I agree with you. It was uncomfortable times to discuss. As a little bit uncomfortable. But for the purposes of education we all felt we had to do something. Colleen i thank you for your work in particular. And for that video of the National Park service that was shared with all of us. But, i felt as a commission we did not use her own platform to say loudly that we understood that was a barrier. I represent. Tubmans legacy. She was a Property Owner and how difficult it was for her to have had to make the decision to advance rights for women to get the votes knowing it would not include her despite her being a Property Owner. She sought doing something beyond her own initial benefits would propel her to go into those lecture halls and speak to audiences that include any africanamerican men who have their right to vote taken away from them as women were being franchise, black men would be disenfranchised. We did not really explore that to the extent that we should have. And where we are now. More work needs to be done. I think thats a good transition. The suffragist playbook. You just said something we could learn we can learn from Harriet Tubman and her example in her leadership. That is really what rebecca tried to do in her book about some of those lessons from the Suffrage Movement. What can young people both boys and girls learn from the Suffrage Movement and do they really understand the full story on this end and i write yet another suffrage book we wanted it to be useful almost a practical handbook for becoming an activist and the lessons you can learn from the Suffrage Movement. You need to do better yet understand heroes are flawed they are real human beings so pretending there is not racism Susan B Anthony was always wonderfully welcoming to frederick big douglas or was not ignored when she was the only moment at conferences, as not understanding what we can learn from history. I think also its interesting to hear maybe we skimmed the surface and said yes there was racism was a problem they were black women thereto and did not engage with these issues. To me, to some degree this is a broader problem within history. Because for so long histories been told we hear about great men doing great things. That is exclusionary for so many reasons. Mainly because only white men have the ability to hold the only have the wealth and whatever else. Also not how change happens. Starting up with Suffrage Movement happened. The 72 years that was not one person lets learn more about harper, that is all important, still adding to lets learn about a few Extraordinary People instead of understanding these movements or long and slow and hard and collaborative. Head wins and losses along the way require the input and creativity of a huge variety of humans including men. It is a convenient way to tell stories i get it as a way to engage people in history. If one of the reasons you need to learn history is to learn from it and to do better and be inspired by so you can also change the world i one 100 help every young person believes they can change the world because they actually can. Then you need to learn they did it before you but you dont have be a once in a generation genius. Still make an enormous difference. So not only is it bad boring history its boring. It really could leave out anybody who might think i can do that too. Great. I want to ask shannon, you run that Juliette Gordon wrote birthplace in savannah, correct . The founder of the girl scouts. Rebecca brought up here and karen, this is a very long history standing over generations and generations but we know the women are both white black women who started the movement, many did not important live to see the actual passage of the 19th amendment or at women voting after the 19th amendment into the 1960s. Women of color. So how do you teach this type of history . How did you engage that type of history with girl scouts . How did you present that complexity to them and how did they respond . Tell us a little bit about that. Thank you calling thanks to the archives for inviting me here and including girl scouts in the conversation. See the juliette lord and go birthplace the home of the founder of the girl scouts. One of the things that just the ones focused on history. They donate 7000 patches to girls who earned this patch thats pretty generous. For the purpose of making the world a better place. The goal of girl scouts is to develop leaders pretty want them to think about how they can be active citizens. Girl scouts was found in 1912 how the to be Good Community partners how to be of service to their neighbors. It really plays into the legacy that suffrage is getting at that the toolkit is getting at particular. The need to see themselves in history for the toolkit does focus on a number of people even though i do agree with their rebecca work better off we went down to the hall of fames but it is nice to identify if you leaders but does that with white women, black women but also indigenous and chineseamerican women are highlighted to really help girls in our community to think about no matter where you are and what youre facing at that moment you can certainly be the change of the future. We think its very important to not just teach the history but teach the tools. We are teaching girls to contact officials may beat for office monday. To exercise and take advantage of all of the opportunities you are given. To the touch on your comments and i note the desire as the commission was to get as much as possible this history, the history of the Suffrage Movement and hopefully a comprehensive authoritative history to get into the mainstream. Not that theres anything wrong with womens history but womens history focused and make sure it shared and thats amongst adults, thats amongst kids, students, girl scouts, boy scouts, how would we rate ourselves when we look back, how well did we get this history into the main stream and that centennial year . What can we be done differently to do that better . This is now open to the entire group we have page, rebecca, karen, shannon everyone can engage with this question for sure. I can quickly say we reach 50000 get girls with this toolkit which i think is incredible. We also at 58 million girl scout alum. Im not aware of any we put out. To engage in only her current girl scouts but to reach other girl scouts as well. Karen . What is the blueprint for the next 100 years . Put that blueprint together in a way that engages everyone, let everyone know the difference for the role they play in getting girls and boys of all eligible adults. There is something for everyone if we really want to amplify the kernel of why these women came together. Everyone should be able to pull something out of that from 1848 and say okay, what can i participate in now that will help make a difference . I dont think weve really done that. The next 100 years where are we now, were to be want to be . How do we engage with men . How do we learn . These are really important, the whole notion of suffrage is important how do we engage with everybody, how do we grapple with the fact that how to make sure suffrage. I totally agree with karen one of the keys to tipping it out of womens history is thinking about the suffrage history is social justice history social change is not solely women fighting for women. They won, they affected this massive lasting permanent change to american democracy without resorting to bloodshed. They were really good at what they did. Starting from a position of absolute no power. So whatever it does is on your agenda you can do a lot worse. From their tenacity, from their mistakes for sure, i promise you if you need him to Lafayette Square right now theres someone standing there with a picket sign. Feel free to remind them the suffrage just did it first. It is not just remember women are important any agenda they have absolutely it will be better at their activism if they know this history. I would agree, i would agree. Let me say karen i so appreciate your comments and your reflections on the centennial year. On how communities become quite it better than we did 1995 absolutely. 2025 or 2045 hopefully will look a lot different than 2020. Hopefully we will be able to make even more progress. I think shannon talked about the 15000 girls the toolkit has reached, that is unbelievable. Just like rebecca said, you are training mike you are educating and training a whole another generation of kids to learn from the history. To be excited from the history, to see themselves in the history and take it to the next step which is as a girl i would want to say what can i do to impact the history myself . Its kind of taken that very next step. They were a couple of things one in particular no one has mentioned so far, that National Collaborative for womens history site sponsored a National Vote for equipment trail. That was cosponsored i know by the commission, the palm of my foundation in that as well. I was meant to look at it before. Theres obsolete hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of new markers that have gone across the country with the understanding these are noting local women for local history. Its not just the top layers its not just our fault its not Kerri Chapman is not Susan B Anthony doing their part and now they are recognized across the country. Got a wonderful interactive website for anyone who takes a look at it. I look at it say we are already further then we were, much further than we were in 1995 for that celebration. Not given into absolutely karens point we have a long way to go. And yet having looked at all of the celebrations, this one will have a Lasting Legacy and a lasting impact. I am excited to see were girls take it from here. That is my final question for the panel, exactly how you finish that answer there, page. If we had to assess, we look backwards a little bit for the past year end that is fair. Given a rigorous assessment for the centennial commemoration celebration. Lets look into the future think about that. What activities to the hundred and 50th anniversaries commemoration what advice would you give them the things we talked about the good the bad and ugly are all included. I think a treating is just one step in a very, very long ladder right were set women have full citizenship because if you tell a contemporary actavis is going to take 72 years to get your thing done and you have to have a constitutional amendment to do that that ignores all the steps along the way. So all of the things that happened between seneca falls the rights for married Women Holding property, divorce reform, child labor reform, being having access to higher education. Women having access to higher education. All of the steps that have happened since then. We need to see this as a continuum. And understand there is always more to do. Also look back i agree with everything rebecca has said i honestly come to this discussion feeling like youre trying to feel the issue of women and suffrage specifically, this was very painful for me. I cannot participate theres a whole slew of people out there that feel very vulnerable and at risk now because their rights are being very much so threatened in terms of their ability to participate. The historian part of me understands that the last time he was on the Edmund Pettis bridge i cant do that. I cannot participate unless we are going to have a massive mobilization a full rights for people. This is critically important. I think how fragile our democracy is. Weve all had to deal with that for the last several months. People who went through something i didnt go through. They want to go back to those days again which makes the whole notion of womens suffrage a subset of a larger conversation of incredible need for the mobilization of all freedom loving People Freedom of goodwill to understand our democracy needs our full participation. I wholeheartedly agree with all of these comments. I think rebecca, really expanding it and make sure everyone understands the depth thats incredibly important. Into your point, the reason up at the expanded chronology as they wanted people to have and blacken white right in front of them i wanted them to have dates to see when various people in various communities receive the right to vote and when it was taken away. Then possibly when it was taken back. I wanted them to track that because suffrage is critically incredibly important. But like you said its only a small piece of the story. We talk about becoming actavis we talk about becoming american are fighting for democracy we need to as you said, really make sure we understand our history to understand what still left to be done and then the most generation involved in that and keep it moving forward. That would be a tremendous legacy of the 100th anniversary. What havent we done yet . And start working on it. I think that would be wonderful. Shannon. Of course i cant disagree with any of that for the next 100 years i would love to see us treat this as more of a workshop than a celebration. There are certainly to celebrate. Theres plenty to learn and plenty of issues for us to continue to tackle with those lessons and tools we have learned. I would certainly say the most important way is to ensure every adult citizen in the country has the right to vote. Its freely able to vote without unreasonable barriers. But, i can also end my comment of a note of hope for everybody. Because idyllic girls every day. I can say the girls coming up today care deeply. They are enthusiastic, they get it. They want to make their communities a better place and they are looking for the tools, the voices and the empowerment to do that. We are certainly there to help them with that. I encourage everybody else is listening to this think of the girls in your life and how you can empower them. It beats the books these wonderful families have written. What can we do to give them the tools they need . Shannon. If someone wants access to the suffrage toolkit the girl scouts provided is that Still Available . It is Still Available. We will put in the chat break. Terrific. Of course pages book, rebekahs book all the work karen has been doing with the Harriet Tubman sites, this is really a collective conglomeration of women who are really striving to make that legacy happen. I appreciate your time this evening. I also want to thank nancy tate for organizing this conversation pulling everybody together and getting this organized. Getting us on the stage to have this conversation and of course the National Archives for hosting it and my friend for hosting us so we are able to relate look back and reflect critically not just patting ourselves on the back. But looking back with a critical eye and figure out the best