Women’s Suffrage

Now a virtual event debuting on Saturday, May 16th, each speaker’s presentation will be recorded so that people can watch and learn at their leisure at ethanallenhomestead.org/suffragesymposium.

A symposium presented by the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum with support from the League of Women Voters of VT, the VT Commission on Women, and the VT Suffrage Centennial Alliance.  Special thanks to Burlington Cars, 802 Cars, One Day In July Financial Advisors, and People’s United Bank for their generous support.

Women’s suffrage was a complicated and far-reaching event. Academics specializing in this topic set the historical context and present the stories of the suffrage movement and its impact for Abenaki Women in Vermont, for Native Americans in Federally Recognized Tribes, for African American women, and in the role of education for women and girls.

Melody Walker presents on “Navigating Freedom in Two Worlds.” Melody is an educator, activist, artist, and citizen of the Elnu Abenaki Band of Ndakinna. She is former chair of the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs and was vice chair when the Elnu received state recognition. She has a master’s degree in History from the University of Vermont and was recently profiled in UVM’s alumni magazine, Vermont Quarterly, here.  Melody’s TEDx talk, “Weaving a Thread Through the Seven Generations,” will give viewers the flavor of her engaging presentation style.

Beverly Little Thunder presents “On the Shoulders of our Ancestors and Mother Earth.” An enrolled member of the Standing Rock Lakota Band from North Dakota, she has been both a Sundancer and Inipi Ceremony Water Pourer for over 40 years. Her permanent home is Kunsi Keya Tamakoce, situated high in the mountains of Vermont and comprising 100+ acres of natural beauty, the site accommodates a program of Lakota ceremonial activities each year. Along with leading activities on the land and providing guidance for individuals and families in life’s transitions, Beverly travels widely to speak and share her traditions and work. She speaks about traditional beliefs and ceremonies, community building and personal empowerment, breaking the cycle of violence against women and children, LGBTQA peoples, undoing racism and other forms of oppression through practicing the values of inclusivity and respect that come from understanding our place in the interconnected web of life. She is a teacher, activist, author, “two spirit” woman, a mother of five, grandmother of many, and community leader and teacher for many more.

Kathryn Dungy presents on “…the courage of their convictions: African American Women in the Fight for Women’s Suffrage.”  She’s a professor of the social and cultural history of Latin America and the Caribbean; gender and race identity; the Atlantic World, and Antebellum U.S. at Saint Michael’s College. She frequently incorporates her own research into her teaching. Presently she is working on a manuscript entitled The Conceptualization of Race in Colonial Puerto Rico, 1800-1850 and last year presented at “Slavery in the African World: Interrogating the Past and Confronting the Present,” an international conference.

Susan Ouellette presents on “Emma Willard, Women’s Education, and the Campaign for Women’s Suffrage.”  She’s a professor of Early America at Saint Michael’s College.  She focuses on the first settlement, up to the American Revolution period; Native Americans; Immigration history, especially the experience of Francophones in the Northeast; Textiles history; Women’s history; and diaries and memoirs. Her research enhances her teaching. Her recently published book, “An Extraordinary Ordinary Woman” features research and analysis of the diary of Phebe Orvis, a 19th Century Bristol resident with ties to Vergennes and Middlebury.