The systems in place to perpetuate oppression are long-standing. They have been built into the foundation of our culture and are handed down during the socialization process. In order for American culture to maintain the status quo, any challenges to this system are met with violent rebuke. As saw in One Hundred Years toward Suffrage, Abigail Adams requested that women be considered during the creating of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. However, the 19th Amendment was not passed until 1920. I think it’s important to also note that in 1923, the Nationals Woman’s Party proposed another amendment to eliminate discrimination on the basis of gender and it was never ratified.
It just simply doesn’t serve our system, primarily built on patriarchy, to give women an equal set at the table. But what really stood out to me, as yet another link in the chain of oppression, was that black women were still required to march at the back of the line. Susan B Anthony, a pillar to the suffrage movement, was quoted saying “ I will cut off this right arm of mine before I will ever work or demand the ballot for the Negro and not the woman.” Even at a time when every voice available was needed to protest, it came down to White women first.
In Untold Stories of Black Women in the Suffrage Movement, we saw that Ida B Wells wouldn’t stand for this and that she ran to the front of the line to be seen and heard with the other while participants. Additionally, she was willing to stand up to leaders of the civil rights movement who did not support the suffrage movement. My classmate, Hanna Nichols, posted an image of a quote written by Anna Julia Cooper. I think it really encompasses the suffrage movement as a whole and speaks to the issue we see in movements where the protestors group themselves by racial identity. In order for us to see progress on issues like this, we have to form a united voice.
Judge Anita Crawford said, “we have not broken the glass ceiling” when referring to the ongoing struggle for gender equality. We previously learned that any form of activism does not garner immediate results and generally requires a long-term commitment to the cause. As mentioned above, the woman’s suffrage movement lasted for an entire century and I believe that we will eventually see additional changes to the system. We saw how beneficial publications were to the suffrage movement and I think social media and other forms of technology have demonstrated how powerful they can be as tools to spread our ideas and bridge the gap of distance between supporters. I remember how quickly the Black Lives Matter movement spread and how the creators were able to organize demonstrations across the U.S.
I was able to attend a protest that marched from the city and across the Brooklyn bridge. It felt incredible to know that I was somehow contributing to a solution, even if it was just by being there in person. I pray that it’s not another 100 years before we will see the tides of change and am eager to see how the opposition for oppression evolves with time.
