Monroe County Women’s Commission unveils Susan B. Anthony marker

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 8, 2012

For more information, please contact:
Julie Thomas, Councilor At Large, Monroe County Council, 345.0707, [mailto:drjuliethomas@gmail.com]
Cathi Cabtree, Chair, City of Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women, 272.1600


Monroe County Women's Commission unveils Susan B. Anthony marker

Bloomington, Ind. - The public is invited to attend the unveiling of a historical marker commemorating the 125th anniversary of suffragist Susan B. Anthony's speaking engagement in Bloomington. The ceremony will take place on the east side of the Courthouse Square at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Following the ceremony, a reception will be held in the newly renovated Courthouse rotunda.

"It's exciting to know that Susan B. Anthony, an important figure in American history, was here in Bloomington," said Regina Moore, City of Bloomington Clerk. "I am glad that we are able to recognize our local connection with such a pivotal chapter in our nation's civil rights history."

Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) is one of the best-known historical figures in the fight for women's right to vote in the United States. Anthony visited Bloomington a number of times, twice in 1870 and then from Nov. 10 to 11 in 1887, which is the visit commemorated by the historical marker. Maud Showers, one of the owners of the Showers Furniture Company, was a civil rights activist in Bloomington. Anthony was invited by Showers in 1887 to speak at the First General Convention of Women in Monroe County. Her speech took place at the Walnut Street Presbyterian Church, located on the east side of the Courthouse Square. The church was located where the Redmen Building currently sits. The plaque will be installed on the wall of the building between Athena and Williams Brothers Jewelry.

"We would like to thank Dave Ferguson and Tom Seeber, owners of the Redmen building, for their support," said Lara Weaver, who is a member of the Monroe County Women's Commission. "They have enthusiastically embraced the installation of this historic marker."

The project is being funded by local donors, who will be recognized at the plaque's dedication ceremony. "Donors will feel a deep sense of pride when they see the plaque they have helped us install," said Cathi Crabtree, who chairs the Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women.
"This is a permanent historical marker that will remind residents, visitors and future generations of the part Bloomington played in the struggle for women's suffrage."

The installation of the historical marker is a combined project of the Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women and the Monroe County Women's Commission. It is the first activity co-sponsored by these two organizations. An organizing committee for this project is composed of members of both Commissions: Cathi Crabtree and Jacqueline Fernette from the Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women and Julie Thomas, Rebecca Veidlinger and Lara Weaver from the Monroe County Women's Commission. Regina Moore, Bloomington City Clerk also served on the committee.

"Sophia Travis was instrumental in helping us create the Monroe County Women's Commission," said Julie Thomas, Monroe County Councilor At Large and member of the Commission. "As Chair of the Commission, she was excited about this particular project. I hope this is the first of many collaborative efforts between our two Commissions."

"We chose to include a quote from Susan B. Anthony on the plaque: 'Suffrage is the pivotal right,'" said Rebecca Veidlinger, a member of the Monroe County Women's Commission.
"With the 2012 general election behind us, it's important to remember the struggle for women's suffrage. We cannot take the vote for granted."


About Susan B. Anthony:

Susan Brownwell Anthony was an abolitionist, social reformer and suffragist. In 1868, she founded the periodical "The Revolution" in New York City, a paper that promoted granting the right to vote to women and African Americans. In 1872 Anthony was arrested in New York for casting a vote in the Presidential election. Anthony co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) in 1869 with Elizabeth Cady Stanton - another famous name in the history of women's suffrage. In 1890, the NWSA merged with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Fourteen years after Anthony's death, women were finally granted the right to vote in 1920 by the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.


About the Monroe County Women's Commission:

The Monroe County Women's Commission was founded in 2011 and is the first County Women's Commission in the state of Indiana. The primary duties of the Commission are to serve in an advisory role to assist residents, businesses and the Monroe County government in addressing issues of gender inequity in all aspects of society, including government, the economy, education, employment, social and family development, health care, the justice system, the arts, as well as land use and planning.


About the The Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women:

The Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women was founded by the City of Bloomington in 1984. The Commission identifies needs, resources and gaps in resources for women and monitors federal, state and local policies and their impact on women. In addition, the Commission issues reports on data and recommendations pertaining to the status of women in Bloomington and Monroe County. The Commission also hosts an annual Women's History Month luncheon honoring the Woman of the Year and Emerging Woman Leader, organizes an annual Leadership Development Conference, and provides leadership scholarships and other benefits to women.


The text of the plaque is as follows:

In commemoration of

Susan B. Anthony's speech at

the Walnut Street Presbyterian Church

(once located here)

November 10-11, 1887.

Susan B. Anthony was a champion for women's suffrage

and a key advocate for women's rights.

Her Bloomington speech was delivered to the

First General Convention of Women in Monroe County.

Due to her and others' work in the suffrage movement,

Women were granted the right to vote in 1920 by

the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

"Suffrage is the pivotal right." Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)

Dedicated November 2012

By the Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women

and the Monroe County Women's Commission