We learn about an inspiring black lady, Ida B Wells, in the video Untold Stories of Black Women. She was an NAACP pioneer who advocated for the equality of black women. She was strong despite the fact that she had lost both of her parents at the age of sixteen. She assisted in caring for her siblings after being born into slavery but subsequently emancipated following the Emancipation Proclamation. I was able to obtain a lot deeper and more in-depth grasp of the history of these movements that led to today’s societal developments. They also explain how African American women battled for their independence and social rights. The timeline explains and provides us a feel of what female activists achieved to ensure that everyone in society had the same equal rights.

This week’s video recounted the experiences of women throughout history and how their contributions to this cause have resulted in much of the freedom we have today. The movie demonstrates how black women are devalued in households where men are considered the leader of the home. Women battled tooth and nail for the right to vote. The documentary also portrays and reflects the fight between radicals and conservatives, as well as male dominance and women’s rights. They strove to abolish slavery and the partial ownership of women. “I will chop off this right arm of mine before I ever work or demand the ballot for the Negro and not the women,” Susan B. Anthony remarked. Women’s suffrage talks help us comprehend the motivations behind the movement, and understanding our history helps us recognize what we can do for our future.

            In the video “Untold Stories of Black Women in the suffrage movement” they talk about Ida B. Wells was a journalist, educator, and a leader in the civil rights movement. Ida B. Wells fought for equality for African Americans but mostly for women. Ida B. Wells fought for the rights for women. At the age of eighteen she had lost her parents and brother and later moved to Tennessee with her siblings.  Ida B. Wells exposed lynching towards African Americans and them being oppressed. Susan B. Anthony was an activist in the Women’s suffrage movement. Women all over the world went to Washington to protest during the Women’s suffrage movement and African American women were in the protest but they had to be in the back. Even though they were in the back they still were part of the Women’s suffrage movement. It’s really inspiring how these African American women fought for civil rights to have the same rights as other women. These women never gave up and created their own group to work together and make a change. 

            In “One Hundred years toward Suffrage” it shows us different events that happened over the years and leading up to women being able to vote. In 1776 Abigail Adams wrote to her husband “Remember the Ladies” this shows that she was saying that women are also part of this country and should have the right to speak up about politics just as men do. In 1849 Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery and for ten years she helped slaves escape from the underground railroad. I believe that it was brave of Harriet Tubman to do to help all those slaves escape knowing what the risks were. This is powerful in how women did all these things to gain the same rights as men and because of these women us women now can vote and get the same privileges as men such as getting an education and jobs. I like my classmates Kevin Kimble snapshot because it shows women walking to show that women should get the right to vote. 

After watching “Untold Stories of Black Women in the Suffrage Movement” I went down a bit of a youtube hole and continued to watch short documentaries on this topic. I became very angry about the fact that I had never learned about these incredible black women, like Ida B. Wells in school when I had been learning about women like Susan B. Anthony. It is not at all surprising but I’m thankful there is more public information online about this history as I need to do a better job about educating myself on these things. I know not to trust typical history books in reporting the full story as history is told through the lens of whomever is writing it and the books we read are typically by white men, especially in the schooling system.

These videos make me think about how the feminist movement continues to largely not be inclusive and intersectional. The progress we have seen in the feminist movement has largely supported white women and society highlight white feminists while covering up the rest of the story.

* I wanted to add to my thoughts a bit on this… Over the past few years I’ve spent a lot of time on the island of Guadeloupe. On Guadeloupe my friends and extended family talk a lot about the slave trade and often highlight the bravery of abolitionists. Guadeloupe, still a French territory, saw what was happening in France after the Haitian Revolution and started to riot themselves against slavery. One abolitionists name was a woman named Solitude. There are many myths about her and many fictional stories written of her but the main thing to take away from her is that she was a incredibly strong black mother and leader who even now, so long after she was alive is celebrated for her femininity and her leadership in the fight against slavery on the island. Seeing her statues while I was there made me consider how back home in the U.S.A. we continue to celebrate people who may have had some feats but were only put on the pedestal for making change in a way that continually benefited (and benefits) white people. It is maddening that school children are just beginning to learn the truth of Thanksgiving but are not being taught about women’s liberation in any type of way but especially in a way that celebrates all kinds of women. I want to learn more about those who truly have made change, whom we don’t celebrate and honor in the ways that we need to.

When I first saw the title”One Hundred Years toward Suffrage” by E. Susan Barber I laughed. I laughed because hundreds of years for the suffrage I say why people have to spend all these years for  women’s rights. Women are also human. I was asking myself many questions without getting an answer. This started with Abigail where she wrote to her husband John, asking that her husband and other men to “Remember the Ladies “ . These three words mean a lot. I think she wanted to say that women are also part of the country. Her husband was there for the Declaration of Independence. Independence means freedom. So if independence means being free women also want to be free, to be considered as members who can vote, give their opinion, and express themselves. That is why she said to her husband women are there, remember the women. I did some research about her. I found that she was one of the strongest female voices in the American Revolution for women’s rights. because she was a key political advisor to her husband. She fought for women’s equal education and women’s property rights. She wanted women to have the same rights as men. She was not the only one who fought for women’s rights. There were many other women like Lucretia Mott, an American Quaker, abolitionist, and women’s rights activist. She was amongst the women excluded from a membership in earlier anti- slavery organizations in 1837 because she was a woman. Also Harriet Tubman born into slave who fight for women’s rights and the abolition of slavery. She helps many slaves to freedom. In 1852 Lucretia Mott wrote “ Discourse on Women “ She wanted women to be educated because she said women are viewed as inferior because of the lack of educational opportunities. Women are less educated than men. Several women fight for women’s rights including Ida B. Wells-Barnett. In the video, “Untold Stories of Black Women in the Suffrage Movement’, Ida B. Well-Barnett fought for women’s rights. She was  born during the civil war into slavery in 1862. She was a prominent journalist, activist and researcher in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was

also the founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She fought for sexism, racism and violence. She also fought to establish women’s rights, the right for all women to vote. She wanted justice not only for black people, but for all women black and white. She established the first black kindergarten, organized black women. She fought for the antilynching crusade in the United States in 1891 because her friend was lynched in Memphis in 1892.  She won a Pulitzer Prize”for her outstanding and courageous reporting on the horrific and vicious violence against African Americans during the era of lynching”

All these fights, and efforts of women had a favorable result. In 1919, the 19th amendment passed by congress and ratified. In 1920, the 19th amendment guaranteed all American women the right to vote. 

I think all the work that the women did was very important because women need fundamental human rights. 

Learning about the women who were the catalyst for the progression of women’s rights and whose plight is responsible for my rights today was very eye-opening and inspirational. Starting but not limited to the 1800s, women were viewed as nothing more than an extension of their husbands. Something to be seen and not heard. They weren’t allowed a say in their education, reproductive systems, or suffrage. It is insane to think about an individual not having a say in a system that directly impacts them in so many ways.
In “One hundred years of Suffrage”, a timeline compiled by E. Susan Barber. They share that in 1776, whilst our second ever president of the United States, John Adams was aiding in writing the Declaration of Independence, his wife, Abigail Adams, wrote to him asking that he and the other men at work with the document, “Remember the Ladies.” Now, think of what a slap in the face it must have been to Abigail, who was not only the First Lady of the United States, the woman to represent all women, but she was also John Adams closest advisor must have felt when she saw the phrase, “all men are created equal” on a document depicting the triumph and moral code of her country. I thought it was amazing that Abigail asked her husband for representation, as women in the 18th century are stereotypically viewed as shy and reserved. That is certainly not the case for the women I learned about in class this week. Once the fifteenth amendment was ratified, granting black men in the United States the right to vote in the late 1800s, suffrage became a movement for women, led by women. “In 1866 Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B Anthony from the American Equal Rights Association, an organization for white and black women and men dedicated to the cause of universal suffrage.” (One Hundred Years of Suffrage) In the video, “Untold Stories of Black Women in the Suffrage Movement” I learned about the 22 college-aged women who founded Delta, Sigma, Beta sorority incorporated. These women knew that it was important to have a voice as they marched, albeit all the way in the back, in the women’s suffrage march. They are an inspiration to all that join the sorority today, and to all the women who understand the bravery, it took for these women to take a stand.

In Erika’s snapshot, there is a picture of Ida B. Wells included. Her tragic upbringing and amazing role in black women’s suffrage should never go unnoticed as she is nothing short of inspiring. She founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in 1913 in order to rally more women to insert themselves into politics. She marched in the Women’s suffrage parade in Washington DC and even refused to march in the back after the parade leader’s white suffragette told her to. It is because of women like Ida that women of color were able to gain power during this time. Having someone spearhead this movement with such velocity and passion as Ida B. Wells certainly served in many women becoming inspired and gaining the confidence to join in on politics, marches, and the overall rhetoric of women’s suffrage.

  In the video Untold Stories of Black Women, we learn about an impressive black woman, Ida B Wells. She was one of the founders of the NAACP and fought for black women’s equality. She was resilient after having lost her parents at the young age of sixteen. She helped look after her siblings having been born into slavery but later freed after the empancipation proclamation. She also co-owned and wrote for the Memphis Free Speech and Headlight. 

  A major part of her work was dedicated to the fight against lynching black men. She wrote about this effort in her works. Unfortunately, her office was sabotaged and burned down. 

  Later on the National Association of Colored Women was founded by young college women. They also marched in the march for the women’s suffrage movement. 

 The video also discusses Susan B. Anthony and the controversy surrounding her for saying women deserve the right to vote before black men. 

   The timeline we reviewed gives a clear overview of the events that led to women receiving the right to vote. It begins in 1776, when Abigail Adams wrote a letter to her husband, John Adams, saying to “remember the ladies”. After in 1821, the first National Female Anti- Slavery Society convention meets. That same year Mary Lyon founds Mount Holyoke College as the first four-year college exclusively for women in the US. In 1844, female textile workers in Massachusetts organized the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association, demanding a ten hour work day. In 1848, the first women’s rights convention is held at Seneca Falls, New York. The following year, in 1849, Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery and helps free slaves. In 1866, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony form the American Equal Rights association dedication to the goal of universal suffrage. In 1872, Susan B. Anthony is arrested for attempting to vote. In 1891, Ida B. Wells launches her nation wide anti lynching campaign. In 1896, the National Associations for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in Washington, D.C. March 3, 1913, members of the Congressional Union organized a suffrage parade. Later in 1919, the 19th amendment passed both the House and Senate and went to the states for ratification. Ultimately, in 1920, the 19th amendment was adopted. 

  Hannah Nichols posted a quote for her snapshot from Anna Julia Cooper that reads “It is not the intelligent woman versus the ignorant woman; nor the white woman versus the black, the brown, and the red, it is not even the cause of woman versus man. Nay, this woman’s strongest vindication for speaking that the world needs to hear her voice. Those words are so powerful and really resonate. In the topic of feminism and the patriarchy, we have touched on this notion of addressing the true enemy or rather the proper concern. It’s not a matter of division but rather unity in the ability to understand one another. At the end of the day, we all just want to be heard and understood. 

This week we dove deeper into the historical events of activism in America. With the reading, “ 100 Years towards suffrage: An Overview” and the video “Untold stories of Black Women in the suffrage movement” I was able to gain a much better and very detailed understanding of the history of these movements that have led to today’s changes in society. As mentioned in this week’s video, although we have not broken all the way through from all the challenges set for women, especially black women in history, we have come a very long way within the years. 

This week’s video explained the stories of women in history and how their part in this movement has led to a lot of the freedom we have today. A very thoughtful part of the video was hearing about Ida B Wells’s story. She was an African American journalist, educator, and leader in the civil rights movement. She was born into slavery where she then lost her parents and a sibling due to the Yellow Fever that was spreading quickly at that time. After the Emancipation Proclamation, she was able to move to Tennessee with her siblings where she was able to receive a better salary teaching and was able to raise them. Later on, she became Co-owner and writer for the “Memphis Free Speech and Headlight Newspaper ” Unfortunately throughout the years, she was threatened by a white mob who burned and destroyed her work/office space. I found this very inspiring as she was only 16 when she lost her parents and was able to continue to move forward while raising her siblings and continuing to fight for equality and freedom. Another story I enjoyed learning about is the sorority Delta Sigma Theta. Learning about both of these events was very inspiring as they both had to overcome very difficult circumstances but they didn’t let that stop them from getting to their goal. Because of women like this in history, we now have the rights we do as women in this society, and we will continue to fight like these women to get the real freedom we deserve. 

A post that caught my eye this week was the post made by a classmate, Raquel. They posted an image of a woman tied up with ropes with the words “Politics is no place for women” however it seems like the woman is breaking loose from the ropes. This image speaks a lot more than just that. To me, this image represents the liberation of women being trapped by the laws of them not being able to vote, not having the rights they deserved.  It wasn’t until about 100 years ago when women got the right to vote and a little over 50 years ago when all African Americans were granted this right. As mentioned before, this is only the beginning and we need to continue to fight for the rights we deserve.

The fight for civil rights for women and in general, equality for all started since the early nineteenth century. Ida B. Wells was a famous activist back in the 1800’s and co-founded the “National Association for the Advancement of Colored People”. Ida B. Wells including many other selfless women contributed to improve conditions which women have to their advantage in the United States today. They founded the movements like “The National Association of Colored Women”, Women’s Suffrage movement etc. The women’s suffrage was a decade’s– long fight to win the right to vote for women in the United States. Men had the rights to vote, including black men who were granted the right in the year 1870, though most were unable to exercise this right due to taxes, etc. During this time, there was an adapted norm which was later termed as “The Cult of Domesticity”, this was when people believed there were “specific” roles for women and men in society.

            The suffrage movement involved organizing campaigns, conventions, petitions. The founders and its members spread awareness to many other women, whether or not they knew of their rights. Many acts were put in place with the purpose of achieving the set goal (which was to gain the voting rights of women). In the year 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, alongside Lucretia Mott invited a group of abolitionist activists and reformers (both men and mostly women). They met at Senaca Falls to discuss the problems associated with the rights of women. “All sorts of reform groups were proliferating across the United States- temperance leagues, religious movements, moral reform societies, anti-slavery organizations – and in many of these, women played prominent roles”. When the civil war began, the momentum which was infused in the suffrage movement was indefinitely halted. Nevertheless, the movement gathered its steam once again, after the civil war, and were determined to have the 15^th Amendment ratified. “They even allied with racist Southerners who argued that while women’s votes could be used to neutralize those cast by African Americans”. Two different groups by the name “The National Woman Suffrage Association” and “The American Woman Suffrage Association” merged and created “The National American Woman Suffrage Association”, of which its first president was Elizabeth Cady Stanton. With this, the movement’s standard approach also differed. They argued that they deserved the rights to vote not because they had equal rights as men, but because they were different from men.

            The fight over the Equal Rights Amendment took activists and reformers nearly a century (100 years) to win. Some expeditions and tribulations that issued within the years of the suffrage movement includes, “Emma Hart Willard founding the Troy Female Seminary in New York – the first endowed school for girls. Sarah Grimke who begins her speaking career as an abolitionist and a women’s right advocate. Though she was eventually silenced by male abolitionist, who considered her public speaking a liability.  Harriet Tubman escaping from slavery and leading many slaves to freedom. Abigail Scott Duniway publishing a weekly newspaper, dedicated to women’s right and suffrage”. After struggling through bolts and thorns, the 19^th Amendments was ratified, on August 18, 1920. And as result, over 8 million women across the States voted in the elections on November 2^nd of that same year.

REFERENCES.

https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/the-fight-for-womens-suffrage

This week’s article and the documentary were very informative. “The Untold Stories of Black Women in the Suffrage Movement” and the timeline “One Hundred Years toward Suffrage: An Overview” by E. Susan Barber really educated me about how women went through so much just to have equality, voting rights, freedom, in our society especially the black women. The video explains how black women were undervalued where men are seen as the head of the household. In the video, I learned about Ida Bell Wells-Barnett. Wells, who was born a slave in Holly Springs, Mississippi, in 1862, was an American investigative journalist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored. After her relocation to Chicago in 1894, she worked tirelessly to advance the cause of black equality and black power. Wells established the first black kindergarten, organized black women, and helped elect the city’s first black alderman, just a few of her many achievements. 

Women fought endlessly for the right to vote. one of the timelines really coughs my attention where 1917 Women win the vote in New York State. I learned that A suffrage petition signed by more than a million women signals the determination of the women of the state (and the suffrage campaign workers who gathered the signatures) to gain the vote. Aiding the suffrage cause is a last-minute decision by Tammany Hall, the powerful Democratic “machine,” not to oppose suffrage, given the danger alienating potential women voters might pose in future elections. The suffrage measure wins by a margin of 100,000 votes in New York City and breaks even in the rest of the state. I thought it was very powerful and honestly, it was needed. It shows that where all the women come together there’s no manpower that can stop them. 

My classmate Myweleman Ouattara’s snapshot was a clear example of the right to vote is still not fully realized for everyone in the USA or around the world. The women’s suffrage movement was a decades-long fight to win the right to vote for women in the United States. It took activists and reformers nearly 100 years to win that right, and the campaign was not easy: Disagreements over strategy threatened to cripple the movement more than once. My classmate Mitch’s snapshot was very powerful to me because I learned about Dolores Clara Fernández Huerta who is an American labor leader and civil rights activist who, with Cesar Chavez, is a co-founder of the National Farmworkers. Another example is that women can lead the way to improve our society and they surely can do anything that men can. There are so many women activists working tirelessly for worms rights and I just feel sad even in 2021 women don’t have equality in so many different ways. I hope and pray that women get equality soon and get opportunities as all the men do all over the world.