[GWAMIT] Special GWAMIT Newsletter - Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage!

[GWAMIT]

Special GWAMIT Newsletter

August 18th, 2020


Help us celebrate the 100th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage!

The 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote, was ratified on August
18th, 1920--making today the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage!

You’ve heard of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Staton. But what’s
often missing are the names of numerous women of color that contributed to
the suffrage movement. The New York Times released a special segment this
weekend
<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/13/insider/suffrage-anniversary.html> that
highlights the overlooked women and women of color that helped lead the
movement.

"The project encompasses a 44-page print special section in this weekend's
paper; a nonfiction book for young adult readers (“Finish the Fight!: The
Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote”) that will
be available Aug. 18, the 100th anniversary of the amendment's
ratification; a series of online discussions on the continuing battle for
women's rights; a virtual play adapted from the book that premieres on Aug.
18; numerous articles by Times reporters and historians; and additions to
The Times's Overlooked obituary series."

Many women earned the right to vote on this historic day, but many women of
color didn’t get the right to vote until about a half century later
<https://www.teenvogue.com/story/19th-amendment-anniversary-benefited-white-women>,
after fighting to end racist voting and citizenship policies.

As we’re celebrating this historic moment, we’d be remiss not to mention
another historic moment--the selection of Senator Kamala Harris
<https://www.harris.senate.gov/> as the first Black woman and first Asian
woman to be nominated for VP. We’re excited, but we also acknowledge that
we have a long way to go in counteracting the double-bind that women in
politics face for being “too ambitious”
<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/10/us/politics/kamala-harris-veepstakes-ambition-sexism.html>.
The US political machine isn’t set up to enable women leaders. Erin Loos
Cutraro, founder and CEO of She Should Run, is looking to change that. Hear
more about what it takes to get a woman into office in a recent podcast
from the Wall Street Journal Secrets of Wealthy Women: Erin Loos Cutraro:
On Why Women Should Run for Office
<https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/secrets-of-wealthy-women/erin-loos-cutraro-on-why-women-should-run-for-office/84b319fe-39ba-4fad-bc6d-9fe49cf75c15>

Let’s not forget about our local leaders! “Represent”
<https://kartemquin.com/news/music-box-represent> chronicles the struggles
that three women face when running for local office.

“A remarkable feature directorial debut, REPRESENT follows three women in
the American Midwest confronting entrenched political systems in their
campaigns for elected office and fighting to reshape local politics on
their own terms...Myya (22) attempts to spark a youth movement and unseat
the incumbent mayor of Detroit, MI; Bryn (33), a farmer and working mother
in Granville, OH, runs for township trustee, but, in doing so, is placed in
opposition with the only other woman in office; and Julie (47) walks a
tightrope between her identities as a Korean immigrant, woman of color, and
Republican candidate for State Representative in a liberal Chicago, IL
suburb. Through portraying the nuances of local politics, Represent
elevates both the systemic failings and unsung heroes at the heart of our
“smallest” elections.”

The film was released virtually on Aug 14th. Watch the trailer
<https://kartemquin.com/news/music-box-represent> and read the NYT review
<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/13/movies/represent-review.html>.

Have suggestions for future newsletters? Find our exec team at
gwamit-exec at mit.edu
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