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WHY is actress and activist Izetta Jewel's story such an important message for the rest of us today? And especially so today on International Women's Day?
Izetta Jewel truly was a trailblazer for all that came after her.
This widely circulated photo of Izetta with her young daughter, Izetta Junior, is more than just heartwarming. It tells a story of the times.
Widowed shortly before "June's" birth, Izetta not only had to fight for her right to inherit her late husband Congressman William Gay Brown junior wealth, but also for her parental rights. That's right, at the time, women were not awarded custody of their children as a matter of course.
Documentation of Izetta Jewel's remarkable life is housed in several locations, including the Efner History Center located in Schenectady City Hall; MiSci - Museum of Innovation & Science, Schenectady, Schenectady; Schaffer Library at Union College, Schenectady; West Virginia University in their West Virginia & Regional History Center; La Jolla Historical Society; National Woman's Party at the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument in Washington, District of Columbia; and in the Schlesinger Library | Radcliffe Institute | Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts.
What is the right way to protest?
Many people mistakenly believe that the suffragists of the National Woman's Party chained themselves to the White House fence during their protests in 1917. The Silent Sentinels only stood at the gates holding their banners and were arrested for "obstructing traffic."
But women have used the tactic of locking themselves in place to get the nation's attention for their cause. In this photo from 1971, thirty-seven women have chained themselves to the fence of the Executive Office Building, next door to the White House, to protest the Vietnam War. "We're symbolically placing our bodies between the government and our children," said a spokesperson for the group. "The violence is not going to end until people like us are willing to commit themselves to much greater sacrifice." The protestors were not arrested; they ended the demonstration by evening.
Photo: Women chained to EOB fence, April 13, 1971. Marion S. Trikosko, photographer. Library of Congress
Happy Flag Day!
Suffragists often displayed American flags to show that their demand to vote was an act of patriotism. In this photo from the National Woman's Party collection, Carrie Chapman Catt not only carries a flag in a suffrage procession; she has one sewn onto her cape as well.
On this day in 1916, Alice Paul founded the National Woman's Party at a voting rights convention in Chicago. It was a single-issue party dedicated to enfranchising women through an amendment to the Constitution. Last year, the NWP merged with the Alice Paul Institute, which continues to advocate for women's rights.
Mrs. James Rector, Mary Dubrow, and Alice Paul of the National Woman's Party in June 1920, holding a banner that reads "No self-respecting woman should wish or work for the success of a party that ignores her s*x. Susan B. Anthony, 1872." The Library of Congress
We love our volunteers! Listen to this story from Patty Pollitzer, whose great-aunt Anita was a member and important leader of the National Woman's Party.
Learn more about Patty's Aunt Anita:
https://www.nps.gov/people/anita-pollitzer.htm
Several people in the entranceway of the Sewall-Belmont House at the National Historic Landmark Designation ceremony in 1975. Do you recognize the park ranger? National Woman's Party collection.
National Woman's Party's Headquarters at Alva Belmont House; Historical Landmark Dedication, 1975. Do you recognize the two men standing with NWP President Elizabeth Chittick?
National Woman's Party President Elizabeth Chittick stands next to the National Park Service podium as the designation is read.
Our post this morning about the dedication ceremonies for the National Woman's Party headquarters May 21, 1922 was missing an important photograph: the Old Brick Capitol itself! Here are National Woman's Party members and crowd gathered in front of the house during the dedication ceremony. The NWP named the new headquarters the "Alva E. Belmont House" in honor of their president. Alva Belmont was the primary benefactor of the work of the National Woman's Party in the fight for woman's suffrage and the ongoing struggle for women's equality. She purchased the huge 50+ room mansion, built in 1814, for the new headquarters.
Mrs. Oliver H. P. Belmont, who donated the headquarters of the National Woman's Party, speaking at the dedication ceremony, May 21, 1922 The Library of Congress
National Woman's Party members standing in line with banners during the dedication ceremonies for the Alva E. Belmont House, 1922. The Library of Congress