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Home » Media » Sojourner Truth to be Honored with Historic Women’s Suffrage Trail Marker in Northampton

Sojourner Truth to be Honored with Historic Women’s Suffrage Trail Marker in Northampton

February 22, 2022 By Michelle Juralewicz

Contact: Fredie Kay

Northampton, Mass. (February 22, 2022) — Suffrage100MA, Sojourner Truth Memorial Committee and Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra are delighted to announce that a historic women’s suffrage marker for Sojourner Truth will be unveiled in Northampton in spring 2022, as part of the National Votes for Women Trail. The marker will be located at the Sojourner Truth Memorial Park at the intersection of Park Street and Pine Street in Florence, in close proximity to the home once owned in the nineteenth century by Truth, a renowned suffragist and abolitionist. The project is funded through a grant by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation® and sponsored by the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites/National Votes for Women Trail.

“Sojourner Truth is internationally revered as one of the most courageous women in our nation’s existence, and remains a pivotal part of Northampton’s history,” says Carol Rinehart, Co-Chair of the Sojourner Truth Memorial Committee. “Truth’s impassioned voice called not only for the abolition of slavery, but for total equality, voting rights for all citizens, and women’s rights. This marker, honoring her time here in our city, will invite visitors to honor her remarkable contributions to women’s suffrage.”

“Thanks to the unanimous support of the Historic Commission and City Council, and the hard work of the Department of Public Works, Northampton looks forward to installing this important historic marker for Sojourner Truth later this year!” said Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra.

Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) was a nationally known advocate for justice and equality between the races and sexes during the 19th century. She is honored in American history for her compelling autobiography, for her innumerable speeches against slavery and for women’s rights, for her work on behalf of freedmen after the Civil War, and for her ability to keep audiences enthralled through songs and eloquent speeches. Her commitment to women’s suffrage was also legendary. Learn more at: https://sojournertruthmemorial.org/sojourner-truth/her-history/

Sponsored by the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites, the National Votes for Women Trail seeks to recognize and celebrate the enormous diversity of people and groups active in the struggle for women’s suffrage. The Trail consists of two parts: 1) a database with digital map (currently with over 2,100 sites on its database and 2) a program of historical markers for over 200 women’s suffrage sites across the country, funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation®’s National Women’s Suffrage Marker Grant Program.

Each state has a coordinator to identify markers and help meet rigorous historical requirements. NVWT welcomes additional suffrage sites; to learn more, please visit NVWT’s Get Involved page. The other Massachusetts suffrage marker sites will include: Maria Baldwin (Cambridge); Anne L. Page (Danvers); Remond Family (Salem); and Sarah E. Wall (Worcester).

“Sojourner Truth undeniably advanced women’s suffrage here in Massachusetts and throughout the United States by harnessing her voice to demand equal rights for Black women,” says Suffrage100MA Founder & President Fredie Kay, the Massachusetts State Coordinator of the National Votes for Women Trail. “After enduring overwhelming trauma and injustice, Truth became a remarkable leader who helped open the suffrage movement beyond the social circles of white middle-class women and quite literally spread the message of racial justice to all who would listen.”

“The National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites is grateful to the Pomeroy Foundation for their generous support and partnership in helping bring alive through the National Women’s Suffrage Marker Grant Program the little known history of the women’s suffrage movement that significantly expanded democracy in the United States,” says NCWHS President Marsha Weinstein. “Communities are commemorating with the Pomeroy Foundation’s historic markers the places where local grassroots activity took place, thereby recognizing the remarkable efforts of the foremothers and forefathers who fought to win women the right to vote which will inspire women to vote today.”

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About Suffrage100MA

Suffrage100MA is dedicated to commemorating the the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920, prohibiting the federal and state governments from denying citizens the right to vote on the basis of sex. Suffrage100MA presents events and activities that highlight the history of the women’s suffrage movement and women’s rights, notably the tireless work and essential contributions of women of color, who were often excluded by white women’s suffrage organizations, and whose role in the suffrage movement has been largely overlooked. Suffrage100MA is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization, with over 200 non-profit Partners, committed to recognizing  the importance of the 19th Amendment, voting rights and access to voting today.  Learn more at www.suffrage100ma.org. 

About Sojourner Truth Memorial Committee

Since its establishment in 1992, the mission of the Sojourner Truth Memorial Committee is to keep alive the legacy of Sojourner’s activism in Florence, Massachusetts for abolition of slavery, and equal citizenship rights for all, to honor Sojourner Truth as a symbol of the community’s desire to help eliminate racism and challenge oppression in our society, and to promote her significance in American history, as a visionary for equality and justice for all people. The committee extends educational outreach to schools with partnership grants, scholarship awards, and walking tours. They host an annual community celebration of her life every Memorial Day weekend since her actual birthday is unknown. From 1993-2002, the committee successfully campaigned and raised money for the installation of a Sojourner Truth statue in Florence. The statue was unveiled in 2002 at a memorial park owned and maintained by the City of Northampton. https://sojournertruthmemorial.org

About NCWHS/NVWT

The National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites is a non-profit organization established to  support and promote the preservation and interpretation of sites and locales that bear witness  to women’s participation in American history. A project of NCWHS, the National Votes for Women Trail consists of a database with digital map ​and a program of historic markers for over 200 suffragists/women’s suffrage sites. Visit: https://ncwhs.org/votes-for-women-trail/

 

About the Pomeroy Foundation  

The William G. Pomeroy Foundation® is committed to supporting the celebration and preservation of community history; and to raising awareness, supporting research and improving the quality of care for patients and their families who are facing a blood cancer diagnosis. Established by Trustee Bill Pomeroy in 2005 to bring together his two greatest passions, the Pomeroy Foundation is a private, grant-making organization located in Syracuse, N.Y. As the nation’s leading funder of historic roadside markers, the Pomeroy Foundation has awarded nearly 1,700 grants for markers and bronze plaques in 45 states. To learn more about the Pomeroy Foundation, visit wgpfoundation.org.

Filed Under: Media, Press Releases & Media Advisories

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Copyright © 2023 · Women's Suffrage Celebration Coalition · Site by Tech-Tamer· Log in

Suffragists Support #StopAsianHate

March 2021

Dear Suffrage100MA Community,

Suffrage100MA stands with the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community and grieves for the eight victims recently murdered in Georgia, six of whom were women of Asian descent.  Carry the victims in your hearts, light candles for them, learn about their lives:  Daoyou Feng, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Paul Andre Michels, Soon Chung Park, Ziaojie Tan, Delaina Yaun and Young Ae Yue.

The words of this song from the 1949 musical “South Pacific” are more applicable than ever:

You’ve got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You’ve got to be taught
From year to year,
It’s got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You’ve got to be carefully taught.

“You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught” was a highly controversial song, but thankfully, ultimately included in the show. The song was written to address racism against Asians and all people.  The character Lt. Cable, a Caucasian man who has fallen in love with an Asian woman, is distressed by the prejudice against interracial couples and racism in general, sang the song after saying the words “…racism is not born in you! It happens after you’re born…”

James Taylor recorded the song in Nov. 2020.

We must work to end the racism that is “…drummed in your dear little ear…”

In 2020, hate crimes against Asian Americans are up almost 150 percent.  Discrimination against the Asian community has existed in this country since Asians arrived in the late 19th century.  Asians faced discrimination against dignity and equality, and were denied citizenship and the right to vote until the middle of the 20thcentury. After the 19th Amendment was adopted extending the vote to women, discriminatory laws prevented Asian Americans, Native Americans and African Americans from voting for decades and today the crisis for voter accessibility is growing.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, “In a backlash to historic voter turnout in the 2020 general election, and grounded in a rash of baseless and racist allegations of voter fraud and election irregularities, legislators have introduced well over four times the number of bills to restrict voting access as compared to roughly this time last year. Thirty-three states have introduced, prefiled, or carried over 165 restrictive bills this year (as compared to 35 such bills in fifteen states on February 3, 2020).”

Suffrage100MA is committed to increasing accessibility to the ballot and inspiring voters to exercise their right to vote by sharing the history of those who fought bravely, sometimes losing their lives, for decades and across centuries, to secure the vote.  Let us each recognize the power and importance of voting to express one’s voice

On behalf of the Suffrage100MA Board of Directors –
With deep appreciation to all of you for being on this journey with us,

Fredie Kay
Founder & President, Suffrage100MA