Strong Women....May We Be Them

I was a child of the 50‘s. During that time, our clearly defined roles that seemed assigned at birth, included roles as wife and mother, and careers, as teachers or nurses, or librarians.  These choices seemed laid before young girls of the 50‘s and early 60‘s only dreamed of careers outside those limited choices.

In 1996, I had the opportunity to join The Women's March for Women's Lives in Washington DC on the National Mall.   It was a powerful moment in my life to join with hundreds of thousands of other women along with  Notable celebrities who appeared at the march included Whoopie Goldberg, Gloria Steinem, Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Kate Michelman, and many other celebrities claiming  and celebrating the rights that we have today. 

While driving through Southern New York our path drew us to Seneca Falls, we saw signs indicating a National Women’s Historical Park, and a Women’s Hall of Fame.

Of course we must stop.

 

Little did I realize, our journey would take us across the path of great women who would change the landscape of women’s lives.  In 1848, in Seneca Falls a gathering of women formed the Women's Rights Convention and the Declaration of Intentions calling for women and all peoples to exercise the opportunity to be free and participate fully in voting.

We set out to learn more about the unique history of the area that played a role in women's history for our country.
  

 Later, in a chance meeting in May of 1851 in Seneca Falls, NY changed the future of women's history, for generations of women to come.

                                                                  Declaration of Sentiments

 

The street side meeting when Amelia Jenks Bloomer introduced Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Susan B. Anthony forged a friendship and gave the impetus to further the women's rights movement eventually leading to the passage of the 19 th Amendment giving women the right to vote/


           

In 1872, Anthony was arrested for voting in her hometown of Rochester, New Youk, and convicted in a widely publicized trial. Although she refused to pay the fine, the authorities declined to take further action. In 1878, Anthony and Stanton arranged for Congress to be presented with an amendment giving women the right to vote. Popularly known as the Anthony Amendment, it became the  The Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920.

 
As it was late in the day, we elected to have dinner in the day use area of a state Park. 


We visited a near by state park and fixed our dinner along the Seneca Lake and enjoyed the area until sunset.  Road Trek’s are perfect for these last minute diversions, as they allow complete flexibility to enjoy a dinner on the go.

 
After sunset we found a near by Walmart and enjoyed a peaceful setting next to a pond at the Walmart. Our slumber however, was not as peaceful as the night was punctuated by the unseen critters honking and croaking in the night.

The next day we sought out more information about the Women's Historical Park, only to discover that since it was Monday and a National Park.....it would be closed.  Many of the sights around the area however were marked with historical markers and we were able to do a walking tour of the area and continue our learning about this significant time in Women's history.

                                Women's Hall of Fame                               

                                                                                                

 In the Women's Hall of Fame were individual plaques dedicated to the Women who have been elected to the Hall of Fame. Some of the women who have been instrumental in my lifetime (Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Elenore Roosevelt, Eunice Shiver Kennedy, Gloria Steinem) well as in Women's History were honored (Harriet Tubman, Annie Oakley, Louisa May Alcott, Helen Keller, Margaret Mead)  I spent a great deal of time reading the individual plaques and remembering women who have helped solidify the options available to me as well as all American women today.  There were so many more, too many to list, but to all I am grateful and appreciate all that was done before me.

 Future Home of the Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca New York 

                                                       Future Member of the Hall of Fame?