Submitted by Kay Blue, Charlotte County Democratic Women’s Club
Are you ready to be entertained and informed? On Monday, August 10 at 4:00 p.m., the Democratic Women’s Club of Charlotte County (DWC), along with The Florida Studio Theatre, will present Celebrating Suffragists and Scholars, a Zoom artistic event that celebrates the upcoming 100th Anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment (August 20, 2020), the women’s right to vote. It will also serve as recognition for the DWC’s scholarship recipients and as a fundraiser for the DWC’s Betty Gissendanner Scholarship Fund via voluntary donations by participants.
The event will feature The Voices of the Suffragists, in-character readings by Sarasota Florida Studio actors. Participants will hear excerpts from Abigail Adams’s letters and Sojourner Truth’s speech Ain’t I a Woman?, along with other period pieces. The audience will also have the opportunity to ask performers questions after the performance. In addition, there will be readings by DWC scholarship recipients, depending upon their college schedules and ability to participate.
We clearly recognize that voting in 2020 will be crucial to the future of our country. This anniversary serves as a reminder of how precious the right to vote is. It’s hard to believe that U. S. women have had the right to vote for only 100 years. The recent BLM movement and deaths of Civil Rights icons also remind us that many minority groups and marginalized communities in the United States have had to struggle mightily, and are still struggling, for the right to vote and for those rights to be protected. To see how fragile voting rights are, we just have to look at the current voting rights challenges faced by formerly incarcerated Florida citizens. Even after the passage, by a wide margin, of Amendment 4 (Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative), the current Florida legislature and governor persist in challenging and delaying the realization of this voter approved initiative. So come celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the women’s right to vote and support the young people who will take the fight forward. Then commit to value and use your right to vote!
To RSVP for the event, register at: https://www.mobilize.us/charlottecountydec/event/290639/ A Zoom link will be sent to registrants prior to the event.
There is a suggested donation of $10 that will go to support the DWC’s scholarship fund. Checks should be made out to DWC Betty Gissendanner Scholarship Fund and be sent to DWC Treasurer, 1181 Dewhurst St., Port Charlotte, FL 33952. For additional information about this event or membership in the DWC, email dwcofcharlottecounty@gmail.com
Image Credits: Sarasota Suffragist Project
