Welcome to Women;s Rights National Historical park
As seen
Postage stamp sign in Wesleyan Chapel. Dr. Mary Walker was the only woman in the U.S. to ever receive the Medal of Honor.
Marissa talking to waitress (more on this deceptively sweet woman below) and Vicki Sidrow at right.
Bonnie and Marissa. Because of Marissa, we went to Seneca Falls. Marissa initiated the trip through NNJ NOW in order to get more people to visit the Park after she saw that they had decreased their hours from 7 days a week to three. She was worried that they might be defunded (in these times, that is a real possibility) and hoped we could generate a show of interest.
Bonnie and Marissa. Because of Marissa, we went to Seneca Falls. Marissa initiated the trip through NNJ NOW in order to get more people to visit the Park after she saw that they had decreased their hours from 7 days a week to three. She was worried that they might be defunded (in these times, that is a real possibility) and hoped we could generate a show of interest.
Bonnie and Vicki on steps of Declaration Park.
Bonnie, Marissa and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in front of her house.
Bonnie and Vicki at lunch in Homer, NY, birthplace of Amelia Bloomer. (this is where our travel story actually starts)
Michele and Vicki in Historical Center
Vicki and suffragists.
Michele and suffragists
Mary and Michele and suffragists.
Mary and Michele and suffragists.
Bonnie mingles with suffragists
More suffragists
More suffragists
Drawing in Historical Center
Vicki with drawing
Vicki says her legs win every day
Art exhibit
Art exhibit of Elizabeth Cady Stanton sayings on stick dolls.
Art exhibit of Elizabeth Cady Stanton sayings on stick dolls.
Art exhibit of Elizabeth Cady Stanton sayings on stick dolls.
Sign
Rob Okun lecture in Wesleyan Chapel on âThe Futurre is Female: A New Day for Men and Manhood.â Okun is author of âVoice Male: The Untold Story of the Pro-Feminist Menâs Movement.â Although some were sporting totes with the âF is Fâ slogan, Vicki and I felt that it is not the equality we are looking for. Fore example, the tagline :"Men and boys welcomeâ reminded me of the sign at the Kingâs supermarket for years: âOur Jewish friends welcome, â or some such. A hierarchy is still maintained. Okun said it is a necessary step before we can say âThe Future is Human.â
Rob Okun lecture in Wesleyan Chapel on âThe Futurre is Female: A New Day for Men and Manhood.â Okun is author of âVoice Male: The Untold Story of the Pro-Feminist Menâs Movement.â
Rob Okun lecture in Wesleyan Chapel on âThe Futurre is Female: A New Day for Men and Manhood.â Okun is author of âVoice Male: The Untold Story of the Pro-Feminist Menâs Movement.â
Bonnie and Vicki outside the Historical Park
Dinner at Avicoli's: Brandy, Bonnie, Vicki, Tori
At Declaration Park. Proclamation of Indigenous Womenâs Day, Reading of Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Declaration of Sentiments for Muslim Women. The Wall shows the original Declaration of Sentiments and the list of signers.
Crowd watching speeches in Declaration Park. Row 3 from bottom, right: Kim and Fran. 2nd row from bttrom: Mary, Michele, Vicky, and a few seats down in signature hat, Vicky. Leigh in orange sweater.
Sign
Vicki
Mrs. Stanton welcomes us to the portapotties.
Mrs. Stanton speaks.
Marissa, Mary and Leigh look dismayed while Michele seems to know she is being surveilled.
Suffragist with backpack.
Suffragist and modern woman tensely discussing womenâs rights..
Suffragist and modern woman tensely discussing womenâs rights..
Mary and Leigh center, Kim and Fran read program on the right
Bonnie inside the Historical Park.
Bonnie and Mrs. Stanton. I met Elizabeth inside the ladies room earlier, where she was using the handicapped stall and asked her how she was able to use the facilities in those clothes. Answer: with great difficulty. When we were next to the statues, she told us that the statues are shorter than the corresponding people were in real life because of shrinkage in the sculptures when they are made. I asked why they donât make them taller to begin with, but she had no answer.
Keynote speaker Elizabeth Nyamayaro Presents: HeForShe Global Solidarity Movement. She is Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary-General and Executive Director UN Women and Global Head of the HeForShe Initiative . Her story of how she was able to get an education that led her to her path in life was fascinating.
Kim and Fran on steps, Declaration Park.
Leigh, backs of Michele, Mary, Marissa.
Same, with suffragist.
Same with umbrella toting suffragist.
This suffragist was seen everywhere and sometimes called up on stage.
Bonnie and Marissa.
Carol Simon Levin on the Sculpture Walk
MYSTERY BUST. THIS BUST HAS NO NAME ASSIGNED TO IT. I say it is Hillary Clinton, but âwhat do you say? Maybe there is to be an unveiling for the name at some point? Who else does it look like it could be?
Marissa, Carol, Vicki and Amelia Bloomer.
Marissa
Bonnie
Marissa and Mrs. Stanton.
Marissa and Mrs. Stanton.
Live music by Keisha who changed her name to Kei while sitting there. She came from New Orleans to be with us, originally from Philly. Wonderful voice. Vicki and I bought her CDs.
The tripâs hostess, Marissa, in front of ECSâs house.
Also performing, tho not on the program, was Sharleen Leahey, with her accompaniest Lydia Adams Davis. Sharleen performed at the NOW -NJ Conference in November 2016. She was not on the program, but was a treat to see her !!
Oldtimers and bus.
Carol Simon Levin with oldtimer and anonymous.
Sharleen Leahey and Lydia Adams Davis set up
Sharleen Leahey
Lydia and Sharleen
Marissa cautious in the blazing sun
Lydia and Sharleen
Lydia and friend.
Marissa cautious in the blazing sun.
Mrs. Stanton and Matilda Joslyn Gage discussing what they will tell the future generation waiting in the seats.
Stanton and Gage. I asked âMrs. Stanton, did Mrs. Gage help you in any way in writing âThe Womenâs Bibleâ? I knew full well that the answer was âYES,â and that Matilda had been written out of that episode and almost everything else, having read, many years ago, the bio by Sally Wagner, founder of the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation, who spoke at our Conference in November. My question (Vicki said I sounded like a plant) led to another half hour of the presentation, and the answer was, in short, âYES.â Mrs. Gage was bitter and Mrs. Stanton did a lot of âsplaininâ about how it was the publisherâs fault.
Exhibit inside the Wesleyan Chapel.
Dr. Mary Walker one woman show.
Dr. Mary Walker wearing two Medals of Honor (one was the updated design). They tried to take her Medals back (!!!!!!!) but she would not return them!
Michele and Brandy at dinner, very disturbed about the shabby treatment of Dr. Walker.
The dinner was at the Gould Hotel. Marissa had dined there before and chose the restaurant for its ambience and food. She made a lovely toast and it was a lovely dinner. We were a dozen people bringing the restaurant an economic boon, yet when I asked the deceptively lovely waitress (here is what I alluded to earlier) for a souvenier menu for Marissa, just the paper page, she firmly said âNO,â twice.
Out of focus Kim really enjoying herself.
Michele and Bonnie.
Michele and Bonnie.
Brandy and Bonnie. Bonnie is wearing a button that Brandy brought back for her from her side trip to Susan B. Anthonyâs home in Rochester earlier in the day.
Brandy and Bonnie.
Kathie Barnes, the actress who played Dr. Walker, in the center, with Vicki, a member of Barnesâs staff, Carol, and Marissa.
This is about the Declaration we signed in the morning after seeing and hearing it read out.
Exhibits.
Exhibits.
Exhibits.
Exhibits.
Part of fashion exhibit.
Part of fashion exhibit.
Part of fashion exhibit.
Part of fashion exhibit.
Childrenâs toys
Stereotyping childrenâs toys.
Back to fashion.
The cage they called a corset.
What do you want to be?
Exhibit.
Another forgotten suffragist.
SCS and SBA handshake
SCS and SBA handshake
Art exhibit at Historical Park (more to follow)
Art exhibit at Historical Park (more to follow)
Art exhibit at Historical Park (more to follow)
Art exhibit at Historical Park (more to follow)
Art exhibit at Historical Park (more to follow)
Art exhibit at Historical Park (more to follow)
Art exhibit with Vicki.
Stick figures (from earlier) and Bonnie
Info on the artists for the exhibit.
At this lecture by Penny Colman, â A Friendship That Changed the World,â the very appealing Ms. Colman rushed through her 45 minutes in fear of going overtime and never talked about the friendship of the two women. She did give a fascinating overview of the struggle for womenâs rights. I spoke to her later about an issue that has come up before the NOW-NJ Board and told her that I was inspired by her presentation and the women who fought so hard and so long to go on with the planned action and not drop it. If you are intrigued, listen at the NOW-NJ Board meeting for what I am talking about, or, if you wonât be there, learn to live with intrigue.
Back to artist sign on top floor.
A different way of looking at the artworks, homing in on the 3D necklaces and tags attached to celebrate the women who gave the works their titles
A different way of looking at the artworks, homing in on the 3D necklaces and tags attached to celebrate the women who gave the works their titles
At the Womenâs Hall of Fame, with plaques to all the women who made our country great, including some we personally might never have included, who were âfirstâ at something and also âpro-life.â This is Eleanor Roosevelt, my motherâs patroness saint.
The Womenâs Hall of Fame is to be re-done in the knitting mill nearby. Here are the plans.
Post-its of âWho inspires you.â Everyoneâs mother made the cut.
Bench in Hall of Fame.
Karen DeCrow! Past President of NOW!
Bonnie with empty suffragist.
At the âItâs A Wonderful Lifeâ Museum where Vicki and I signed a petition for a Department of Peace and a Secretary of Peace, which has been around for years and years. Donna Reed is the woman behind having this petition, and behind the museum. She was a feminist and activist. Looking over the museum, reminded me that this was a socialist movie.
Quilt of Itâs A Wonderful Life.
Exhibit.
Director Capra Statement.
Buildings at holiday time in Bedford Falls, the town in the movie, which was based on Seneca Falls, at the Itâs A Wonderful Life Museum.
NOW-New Jersey is an organization fueled on entirely volunteer efforts