Women and men from across the state came to Knoxville last weekend to take part in the dedication of a Women’s Suffrage Memorial.
It was a weekend-long event, beginning Friday, Aug. 25 with a reception at the East Tennessee Historical Society Museum. Feminist and gay activist Beth Maples-Bays was one of the guests of honor at the reception.
The women’s suffrage movement began in 1848, when Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott planned the first Woman’s Rights Convention. In Seneca Falls, N.Y., a group of women and men drafted the Declaration of Sentiments, modeling it after the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Sentiments was the first public protest for the rights of women, namely the right to vote.
The fight for women’s suffrage thus began and lasted until 1920, when Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. After over 80 years of voting rights for women, the suffrage movement returns to Tennessee.
A Tennessee native, Maples-Bays supplied family portraits of her grandmother and great-grandmother for the reception. Maples-Bays said, “It was the privileged women who were able to march in the 1920, unlike people such as my grandmother who worked on a farm all her life. That is why I am here to represent my grandmother.”
The next day was the re-enacted suffrage parade, followed by the unveiling of the statue. Men and women donned attire from the era and marched with signs of liberation.
The parade had approximately 400-500 people in the march, along with horses and antique cars.
“I am tickled to death, I never would have thought I would see this in Tennessee,” Maples-Bays said.
Marchers circled around, anticipating the public speakers to address the crowd. Speeches were given and finally the unveiling of the memorial. The memorial consists of three women: Lizzie Crozier French, Anne Dallas Dudley and Elizabeth Avery Meriwether. Each of the three women represented one of the three grand divisions.
Wanda Sobieski, an attorney and a major contributor to the cause, is delighted with the events.
“I have already received 75-80 e-mails from people all over saying how great it was,” Sobieski said.
With the attention the event is receiving a rumor has started about another parade reenactment next year.
“There are more and more people interested in learning about the history of the suffrage movement,” Sobieski said. There are no definite plans but discussion will continue and something will be planned.
The weekend was an important event for not only Tennessee but for the nation. The chair of the Woman’s Coordination Council, Will Pratt, recently came under scrutiny for being a man in a woman’s council. Pratt attended the event and was as impressed as everyone else. “In every respect, regardless of gender, we all stand on the shoulders of giants. These women accomplished something very powerful, without any power to begin with. They have inspired us all and give us hope that anyone can do great things,” Pratt said.
