Ridgefield Historical Society to host webinar: women of color and their fight to vote on Jan. 10

The story of how women of color fought for the right to vote will be the focus of a Zoom Webinar presented by the Connecticut Historical Society and hosted by the Ridgefield Historical Society on Sunday, Jan. 10, from 3 to 4 pm.

“The Work Must Be Done: Women of Color & the Right to Vote” will center on new research about Connecticut’s women of color who worked for women’s suffrage. It will be presented by Brittney Yancy, assistant professor of humanities at Goodwin University, and Karen Li Miller, research historian from the Connecticut Historical Society.

The title of the talk is inspired by the words of African American reformer and political activist Mary Townsend Seymour, “the work must be done.” Professor Yancy and Dr. Miller will raise up the stories of women such as Mrs. Seymour, Rose Payton, Minnie Glover, Sarah Brown Flemming, and others.

The program will include conversation on the importance of having inclusive history. Participants will gain a broader understanding of the role women of color played in the women’s suffrage movement and of the restrictions, stemming from systemic racism, that limited women of color from being more officially involved in the movement. The program aims to inspire community members to engage in additional research on these women.

Professor Yancy’s research focuses on 20th Century social movements, urban radicalism, critical race theory, women’s activism, and black women’s political and intellectual history. Her publications include entries in the Encyclopedia for African American History (Oxford University Press, 2009) and entries in The World of Jim Crow Encyclopedia (Greenwood Press, 2019). Her research has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Harvard University’s Schlesinger Library Grant, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Social Science Research Council, and National Council of Black Studies. Professor Yancy holds a B.A. in history from Hampton University, and her M.A. degree in history is from the University of Connecticut. This fall, Professor Yancy will complete her doctoral degree in 20th Century U.S. history from the University of Connecticut.

In addition to her work as a research historian at the Connecticut Historical Society, Dr. Miller is a visiting assistant professor of American studies at Trinity College. She earned a Ph.D. in English from the University of Connecticut, an M.A. from California State University, Chico, and a B.A. from Santa Clara University. Her interests include multi-ethnic, women’s, children’s, and material culture studies. She co-curated the recent pop-up exhibit, Rise Up! Sisters, a joint project between the CHS and the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame.

To register for this webinar, visit the website, https://ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org. Donations to support the presentation may be made when registering, but are not required to participate.

 Image from the State Archives, Connecticut State Library: Elizabeth R. Morris, Mary A. Johnson, and Rosa J. Fisher.