Women of Color

Meet Junie Joseph

Boulder City Councilwoman Junie Joseph. Source: Boulder City Council

Boulder City Councilwoman Junie Joseph. Source: Boulder City Council

BY JULIA BOCCABELLA, SUMMER 2021 COLLABORATOR

In the weeks before November 8th, 2019, the city of Boulder, Colorado was sprinkled with yard signs promoting candidates for Boulder’s upcoming city council election. Every day on my walk to and from campus, I’d give the signs a passing glance, remembering the names and faces on them as that daily walk became my daily routine. I’ll admit it – I didn’t know much about city council elections, and they didn’t come up in conversations with any of my peers. College life in Boulder is often hectic, and to many young people, taking the time to dive into local politics is something we don’t think about often. This was especially true in the fall of 2019. There was a collective anxiety in the air about the upcoming Democratic primaries and the looming cloud of the 2020 presidential election, dubbed “the most important election of our lifetimes”. The signs promoting Boulder’s city council elections seemed like background noise against the din of the upcoming presidential race. Still, though, amidst all that noise, I remembered the smiling face of a woman named Junie Joseph on those yard signs. And amidst that noise, Junie was working hard to make Boulder a better place.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Junie emigrated to the U.S. when she was 14 years old. She lived in Florida with her mother and five younger brothers, graduating from the University of Florida with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Anthropology. Later, she received her Master’s in Applied Human Rights from the University of York in England. This is only where the list of her accomplishments begins, and to say that Junie’s resume is impressive would certainly be an understatement. This year, Junie was appointed to the National League of Cities' 2021 Human Development Committee, where she guides the league’s policy positions and advocacy agendas on a variety of issues including poverty, social services, and education. She previously served on the Community Corrections’ Board and as the chair of the Boulder County Health and Human Services Citizen Panel Review. Prior to moving to  Boulder, Junie worked tirelessly for human and civil rights with organizations all over the globe. As an intern, Junie worked with the United Nation’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, and later went on to work with the UN’s Mission to the Central African Republic as a Human Rights Officer. There, she served those in the region of Bria who were displaced by the ongoing civil war. Junie also served as a global law and development fellow for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Côte D’Ivoire, advocating for the access rights of disabled persons in the Ivorian justice system.

In July of 2020, while attending CU Boulder’s law school, Junie Joseph decided to run for city council. She was motivated in part by her own experience with the socioeconomic divisions that ripple through Boulder: the skyrocketing cost of living, the housing crisis, and the lack of support and representation for working class residents, students, and residents of color. Junie herself worked as a volunteer with the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, seeing the effects of Boulder’s affordable housing crisis from the front lines. She launched a strong campaign that reached out to voters of all different backgrounds in Boulder, devoting significant attention to those most affected by inequality in the city. The need for affordable housing, improved programs for those experiencing homelessness, government efficiency, and environmental protection became key goals of Junie’s campaign. The race was not without challenges. Junie was a relative newcomer, a working-class student and woman of color – a candidate very different from the usual makeup of Boulder’s city council: older white homeowners and business owners who weren’t working-class. But that November, after a lot of hard work and a strong campaign, voters in Boulder elected Junie Joseph as one of the city’s new council members. She currently serves as Mayor Pro Tempore.

2020 was a year that radically changed the world and laid bare the inequalities and challenges that so many Americans face in their everyday lives. As a Boulder city council member, Junie and the council worked to address the needs of Boulder’s residents during a very difficult time. The council fought to protect and restore funding for social services and programs like the local fire department, library, and severe weather shelters which faced funding cuts during the pandemic. As a member of various committees, Junie supported initiatives promoting racial equality, better and safer infrastructure, and a greener, more sustainable Boulder. Junie continues to fight for the people of Boulder despite considerable pushback and challenges – proposing suggestions to reform the local police department, protect renters, preserve local open space, promote ethnic and gender diversity in city commissions, and expand affordable housing.

Fall of 2019 probably wasn’t a time that many people kept local politics at the forefront of their minds. The constant stream of information about the upcoming 2020 presidential race, for many, created an ever-present buzz of stress that often pitched towards an uncomfortable roar. World politics remained tense, constantly changing, and overwhelming. And of course, the stresses and responsibilities of everyday life never seem to cut anyone a break, especially those who face structural marginalization in society. It’s easy to get lost in the crazy world of big politics and the 24-hour news cycle. Junie’s story shows that not only is change possible in the seemingly smaller cities and towns many of us live in, but that it’s important. Local politics are worthy of our time and attention. Junie Joseph is proof of this: she has an impressive resume working on big issues with organizations as influential as the UN, but that doesn’t mean the city council of Boulder isn’t an impactful office where she can create change for the better. It’s worthy of her time because she thinks the people of Boulder deserve better. And it’s a reminder to all of us that local politics can make our communities better places for all of us to live in – including our friends, family, and neighbors - and that’s certainly worth our time.

Think about the walks you take to class, into town, to a friend’s house. What do you see?

I see a lot of things. The beautiful Flatirons in the background. Unhoused community members greeting students by name with a warm smile and a quick chat. City busses making their stops. My friends, many of whom are visibly exhausted after working long hours to pay for tuition and still make this month’s rent. Professors, groundskeepers, parents on walks with their children. And for many days, I saw Junie Joseph’s signs. I didn’t know it then, but it was a sign that there was one of us – a fellow CU Buff and Boulderite – who saw all the people and places that make up Boulder and felt that was something worth fighting for. Local politics matter, and your community will thank you for being an active and informed part of it. Your voice is needed, it’s valuable, and you matter.


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Julia Boccabella is a senior at the University of Colorado – Boulder majoring in Philosophy and Sociology. She is passionate about women’s rights, economic justice, and creating a more peaceful world.

Muslim Women in Politics: Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar

Written by Phoenix Mintus

In 2018, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar made history as the first Muslim women to be elected to Congress. This was an important first step in United States history to more Muslim representation in politics. Since then, both women have made tremendous progress in promoting bills that advocate for better education systems, healthcare for all, and immigration reform.

Rashida Tlaib

Photo: tlaib.house.gov

Photo: tlaib.house.gov

Before Rashida Tlaib served in the House of Representatives, representing Michigan’s 13th district, she lived in Michigan and proudly stood up for her community. She was born and raised in Detroit by her Palestinian parents, and she was the first person in her family to attend college. She went on to law school and attended while simultaneously working for different nonprofits and social justice organizations. Before she was in office, Tlaib worked as an attorney at the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice, fighting racism and abusive state agencies in Michigan.

In 2008, Rashida Tlaib was the first Muslim woman elected to the Michigan House of Representatives. During her six years in office, she made important efforts to secure funding for free healthcare clinics and before and after school childcare. She also ensured there was funding for the Meals on Wheels programs for seniors.

Though Rashida Tlaib is well-known for her successes in sessions of Congress, she has also done campaign work in her own home district. She organized the We Have A Right to Breathe campaign when she realized that semi-trucks were causing pollution in her hometown. Before the campaign, the town had a problem with semi-trucks polluting the neighborhood, causing piles of black dust to fall in the rivers and homes, making it unsafe for Detroit residents. After the Michigan Department of Environmental Equality refused to take action, Rashida Tlaib collected samples of the black dust and got it tested. It turned out that the substance was petroleum coke, which is a chemical that causes cancer. After this discovery, environmental efforts were put in place to stop pollution, and Tlaib’s campaign work helped save the neighborhood.

Rashida Tlaib’s efforts in helping families out of poverty and providing environmental justice for residents living in manufacturing-heavy areas have improved many lives. She continues to make history and uplift people’s lives throughout her time in office through her hard work and successes.

Ilhan Omar

Photo: theguardian.com

Photo: theguardian.com

Ilhan Omar was born in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1982, and fled the country in 1991 due to the Somali Civil War that was occurring at the time. Her family took sanctuary in a Kenyan refugee camp for four years. At age twelve, Ilhan Omar and her family moved to the United States, and she became a United States citizen in 2000. She grew a love for politics while she was an interpreter for her grandfather at the Democratic Party Caucuses. In 2011, Omar graduated from North Dakota State University with degrees in International Studies and Political Science.

In 2012, Ilhan Omar made impressive efforts by organizing the Vote No Twice campaign. This initiative was targeted towards defeating a voter suppression initiative and another bill that attempted to ban gay marriage throughout Minnesota. Thanks to her efforts, the campaign was successful, and voters do not need to present a photo ID to vote in Minnesota and gay marriage remains legal throughout the state.

In 2016, Ilhan Omar’s time in office began when she was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives. During her time in office, she made important efforts and increased voter turnout in Minneapolis and throughout the state of Minnesota. In 2018, she was elected to the United States House of Representatives, and she made many firsts. She was the first Somali-American, first naturalized citizen from Africa, the first non-white woman elected from Minnesota, and one of the first Muslim women to serve in Congress. In her first year in office, she made many accomplishments, including cofounding the Black Maternal Health Caucus and the Emergency Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health. She was elected Vice President of the Medicare for All Caucus and led many discussions on the importance of the United States becoming a leader in peace and diplomacy in foreign policy. Throughout her time as a Congresswoman, Omar has stressed the importance of funding education for both K-12 and higher education programs, and creating a just immigration system by creating an attainable citizenship program for undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Ilhan Omar’s work towards promoting voter rights and immigration reform have led to great successes for people in the United States. She continues to promote justice and equality throughout her time as a United States congresswoman. We can’t wait to see what she does next!

References:

  1. About. (2021, March 01). Retrieved from https://tlaib.house.gov/about

  2. Arts, U. (2012, October 22). Vote No Twice. Retrieved from https://www.upstreamarts.org/2012/10/22/vote-no-twice/

  3. Classicalycourt. (2018, November 07). Meet Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, the first Muslim women elected to Congress. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/07/rashida-tlaib-ilhan-omar-are-the-1st-muslim-women-elected-to-congress.html

  4. Meet Ilhan. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ilhanomar.com/about/

  5. Meet Rashida. (2021, January 07). Retrieved from https://rashidaforcongress.com/meet-rashida/

Phoenix Mintus is an incoming sophomore student at Denison University. He is majoring in Communications and Public Affairs. He is passionate about LGBTQ+ rights and women’s rights. He enjoys reading, writing, and learning new things everyday. On campus, he plans to volunteer and join the student newspaper.

Who is Karina Villa?

By: Phoenix Mintus, Summer 2021 Collaborator at Power in Place

Serving in the Illinois Senate as the District 25 representative, Karina Villa has made a significant impact in the progression of women’s rights and education legislation in the Illinois legislature. She is a leader and a great role model for young women aspiring to go into politics.

Karina Villa learned about the importance of hard work and determination in her youth. Growing up with her immigrant parents, her family owned a local grocery store in West Chicago. She earned her master’s degree in social work and worked as a school social worker for the West Chicago and Villa Park school systems prior to her work experience in the Illinois legislature.

I remember the day I met Karina Villa. It was a cold winter afternoon, and I was sitting at home working on school work when I heard my doorbell ring. When I answered the door, I saw Karina Villa standing on my front porch. She was campaigning for her position as Illinois state representative in the Illinois House of Representatives, and she wanted to share her platform with us. Considering the weather conditions outside, I could tell that she was very determined and compassionate about her work as a female politician. When she discussed her platform, she talked about the importance of advocating for students with disabilities in the K-12 school system, mentioning that they often get left behind and do not receive the help they need. I was deeply touched as I thought of my twin brother who was diagnosed with ADHD at six years old and faced many problems with attaining his accommodations. Throughout middle school and high school, my parents and the school had to hold several meetings discussing my brother’s Individualized Education Plan, and there were several times when the school stated “we can’t accommodate that.” My parents had to start bringing my brother’s psychologist to the meetings for him to get a chance at getting a teacher’s assistant to help him. It was a very difficult process, so it was inspiring to understand how much her experience working in the West Chicago and Villa Park school systems helped her understand the issues facing students with disabilities.

Beyond the K-12 education system, Karina Villa has raised awareness on the disparities of students who can and cannot receive a college education due to finances. Her platform advocates for state investment in higher education and vocational training in order to make college and trade school available to all. She sees the importance and value of higher education in the futures of the youth and has supported legislation decreasing poverty among college campuses. I hope Karina Villa can be the change needed so my peers who cannot afford college can one day receive their college education and be able to obtain their dream job.

Along with a passion for education, Karina Villa believes in providing healthcare for all Illinoisans. Throughout her time in office, she has emphasized her belief that everyone should be able to afford quality healthcare, and advocates for lower medicine costs and other healthcare initiatives to make healthcare more accessible and affordable. Karina Villa stands out from other politicians in the way she fights for women’s healthcare. Throughout her time in the Illinois Congress, Karina Villa has made tremendous progress in sponsoring and creating bills that focus on eliminating period poverty. In Illinois, thousands of women are forced to miss out on daily activities such as school and work every month because they cannot afford period products, and this can cause a host of financial and life problems for those involved. This advocacy is very important because it is not only a women’s issue, it is a familial issue for many and harms many people long-term. One thing that is often forgotten by most people as well is that not all women have periods, and not everyone who has periods is a woman. As a transgender male, women’s healthcare issues are still very much issues I face. I still have periods and I still have the possibility of becoming pregnant and carrying a child like most women have. I admire her work in focusing the issue as an “everyone” issue instead of a “women’s only” issue.

Karina Villa has demonstrated that she is a compassionate and successful leader as a representative in the Illinois legislature. Her work has helped improve women’s rights, education issues, and many more areas. I can’t wait to see what she does next.


Phoenix Mintus is an incoming sophomore student at Denison University. He is majoring in Communications and Public Affairs. He is passionate about LGBTQ+ rights and women’s rights. He enjoys reading, writing, and learning new things everyday. On campus, he plans to volunteer and join the student newspaper.

Our future: Madame Vice President Kamala D. Harris

Harris is sworn in as vice president as her husband holds the Bible. Harris was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. She wore the color purple as a nod to Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman to run for president. Andrew …

Harris is sworn in as vice president as her husband holds the Bible. Harris was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. She wore the color purple as a nod to Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman to run for president. Andrew Harnik/Pool/AP.

BY: JACQUELINE QIU, WINTER 2021 COLLABORATOR AT POWER IN PLACE

On January 20, 2021, Kamala Devi Harris became the first female vice president in the history of the United States. She is the highest ranking female elected official in our nation’s history, after a successful career as the Attorney General of the state of California (2011-2017) and the junior senator for California before her current tenure as Vice President of the United States. Not only has Vice President Harris shattered various glass ceilings that have limited the socio-political potential of women, she exemplifies the achievement of the conjoint ends of gender and racial equality. Growing up with both African American and Asian American ancestry, as her mother is from India and her father hails from British Jamaica, she is the first African American and (South) Asian American vice president. Vice President Harris inspires the future of women in politics, such as women like me, as well as younger generations of females that wish to see a future where they may hold public office, without any obstacles that block their path. 

“While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last.” -Vice Presidential Acceptance Speech, November 7, 2020,

With her dual cultural heritages, our current vice president epitomizes diversity, representation, intersectionality, and equity. She is a woman of color who has successfully persevered through societal institutions, which may not be as evident as the clear disenfranchisement of women that the suffragists combatted, that have functioned to place unequal expectations on her role in society. Harris has assumed this landmark position as vice president, despite her intersectional identity as both a woman and person of color, which has yielded various types of exclusion and oppression in society.  Her identity as a woman of color has functioned in a manner that challenges societal institutions, such as the white, patriarchal nature of public office in the United States. Instead of permitting the intersectionality of her racial and gender identity to limit her efforts towards serving the American people and upholding democracy, she has successfully embraced her conjoint identity to empower herself and all of the identities that she represents. Her presence, her identity, and her words have powerful effects that are needed to assert the future for women in politics, in addition to racial equity. 

Vice President Kamala Harris walks with her family to the White House. Maddie McGarvey for CNN.

Vice President Kamala Harris walks with her family to the White House. Maddie McGarvey for CNN.

It is important to recognize the historic day of January 20, 2020 since the trajectory of women in politics, in terms of their public representation, has changed for the better. Now, we hope that women in politics may become the norm, instead of the outlier. Little girls, with skin in every color, can see a role model in Harris; they can grow up knowing their identity matters, from their gender to their race, without hesitation. They now live in a reality where it is possible to grow up and become like Vice President Harris. Additionally, women, especially women of color, are assured that shattering patriarchal institutions in politics is possible, and not just a hopeful aspiration. For example, for me, as a woman of color, I now see that all facets of my identity can be represented in the highest public offices of the land. ice president. Vice President Kamala Harris is not only a role model for females, of all ages, of all backgrounds, but a reflection of what America can be. While our country must heal from the present inequalities that plague us in the present day, it is imperative that we celebrate the presence of Kamala Harris in the office of Vice President of the United States. The historic day Harris’ inauguration, on the 20th of January in 2021, is just the beginning for women in politics.

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Jacqueline Qiu is a junior at Middlebury College, double majoring in French and Political Science. She is passionate about humanitarianism, women in politics, mental health awareness and advocacy, and French language and literature. On campus, she is the Co-President of the French club and Active Minds Middlebury

Why speak out in the face of insurmountable challenges?

“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

BY: JACQUELINE QIU, WINTER 2021 COLLABORATOR AT POWER AND PLACE

Speaking out against the injustices of the world is an example of high moral integrity in a human being. For these women who advocated for the suffragette cause, in the 19th & 20th centuries, their status, credibility, and words would be questioned in their contemporary society. However, the potential of being ostracized by societal institutions did not stop them from speaking our from structural inequities. These women did not let their voices be silenced in the welfare of female generations in the past, present, and future.

“As much as white women need the ballot, colored women need it more.”
(Closing remarks at the 1873 Convention of the American Woman Suffrage Association in New York)
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

- Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911), an African American writer, poet, and suffragette who popularized gender and racial equality through her poetry, short stories, and widely circulated writings.

“Peaceful revolutions are slow but sure. It takes time to leaven a great unwieldy mass like this nation with the leavening ideas of justice and liberty, but evolution is all the more certain in its results because it is so slow.”
Susette La Flesche Tibbles (“Bright Eyes”) circa 1880s. Courtesy of the Nebraska State Historical Society.

Susette La Flesche Tibbles (“Bright Eyes”) circa 1880s. Courtesy of the Nebraska State Historical Society.

- Susette La Flesche Tibbles (“Bright Eyes”) (1854-1903), a Native American activist and suffragette who represented Native American rights against U.S. Federal Policy and viewed women’s suffrage as a conjoint end.

“When the ballot is put into the hands of the American woman, the world is going to get a correct estimate of the Negro woman. It will find her a tower of strength of which poets have never sung, orators have never spoken, and scholars have never written.”
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Nannie Helen Burroughs.

- Nannie Helen Burroughs (1879-1961), an African American suffragette who established the Women’s Convention, as a church branch of the National Baptists Convention, that was the largest body of African American women in the U.S. and opened the National Training School of Women and Girls for poor, working class African American women.

“Educate a woman and you educate a family.”
Jovita Idár (middle) in the print shop of El Progreso, 1914.

Jovita Idár (middle) in the print shop of El Progreso, 1914.

- Jovita Idár (1885-1946), a Latina journalist, suffragist, and activist who advocated for the plight of Mexican Americans in Texas as well as the socio-political equality of Mexican American women in obtaining the right to vote.

“We are justified in believing that the success of this movement for equality of the sexes means more progress toward equality of the races.”
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin

Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin

- Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin (1842-1924) a prominent African American journalist and suffragette who formed the Massachusetts Suffrage Association in 1875 and urged black women to participate in politics through her writings in her own newsletter, The Women’s Era.

If white American women, with all their natural and acquired advantages, need the ballot, that right protective of all other rights; if Anglo Saxons have been helped by it … how much more do Black Americans, male and female, need the strong defense of a vote to help secure them their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?”
Adella Hunt Logan, 1902.

Adella Hunt Logan, 1902.

- Adella Hunt Logan (1863-1915), a professor at Tuskegee Institute, which was headed by Booker T. Washington, and major contributor to the philosophy of the black women’s suffrage movement by combining white suffrage rationale with the necessity of obtaining the right to vote for black women.

References: 

  1. Wicker, Jewel. “16 Best Quotes About Women of Color Deserving the Right to Vote.” Teen Vogue. 2020. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/best-quotes-women-right-to-vote 

  2. Gomez, Skylar. “12 African American Suffragists who shouldn’t be overlooked.” Literary Ladies Guide. 2019. https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/other-rad-voices/12-african-american-suffragists/  

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Jacqueline Qiu is a junior at Middlebury College, double majoring in French and Political Science. She is passionate about humanitarianism, women in politics, mental health awareness and advocacy, and French language and literature. On campus, she is the Co-President of the French club and Active Minds Middlebury.

Chinese suffragette women: A personal return to my Chinese identity

Photo of Mabel Ping Hua-Lee, courtesy of the New York Tribune.

Photo of Mabel Ping Hua-Lee, courtesy of the New York Tribune.

BY: JACQUELINE QIU, WINTER 2021 COLLABORATOR AT POWER IN PLACE

Power in Place, through its digital Time capsule, is highlighting women of color who have played a prominent role in the American suffragist movement. My research highlights the important work of suffragette women of color, who have often been overlooked in history. Furthermore, their racial identity connects with my own personal identity as a Chinese-American female. Suffragette women of color, some with the same Chinese heritage as I, fought for socio-political equality in American society. In distinct stages, I reflect on the potency of this research in uncovering certain areas of history, as well as my personal impact of learning that these important suffragettes, especially those of Chinese descent, were prominent women of color.


12/14/2020: 

Today I am starting my research on women of color who have contributed to the suffrage movement in the United States. It is interesting that in the last month of the centennial of the year where women actualized their right to vote, I have started this project. Especially as America itself is battling COVID-19 and trying to heal from structural racism. Yet, I am beginning my research with the genuine intention of connecting my personal identity with this project that Power in Place has begun with the digital Time Capsule. 

I have two Chinese immigrant parents, who have tried their utmost to instill in myself a sense of pride of my cultural heritage. My mother speaks to me in Chinese, and I have spent many summers deep in the rice terraces of southern China. Yet, I have vehemently tried to deny this part of myself, as it seemed my New Jersey roots have taken precedence over this part of personal identity. I fail to speak Chinese on a regular basis, and have replaced my passion for my cultural heritage with my academic pursuit of French. However, this part of myself has not disappeared, but rather remains in an embedded complex personal identity that I embody. Sometimes, I take pride in my Chinese heritage, but more often than not, I feel shame and embarrassment as I stumble in my Chinese vocabulary or stay silent as I hear microaggressions directed at me. Each day, I try to reconcile the two distinct cultural identities I have within myself in a society that deems whiteness as the standard. Even as I write, I feel a weight in my heart as I ponder my racial and cultural identity. As a result, I am intrigued at what personal connections I will find in my quest to highlight suffragettes of color There seems to be a natural connection between me, a woman of color interested in politics, and the work done by these women in the past. I am very hopeful and grateful for the opportunity to connect my personal heritage with women that have never been mentioned in my experiences, academic or personal.  

History, as it is known, has its hidden voices and the undertones of the women’s suffrage movement is not any different. I am looking forward to a sort of “decolonization” and de-centering of the white perspective in the American suffrage movement. It is not fair to “whitewash” this critical achievement in electoral politics and feminist history, as many figures, especially women of color, have contributed to this incredible movement. To do so perpetuates white cultural hegemony and systemic racism, which in turns manifests itself in heart-breaking moments such as the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Let’s celebrate all women, in the context of the transformative, and eye-opening, year of 2020. Women, especially women of color, have hope; as young girls with skin like mine see the potential for them to become Vice President (like Kamala Harris), engineers, lawyers, or epidemiologists, an optimistic future for them remains. As a result, I see a present where deconstructing the hidden inequities of history is pertinent to the next generations of innovators and activists. I hope to discover women who inspire me, and others, with their past creativity, innovation, and change. 

12/16/2020:

Jovita Idár with colleagues in 1914 in the newsroom of El Progreso in Laredo, TX. Her journalistic efforts advocated for women’s suffrage, especially that of Mexican American women.

Jovita Idár with colleagues in 1914 in the newsroom of El Progreso in Laredo, TX. Her journalistic efforts advocated for women’s suffrage, especially that of Mexican American women.

After researching women of color who contributed to the suffrage movement during 1910-1920, I am so glad that I took on this project. Perhaps it is due to a lack of education about the general suffrage movement as a whole, or the prevalence of being only taught about white women within the suffrage movement, but I have learned so much in the past 2 days in my research. It was astounding to see the amount of women of color involved in this movement for suffrage; however, it was additionally extraordinary that those women were also pioneers in their own respective pursuits. For example, Verina Morton Jones, as a black woman, was the first woman to pass the Mississippi medical board exam and practice in the state while the journalistic work of Jovita Idár inspired the advocacy of suffrage for Mexican American women and the general future of Mexican Americans in America. These women, were simultaneously lawyers, journalists, church leaders, and doctors as well as active suffragists. Their efforts exemplify the concrete testament of the power of women and their incredible capacity for accomplishments that are historically (and presently) only allocated to men. Each woman was able to combine their hope for suffrage with ends that were interconnected to political equality, either racial justice, social justice, or education.

In my opinion, the conjoint ends of racial and social justice, as well as socio-political equality, with women’s suffrage makes the movement for suffrage a potent force for societal change. When many of the main suffragettes in this movement are women of color, their activism is intersectional with their unique identities. This synthesis of each woman's identity with their activism indicates the importance of highlighting their work, instead of letting history conceal their merited achievements. Highlighting two specific suffragettes of color is especially important to me, due to my personal connection with them. As a Chinese American, I did not expect to find any suffragettes who were also of Asian descent. However, the exemplary efforts of Mabel Ping-Hua Lee (1897-1966) and Tye Leung Schuzle (1887-1972) have impacted the manner I see my Chinese heritage. These women, who resemble myself, did not let their racial identity diminish the potency of their political activism.

Mabel Ping Hua-Lee married her activism for female suffrage with the concurrent advocacy for the rights of Chinese Americans in a society that is openly discriminatory against them, vis-à-vis the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. As the first Chinese woman in the U.S. to earn a Ph.d degree from Columbia University, Hua-Lee sought to bring her Chinese perspective to her assertion that women must have equal rights in the political sphere. In fact, in 1912, she met white suffrage leaders, like Anna Howard Shaw and Harriet Ludlow, in New York City, to speak about the enfranchisement of women (on a provincial) level in China and its application to the state of female voting rights in America. She was asked to participate, and help organize, the women’s suffrage parade in 1913; it is clear that as she marched in that parade, there was a distinct Asian-American voice in the suffragist movement. In reason of her intersectional, Chinese identity, Hua-Lee often wrote to China, with her involvement in Chinese Students Monthly, while providing valuable contributions to asserting women’s rights in the United States.

Tye Leung Schulze, Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Tye Leung Schulze, Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Likewise, Tye Leung Schuzle also had an active role in the suffrage movement as an activist of Chinese descent. In 1910, she became the first Chinese-American woman to work for the federal government as an interpreter for detained Chinese immigrants at the Angel Island Immigration Center in San Francisco, CA. She became a model of what women’s suffrage movement could manifest, on the national level, as she became the first Chinese American Woman to cast a ballot in the U.S. election after women were enfranchised in California in 1912. Additionally, Schuzle’s work in her early career as an interpreter in the Pystebreterian Mission House was directed at helping vulnerable Chinese women against sex trafficking. Her entire life was aimed towards asserting the intersectional rights that are marginalized in terms of gender and race, as she worked to ensure the sociopolitical equality of Chinese American women in the U.S. Her role in the suffrage movement, like Mabel Ping Hua-Lee, demonstrates how the prominence of Chinese suffragists are often overlooked in history.

As a result of researching these suffragettes of color, I have formed a personal connection with these extraordinary women. Especially in reference to Mabel Ping Hua-Lee and Tye Leung Schuzle, I feel more pride in my identity as a Chinese-American woman. It was surprising, but refreshing, to learn about the active roles that Chinese women had in the suffrage movement. It certainly assures me on a deeper level, that I, as a Chinese American woman, unequivocally belong in this country. It is possible for a Chinese American woman to affect political and societal change, which is what I hope to do in my future. These women have inspired me to consider my Chinese, female identity as a force for overarching social change. 

 Furthermore, I have learned that an intersectionality of gender and race is a strength that augments the potency of one’s cause (in this case, female suffrage), instead of a detriment. While this intersectionality indicates the various ways that one’s identity can be oppressed, more distinct methods that one can push back against those instances of marginalization appear. Especially on an institutional level, the recognition and utilization of an intersectional identity can work to eradicate structural issues, like the existence of white cultural hegemony in the stories we tell. Recognizing female voices of color allows for a more comprehensive examination and understanding of history. Such as in the movement of women’s suffrage, especially in the years of 1910-1920, uncovering the achievements of women of color in contributing to the actualization of their right to vote is a valuable addition to society. Now, we do not conceal these previously hidden voices and actions, thus elevating their importance  in the grand narratives of history. In the year 2020, the centennial of realizing a woman’s right to vote, it is essential to give enough the merited credit to these incredible women. 

References: 

  1. Alexander, Kerri Lee. “Mabel Ping Hua-Lee.” National Women’s History Museum. 2020. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mabel-ping-hua-lee.

  2. “Tye Leung Schulze.” U.S. National Park Service. 2020. https://www.nps.gov/people/tye-leung-schulze.htm 

  3. Mayo, Edith. “African American Women Leaders in the Suffrage Movement.” Suffragist Memorial. 2020. https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement/

  4. “Women of Color and the Fight for Women’s Suffrage.” California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. 2020. https://women.ca.gov/women-of-color-and-the-fight-for-womens-suffrage/



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Jacqueline Qiu is a junior at Middlebury College, double majoring in French and Political Science. She is passionate about humanitarianism, women in politics, mental health awareness and advocacy, and French language and literature. On campus, she is the Co-President of the French club and Active Minds Middlebury.

 

1910-1920: A Formative Decade for Women of Color in the American Suffragist Movement

BY: JACQUELINE QIU, WINTER 2021 COLLABORATOR AT POWER IN PLACE

The movement for women’s suffrage, which culminated in the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920, has yielded many influential figures. While prominent women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony often take center stage, there are many influential figures that have been relegated to the hidden corners of history. Such is the case of suffragette women of color: in the decade before the realization of women’s suffrage, from 1910-1920, suffragette women of color greatly contributed to this cause without widespread recognition. Fortunately, efforts are now being made to highlight their impact on the success to the suffrage movement.  From 1910-1920, it is evident that women of color have historically dedicated their lives to political egalitarianism within their right to vote. 

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Gallery, 1898.

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Gallery, 1898.

Zit Kala-Sa (1876-1938), born of Yankton Sioux ancestry, was a prolific writer and activist that sought to expand opportunities, like suffrage, for Native Americans and promote their cultural equality within the dominance of American federal policy. The Native American culture as a source of pride, instead of devalorisation. In 1916, she became the secretary of the Society of the American Indians and  liaison with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. As the first all American Indian organization, it promoted the  political, socioeconomic, and cultural equality of American Indians. With her dedication to women’s suffrage, she joined the General Foundation of Women’s Clubs as a distinct Native American voice. Furthermore, she eventually became the founder, as well as the President, of the National Council of American Indians in 1926 that united many Indian tribes under the cause of achieving full citizenship through suffrage. Her persistence is exemplified in her commitment to social justice, from women’s suffrage to citizenship to equal education and health care. Zit Kala-Sa embodied the value of the Native American perspective for the fight for women’s suffrage and Native American rights.

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Verina Morton Jones (1865-1943) is a vanguard for women in racial justice, suffrage, and medical science. She was the first woman to pass the Mississippi medical board exam, becoming the first woman to be licensed to practice medicine in that state. Additionally, after she moved from Mississippi to New York, she was the first black woman to practice medicine in Nassau County, NY. With her eventual move to Brooklyn, NY, she became president of the Equal Suffrage League, championing the importance of a woman having the right to vote as analogous to her belief in the role of women (especially of color) in medical science. These beliefs were subsequently reflected in her role of director of mother’s clubs in the National Association of Colored Women and leader of the Association for the Protection of Colored Women. The establishment of Lincoln Settlement House, which offered childcare and health services, in 1908 reflected her commitment to helping women in all spheres of life. Jones’ appointment to the Board of Directors of NAACP in 1913 provided a powerful opportunity to advance racial and sociopolitical equity of women of color in society. As a suffragette woman of color, Jones used her high status in medicine to wield immense influence for female equality. 

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Likewise, Nannee Helen Burroughs (1879-1961) advanced the cause of women’s suffrage through her elevated status as a black church leader and educator. As the founder of the Women’s Convention, a branch of the National Baptists Convention, she grew this women’s organization into the largest body of African American women in the United States from 1900-1947. Therefore, she exerted a powerful impact on the future of women’s suffrage, with the structural support of the Women’s Convention helping her use church as a vehical of advocacy. The Women’s Convention worked with the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) to ensure the racial and gender justice, emphasizing the cause of suffrage.  She also promoted the education of poor African American women, with the establishment of the National Training School of Women that was popular in the first  half of the twentieth century. She also wrote in support of women’s suffrage in Crisis Magazine. Burroughs became an important advocate for women’s suffrage with her tremendous accomplishments within the educational and religious spheres for black women. 

Portrait of Ida B. Wells Burnett.

Portrait of Ida B. Wells Burnett.

Ida B. Wells Barnett (1862-1931) was a significant figure, as a dual advocate for racial justice and women’s suffrage. While living in Memphis, TN, she led anti-lynching movements in the press as a noteworthy journalist and newspaper editor. This fervor for eradicating racial violence continued as she wrote for the Chicago Conservator and published The Red Record to highlight activism for anti-lynching. While in Chicago, her activism for gender equality and women’s suffrage grew; in fact, in 1913, Barnett established the first suffrage club for black women in Illinois, the Alpha Suffrage Club for African American women. The Alpha Suffrage Club published newsletters advocating for female suffrage, educated black women in civics, and promoting the merited racial and political equality of women. In addition, Barnett marched in the 1913 suffrage parade in Washington, D.C., with white suffragists to emphasize the universality of women’s suffrage. Furthermore, she co-founded the National Association of Colored Women in 1896 and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909. This dedication to eradicate racial prejudice and violence and advance the cause of African American women, elevated Barnett to a very prominent role in American society.

1911 Photo of Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin, from her personnel file.

1911 Photo of Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin, from her personnel file.

Marie Louise Battineau Baldwin (1863-1952), as a Northern Dakota Turtle Mountain Chippewa, advocated for Native American rights, as well women’s political equality. Augmented by her educational success, as she became the first woman of color to graduate from Washington’s College of Law in 1914, she was a key spokesperson for Native American women and suffrage. In fact, since 1911, she was a prominent suffragette of color, as she met with women across the country and testified before Congress, who married the ends of the suffrage movement with those of the Society of American Indians. She participated in the 1913 suffrage parade in Washington, D.C. that was organized by Alicia Paul, marching with other female lawyers who believed in suffrage. Furthermore, Baldwin was part of the key suffragettes who met with President Woodrow Wilson in 1914 to advocate for the women’s right to vote. As defender of both Native American and women’s rights, Balwin demonstrated the relevance of the Native American voice in achieving socio-political equality for marginalized groups.

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Maria de Guadalupe Evangelina López de Lauther was a prominent suffrage activist in the state of California. Her former experience teaching English as a second language at Los Angeles High School and fluency in Spanish allowed her to become a prominent figure in the CA suffrage movement in 1911. From the 1910s, she traveled around the state, speaking about women’s suffrage in both Spanish and English, organizing rallies, and acting as a translator for Spanish speaking citizens. In fact, it is assumed that she is the first figure in the state of CA to speak about women’s suffrage in Spanish. Her influence in this regional suffrage movement culminated in her appointment to be a representative for California suffragists in the 1913 women’s suffrage parade in Washington, D.C. Lopez de Lauther manifested great impact in helping California affirm the right for women to vote in 1912, before the greater national ratification of female suffrage in 1920. Her role as a Latina woman created real opportunities to appeal to an electorate that often only spoke Spanish, and embodied the powerful impact of suffragette women of color.

Idár in 1905.

Idár in 1905.

Jovita Idár (1885-1946) was a Latina journalist, activist, and suffragist who promoted the rights of Mexican Americans in Texas, especially Mexican American women. With her family, she organized the First Mexican Congress in 1911, which sought to support the ongoing revolution in Mexico by unifying those across the border in the U.S. with this cause. The First Mexican Congress worked in conjunction with Idár’s mission to eradicate racial prejudice against Mexican Americans in TX, which have previously yielded noteworthy violence, such as lynching. Furthemore, she was the founder and the first president of La Liga Femenil Mexicanista (League of Mexican Women) that was aimed towards asserting the egalitarianism of Mexican women in the socio-political and cultural terms of American society. At the forefront of her advocacy was women’s suffrage; in fact, she wrote in her family’s newspaper, La Crónica, about the necessity of the right to vote for women. The enfranchisement of women was supported and bolstered by Idár, especially after she took over La Crónica in 1914. Idár’s engagement with eradicating racial injustice against Mexican Americans and the political rights of (Mexican American) women allowed her to become an important suffragette of color. 

These women of color did not permit their race to hinder their passion, commitment, and activism for the suffragette cause. In fact, the color of their skin acted as an effective vehicle for social change, as the ends of sociopolitical equality and racial justice were intertwined. Race, as well as gender, amplified the impact that these women made on the future of suffrage. In the centennial of the 19th amendment in 2020, it is more necessary than ever to honor the contributions of these suffragettes of color. 

References:

  1. Mayo, Edith. “African American Women Leaders in the Suffrage Movement.” Suffragist Memorial. 2020. https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement/

  2. “Women of Color and the Fight for Women’s Suffrage.” California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. 2020. https://women.ca.gov/women-of-color-and-the-fight-for-womens-suffrage/

  3. “Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin” National Park Service. 2020. https://www.nps.gov/people/marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin.htm

  4. “Zitkala-Ša (Red Bird / Gertrude Simmons Bonnin).” National Park Service. 2020. https://www.nps.gov/people/zitkala-sa.htm

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Jacqueline Qiu is a junior at Middlebury College, double majoring in French and Political Science. She is passionate about humanitarianism, women in politics, mental health awareness and advocacy, and French language and literature. On campus, she is the Co-President of the French club and Active Minds Middlebury.