Through Collaboration, an Iconic Tree Will Live On

The City of Rochester Forestry Department felled the historic tree on June 14, 2018.

Rochester, NY – The historic, 150-year-old horse chestnut tree which stood in front of the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House (Anthony Museum) died over the past winter, and was felled by the City of Rochester Forestry Department for safety reasons on June 14.  Because of the tree’s significance, Deborah L. Hughes, President and CEO of the Anthony Museum persuaded the City to save the logs. With the collaboration of the City of Rochester Forestry Department, Bill Morse/Wm. B. Morse Lumber Co., Becky Wehle, President of Genesee Country Village & Museum (GCV&M) and Shawn Havranek of Sodus, NY, the logs from this tree will be milled, dried, and stored for future use.

The sawing and piling for drying will take place Saturday, October 27 from 9am–4 pm at GCV&M. The milling event is free and open to the public, and the Anthony Museum will have representatives on hand to discuss the tree’s history and significance. Those interested in observing the milling process can check in at GCV&M Admissions for instructions and directions to the location. GCV&M is also planning its annual Trick-or-Treating celebration that day from noon–4 pm. Admission is $8 for youth ages 1–17/$5 for member youth. All children under the age of 1 and adults that are accompanying children are free. Tickets are available online or at the door for Trick-or-Treating, and are separate from the log milling.

GCV&M will provide space in their historic village to pile the lumber on traditional foundations to naturally air dry for the next couple of years. Becky Wehle expressed that they are, “pleased to be able to help preserve this important 19th-century tree using historic drying methods and look forward to it having new life when the process is complete.” At that time, the lumber will be used for projects yet to be determined.

Why is this tree important? This iconic tree was mature at the time Susan B. Anthony lived at 17 Madison Street, and was witness to many key events in the life of the noted suffragist, including her arrest for voting in 1872, and the crowds that gathered at her house on her death in 1906. This tree was recently featured in the book, Wise Trees by Diane Cook, Len Jenshel, and Verlyn Klinkenborg, and published by Abrahms.

Questions related to this event may be directed to pr@susanb.orgor jvanry@gcv.org

Speaker Announced for Susan B. Anthony Birthday Luncheon

In Need of Some Inspiration?  This is the Event–and the Speaker–to Challenge and Recharge You!
Dr. Irma McClaurin
Dr. Irma McClaurin

Rochester, NY– Celebrating Susan B. Anthony’s birthday is a tradition that began in her lifetime and continues to this day. This 199th birthday party and fundraiser for the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House will take place February 13, 2019 at the Joseph A. Floreano Riverside Convention Center, 123 E. Main Street, Rochester, NY.

The keynote speaker for the 2019 Susan B. Anthony Birthday Luncheon will be Dr. Irma McClaurin, co-chair of 2018 Seneca Falls Revisited Conference & Retreat held in Rochester, past president of Shaw University, activist anthropologist, black feminist speaker and author, and diversity champion and consultant. She is alsothe founder of the Irma McClaurin Black Feminist Archive in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

With a focus on inclusiveness, Dr. McClaurin says, “I want to encourage and challenge people to find bonds of commonality; and motivate everyone to leave inspired and committed to acting with integrity, grace, and respect as they move through the world.”

“We are setting the stage for 2020 when we celebrate the centennial of the 19th Amendment, Susan B. Anthony’s 200th birthday, and the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Anthony Museum,” says Deborah L. Hughes, President & CEO of the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House. “Dr. McClaurin will challenge us to move boldly into 2020, furthering  the causes of human rights that are a cornerstone of Anthony’s legacy.”

You can read more about Irma McClaurin at her web site, irmamcclaurin.com.

The Susan B. Anthony Birthday Luncheon is held each year in mid-February to celebrate Susan B. Anthony’s February 15th birthday, to honor contemporary women who continue her legacy, and to raise awareness of the educational and inspirational programs offered by the Museum.

Suffragist City Parade Coming Soon

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Parade starts @ 10:30 am

Route: W. Main St. to the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House,  17 Madison St., Rochester, NY

   

Stay After the Parade for the Block Party in Susan B. Anthony Park

11:00 am–2:00 pm

Organize! Agitate! Educate!

Featuring

MUSIC

Madeleine McQueen | Sarah Long Hendershot and Dan Hoh |  Connie Deming

Artists Coalition for Change Together

The Raging Grannies

Games and activities for kids

Art Force 5—students from Alfred University—will create a mosaic of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. Join them to paint a tile and learn about the big picture in the process!

Meet Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass and other  celebrated role models!

Food Trucks

Wraps on Wheels  •  Dillicious Eats  •  Neighborhood Catering

Monday Lecture Series 2018-2019

Monday Lecture Series logo

 

The National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House proudly presents the 16th season of its popular Monday Lecture Series.

This season’s line-up features eight guest speakers covering a range of topics inspired by the life, work, and legacy of Susan B. Anthony.

 

Sept. 24, 2018A Forgotten Partnership: The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and Native American Communities. Presented by Dr. Thomas Lappas, Professor, Nazareth College

Oct. 22, 2018Lucy Stone and the American Woman Suffrage Association: The Other Half of the Story. Barbara Berenson, author  SOLD OUT

Nov. 5, 2018History of How and Why Racism is Imbedded in America’s DNA. ​Robert Richane, Instructor, Oasis

Dec. 3, 2018Inez Milholland, Suffrage Crusader. Sandra Weber, author  

Jan. 14, 2019Frederick Douglass and Ireland—Then and Now. Dr. Timothy Madigan, Professor & Chair, Department of Philosophy & Classical Studies, Saint John Fisher College

March 18, 2019The Role of Black Women in Reconstruction-Era Political Campaigns, Dr. Justin Behrends, Associate Professor & Chair, History, SUNY Geneseo

May 6, 2019Catherine E. Beecher and the Cult of Domesticity. Denise Munson, Esq.

June 3, 2019Martha Taylor Howard, Savior of 17 Madison Street. ​Dr. Jenny Lloyd, History Professor Emerita, The College at Brockport 

Each presentation is offered in our Carriage House as a noon luncheon ($35 individual reservation) or 2pm informal tea ($20 individual reservation). PLEASE NOTE: All Teas are SOLD OUT, but there are still a limited number of seats available for the Luncheons.

Space is limited. Purchase your reservation today online here or call 585-279-7490.

It raises my blood pressure!

Today, we received a very angry phone call from a woman who read on the internet that the SBA List will be featuring the U.S. President as their keynote speaker next week. Since we are the most recognized organization bearing Susan B. Anthony’s name, she assumed that we had something to do with the SBA List’s political agenda.

As the National Historic Landmark that has championed the memory and legacy of Susan B. Anthony for three-quarters of a century, the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House is incensed that the SBA List continues to assert that the icon of the woman’s suffrage movement would have anything to do with blatantly partisan politics. Susan B. Anthony was proud to claim the title “radical reformer” and she believed that the purpose of government was to create a more just society and a better world for all people.

The SBA List uses her name to further their cause, but they neither understand her life’s work nor advocate for the causes in which she believed. We call on the SBA List to either take a bold and clear stand for liberty, equality, and justice for all humanity, or stand down from using Susan B. Anthony’s name.

Deborah L. Hughes
President & CEO
National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House

June 2018 Monday Lecture Series

Spiritualists, Suffragists, & Other Nasty Women of the Mid-19th Century, a lecture by Dr. Amy Lehman, Associate Professor, Theatre and Dance, University of South Carolina

When a woman spoke out or performed on a public stage or reform platform in mid-19th c. America, she was likely to be labelled a “nasty woman” – or worse. Whether as a suffragist, spiritualist, abolitionist or actress, if she were seen to abandon her sacred domestic role as the “Angel in the House” a woman might expect fierce public scrutiny and often scathing criticism. This talk will discuss the struggles and strategies of celebrated women activists and reformers like Susan B. Anthony, who despite relentless opposition, nonetheless persisted in making their voices heard.

The noon Lecture & Luncheon is SOLD OUT.
The 2pm Lecture & Tea is SOLD OUT.

Deborah L. Hughes to Speak at Arizona State University

On Thursday, March 29, Deborah L. Hughes will present Interpreting a 19th Century Icon for the 21st Century: The National Susan B. Anthony Museum and House at Arizona State University, Institute for Humanities Research, Tempe, Arizona.  That afternoon she will talk about the challenges involved in running a museum dedicated to the women’s rights icon and that is itself an historical landmark. She will also discuss the museum’s efforts to make its collections more accessible to 21st century audiences.

Hughes is president, CEO, and executive director of the Susan B. Anthony Museum and House in Rochester, New York, a position she’s held since 2007. Hughes has a degree in religious studies from University of Oregon and a graduate degree from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.


The National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House interprets the legacy of the great reformer to inspire and challenge individuals to make a positive difference in their lives and communities. We preserve and share the National Historic Landmark that was her home and headquarters, collect and exhibit artifacts related to her life and work, and offer tours and interpretive programs to share her story with the world.

Interpreting Susan B. Anthony for Our Times

Susan B. Anthony—still controversial after all these years

“To find inspiration in an historical figure is a complex task. In a sense, we create a phantom person for our modern purposes out of the odd bits of her life that we value. We craft a memory that connects us across time to a person or events, trying to be true to both spheres—our world and hers. It’s an exercise that works best when our imaginations are informed by solid historical information.”

Ann D. Gordon
Research Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University

 

One of the important roles of the Anthony Museum is to be a resource for those seeking historical information about Susan B. Anthony’s life and work. We received many inquiries about her position in regard to abortion when Anthony was featured in a skit on Saturday Night Live! Because the set of the NBC skit included a remarkable likeness of the front parlor of 17 Madison Street AND named the Susan B. Anthony House, audiences assumed that we had been consulted on the contents. Actually, we had no idea that this skit was in the works. (If you would like to read more about our interpretation of Susan B. Anthony on issues of reproductive freedom, read  Misrepresenting Susan B. Anthony on Abortion.)

The morning after the 2016 Election, the L.A. Times published an article about the crowds that had gathered at Susan B. Anthony’s grave. The article introduced the question of racism in the suffrage movement, asserting that Anthony’s movement “fought for the voting rights of white women, excluding African Americans.” To support their argument, they included a “quote” attributed to Anthony. Unfortunately, it is a misquote that  is repeated all over the Internet and through social media.

Susan B. Anthony did say something similar, but the correct wording and the context are critically important to our understanding.

Before the U.S. Civil War, Anthony was an activist with the American Anti-Slavery Society. Like Frederick Douglass, Anthony believed in a union where all citizens must have the right to vote. During the war, she and others organized the Women’s Loyal National League, which was the first women’s political organization to advocate for eliminating slavery by an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. They gathered more than 300,000 signatures on petitions for an amendment—a detail that was left out of the recent movie, Lincoln.

Following emancipation, they anticipated taking up the cause of voting rights for all. They founded the American Equal Rights Association in 1866, whose purpose was “to secure Equal Rights to all American citizens, especially the right of suffrage, irrespective of race, color or sex.”

Imagine Anthony’s indignation when she and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were privately approached by Wendell Phillips and Theodore Tilton to suspend work for universal suffrage, to concentrate on getting the vote for men of color only. Anthony’s biographer, Ida Husted Harper reports that Anthony responded that “she would sooner cut off her right arm before she would ever work for or demand the ballot for the black man and not the woman.” It was a betrayal to Susan B. Anthony to be asked to compromise on the issue of universal suffrage.

Shortly after this, Anthony and Frederick Douglass divided over the issue. Douglass believed that it was a matter of life and death to grant emancipated men the right to vote. Out of this disagreement has grown the perception that Anthony chose white women over all people of color, which is a misrepresentation. We only need to look at her words, “It is not a question of precedence between women & black men. Neither has a claim to precedence upon an Equal Rights platform. But the business of this association is to demand for every man black or white, & for every woman, black or white, that they shall be this instant enfranchised & admitted into the body politic with equal rights & privileges.” 

There were certainly moments in the woman’s suffrage movement when the actions and words of the leaders betrayed their own racism and bigotry. At the Anthony Museum, we want to confront the ways in which Susan B. Anthony has been used to perpetuate racism, both in her time, and in ours. We want to recognize the ways in which the Anthony Museum might also be reinforcing bias and racism. We are energized by her challenge, “I want a union in fact, not a sham.” 

Interpreting Susan B. Anthony’s life and work is as challenging as it has ever been, because Susan B. Anthony is as relevant today as she has ever been.

Greater New York City Chamber of Commerce Honors Deborah L. Hughes and the Anthony Museum

Each year, the Greater New York City Chamber of Commerce celebrates Women’s History Month with an awards reception recognizing influential women—including past honorees NYS Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. With this year’s theme “Celebrating Equality, Fairness, Respect & 100 Years of Voting Rights!,” we are pleased to announce that Deborah Hughes, president and CEO of the National Susan B. Anthony Museum and House, will be honored at the Chamber’s  reception on March 22nd, along with honorees Jennifer Gold of the The Carlyle Group NY Center for Cybersecurity & Resilience;  Sandra Wilkin of the Bradford Construction & Women’s Builders Council; and Dina Bakst & Sherry Leiwant, co-founders of A Better Balance.

The Women’s History Awards Reception will take place Thursday, March 22,  2018, from 6:00pm – 8:00 pm, at the General Society Library, 20 W. 44th Street, New York City.

Here is a link to the  Greater New York City Chamber of Commerce event.