Women’s Rights National Historical Park Hosts Virtual Equality Weekend

Subscribe | What is RSS

Date: August 13, 2020
Contact: Janine Waller, 315-246-5942

Seneca Falls, NY— Women’s Rights National Historical Park (NHP) is pleased to announce Equality Weekend- Seneca Falls, a series of online programs being held August 22-23 to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s ratification.

On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment became part of the U.S. Constitution and the right to vote in the U.S. could no longer be denied on the basis of sex. The fight for women’s suffrage was a watershed moment in the fight for equality, but it was complex and interwoven with issues of civil and political inequalities for some Americans. The park will explore that history and its legacies held within National Parks. Women’s Rights National Historical Park will hold the event virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic and host programs via the park’s social media platforms, all of which can be accessed through the park website at http://www.nps.gov/wori.

“We’re excited to offer diverse programs that explore the history of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, highlighting the victories and also the continued inequalities that existed after its ratification,” said Acting Superintendent Andrea DeKoter.

The weekend event will commence on August 22 at 11 a.m. with a Greeting from Margaret Everson, Exercising the Authority of Director for the National Park Service, followed by the unveiling of the “19th Amendment: Women Vote” stamp by the United States Postal Service, and a welcome from Acting Superintendent Andrea DeKoter. A schedule of events, including full details of the weekend’s programs, is available on the park Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/womensrightsnps/

Equality Weekend- Seneca Falls explores the multifaceted history of the 19th Amendment, examining its role in the fight for equality. A panel of artists behind Votes For Women: The Battle for the 19th Amendment, a comic anthology by Little Red Bird Press, will explore the history of the 19th Amendment through their work, as well as challenges that women still face in the male-dominated comic industry. Martha Jones, Ph.D., Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor and Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University, and author of Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All (2020) and Birthright Citizens: A History of Race and Rights in Antebellum America (2018), will explore the outcomes of the amendment and the inequalities in voting access that continued to exist after ratification.

Saturday, August 22, at 3:00 p.m. will feature a PBS production and live panel exploring the history of women’s suffrage and the fight for the 19th amendment with the living descendants of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and Maggie Lena Walker. Join the Women’s Rights National Historical Park and WCNY for a Virtual Screening and Panel Discussion, of “Legacies of Suffrage in the National Parks Service.” Keynote speakers include Coline Jenkins, Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., and Liza Mickens, the living descendants of these four significant civil rights activists. Following the program, stay tuned for a live panel discussion on Zoom with our speakers who will discuss the legacy of their ancestors and the importance of women’s suffrage today. This program is sponsored by a grant from the National Park Foundation’s “Women in Parks” program.

We also invite you to join Women's Rights National Historical Park and Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument on Equality Day, August 26, at 12:00 p.m. as we commemorate the centennial virtually with one of the most well-known suffragists, Alice Paul. In addition to introducing radical tactics to build the movement, Paul is known for being the founder of the National Woman’s Party (NWP). The NWP headquarters in Washington, D.C. is now the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument. In this living history portrayal, Actress and Scholar Leslie Goddard, Ph.D., portrays suffragist Alice Paul, one of the most dynamic leaders in the fight to win votes for women. An innovative and tireless worker, Paul arranged parades, organized the first picketing demonstrations outside the White House, lobbied politicians, and endured imprisonment for women’s suffrage. As fearless as she was pioneering, she remains an icon in the struggle for equal rights.

The National Park Service (NPS) is working servicewide with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and is using a phased approach to increase access on a park-by-park basis. Based on guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, Women’s Rights National Historical Park is currently closed to in-person visits and Convention Days will be conducted exclusively on-line. A return to full operations will continue to be phased, and services may be limited for some time. For more information, please visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/wori or call (315) 568-2991.

-NPS-

 

About Women’s Rights National Historical Park

In 1848 five women organized the First Woman’s Rights Convention and wrote the Declaration of Sentiments, stating that “all men and women are created equal.” Women’s Rights National Historical Park commemorates the convention and preserves the sites associated with the convention and its organizers, including the Wesleyan Chapel, the Stanton House, the M’Clintock House, and the Hunt House. The park’s visitor center offers an orientation film and exhibits. Tours of the houses are offered seasonally.