Women's Suffrage History on Display
Santa Monica History Museum Archivist, Sara Crown (middle), on opening night of the All is Possible: Women’s Suffrage in California Exhibition at the Santa Monica History Museum. In Santa Monica, Calif. March 5, 2020. (Fernando Duran / The Corsair)
A display case of letters written by the famous women’s rights activist, Alice Stone Blackwell, attracted a small crowd of museum visitors on Thursday March 5, during the grand opening of the “All Is Possible: Women’s Suffrage in California” Exhibition at the Santa Monica History Museum. The exhibition is open in tandem with Women’s History Month and will run until June 6.
Through a number of artifacts and photos donated by local collectors, the Santa Monica community is woven into the fabric of this exhibit. “We were fortunate for this exhibition to share Alice Stone Blackwell letters from a local family collection that have never been shown publicly,” explained the Santa Monica History Museum Archivist Sarah Crown.
The Los Angeles native Alice Lynn has a profound personal history with Blackwell, and she shared the incredible story that brought these letters to the eyes of the Santa Monica community. “My daughter and I found some 180 letters from Alice Stone Blackwell to my great uncle, grandmother, and mother and then to me. I was her namesake. They reflect the very strong influence that Alice Stone Blackwell had on my family.” Lynn shared that her mother named her Alice after Blackwell, the journalist and suffragist who was editor-in-chief of the Woman’s Journal publication. Founded in 1870 by Blackwell’s parents, this newspaper was the official publication of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA).
“My great uncle, Karekin Manoukian, was an Armenian freedom fighter against the Turkish Government. He emigrated to this country in search of freedom in 1900, and began working in the Boston area for the Blackwell family upon his arrival,” explained Lynn.
“Alice Stone Blackwell became a mentor, good friend, and strong supporter of my family, most importantly, encouraging them in finding work, writing letters of recommendation over the years for Karekin and my grandmother, and getting my mother and grandmother enrolled in school. She was a constant and caring friend,” said Lynn. “Her correspondence with my family spanned fifty years from 1900 until Alice Stone Blackwell’s death in 1950... I would not be the woman I am today were it not for her influence.”
Blackwell advocated for equal voting rights for women, using her aptitude for writing to provide a voice for those who couldn’t speak for themselves.
Every year the theme for Women’s History Month is chosen by the National Women’s History Alliance, this year's theme being “Valiant Women of the Vote.” The Museum Archivist Sara Crown explained the unique timing of this exhibit and its relevance to the community, noting that “the exhibition honors the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment.”
Crown spoke on behalf of the museum to say that their “mission is to share Santa Monica's history with the community. This exhibition presents Santa Monica as a microcosm for the larger suffrage movement”. Crown went on to shine a light on local suffragettes, who rallied around the Santa Monica Bay Woman's Club.
“California was essential to the success of nationwide suffrage,” Crown shared. “California women doubled the number of eligible female voters in the US, propelling the movement forward.”
The opening of this exhibition occurred just days after California held its Primary Election which took place on Super Tuesday, giving California voters more influence on the Presidential nominees than ever before. This draws a parallel between the ability California voters had to incite change in the 1920’s and the impact California voters will continue to have in 2020 elections.
This exhibition displays the impact of the women’s suffrage movement on the Santa Monica community. The museum pairs purple and gold banners with the powerful slogans: “Lifting as we climb” and “Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty,” to inspire a new generation of voters. The striking artifacts, combined with local contributions, creates an exhibit that is rich with California heritage.
