Member of Tennessee BPW/USA
TN Women Suffrage Memorial Knoxville TN.
Tue, 05 Sept, 2006
Barbara Dean, TNBPW past state president an Sandra Bennett, Heart of
Tennessee BPW Member attended the unveiling of the TN Woman Suffrage
Memorial in Knoxville, TN on Saturday, August 26, 2006.
Following is a synopsis, provided by Sandra, of the events of the
day.
It was a very hot and humid day in Knoxville, as I'm sure it was
across
most of Tennessee; a reminder of what August was like in 1920 when
the
final work for the passage of the 19th Amendment was going "hot" and
heavy. Seeing the women dressed in the vintage costumes of
what was
the
fashion in 1920 made us even more mindful of the conditions under
which
the TN Suffragists worked. National suffragist leader, Carrie
Chapman
Catt came to Nashville in the summer of 1920 expecting to stay a few
days, but was here for nearly six weeks. She wrote on August
15,
1920:
"I've been here a month. It is hot, muggy, nasty, and this last
battle
desperate. Even if we win, we who have been here will never remember
it
with anything but a shudder."
The program on Saturday began with a parade that included women
dressed
as the suffragists dressed; girl scouts in uniforms from 1920;
automobiles from that era and women dressed in costume who rode
side-saddle on horses. It was all very awe-inspiring and fun.
After the parade ended, everyone gathered in Market Square to hear
some
great speeches and singing. Representative Kim McMillan was
there to
represent the Governor and presented a proclamation. We truly
admired
how she was able to sit on the stage, facing into the sun on that
hot
and humid day and managed to stay looking fresh. I, for one, would
have
wilted (and nearly did just standing in the shade!) - but not
Representative McMillan - cool as a cucumber!
The mayor of Knoxville was there and also spoke to the crowd.
He has
two daughters and said he was so grateful for the opportunities they
will have because of the sacrifices and hard work of the
suffragists.
He sat next to Representative McMillan and we were impressed with
his
chivalry as he kept jumping up to keep the American and Tennessee
flags
from falling on the women who were seated on the stage. There
was
just
enough breeze ......
The key-note speaker was Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey, who described
herself as "suffragist junkie". To prove the point, she shared
that
she
has three dogs and they're all named after TN suffragists!
Judge
Daughtrey was the first female judge to sit on any of the Tennessee
courts of appeal, the first woman on the Tennessee Supreme Court and
is
currently a highly regarded judge on the United States Court of
Appeals
for the Sixth Circuit - and the perfect person to deliver the
keynote
speech on this occasion. In the conclusion of her speech,
Judge
Daughtrey quoted Carrie Catt "Millions of dollars were raised,
mainly
in
small sums, and expended with economic care. Hundreds of women gave
the
accumulated possibilities of an entire lifetime, thousands gave
years
of
their lives, hundreds of thousands gave constant interest and such
aid
as they could. It was a continuous, seemingly endless, chain of
activity. Young suffragists who helped forge the last links of that
chain were not born when it began. Old suffragists who forged the
first
links were dead when it ended..." She noted that one of those
who
forged the first chains and who was not there to see the victory was
Susan B. Anthony.
After the speeches, we moved to the monument where it was unveiled
as
a
crowd of women and men cheered. The monument is beautiful and
beautifully done. The three Tennessee suffragists selected for
the
Memorial are: Lizzie Crozier French of
Knoxville, Anne Dallas Dudley of Nashville, and
Elizabeth Avery Meriwether of Memphis. And
each of these
women represent the hundreds of Tennessee suffragists from their
region
in Tennessee.
I'll close this with another quote from Carrie Chapman Catt - "It is
doubtful if any man, even among suffrage men, ever realized what the
suffrage struggle came to mean to women before the end was allowed
in
America. How much time and patience, how much work, energy, and
aspiration, how much faith, how much hope, how much despair went
into
it. It leaves its mark on one, such a struggle . . . ."
I urge you all to honor these women and the 72 years of hard work
and
sacrifices it took for them to give us the right to vote by
exercising
your right to vote every time you have the opportunity to do so -
and
to
tell their stories as encouragement to your daughters, your friends
and
family, to all the women who are the recipients of this great and
wonderful gift.
Sandra Bennett
August, 2006
