FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Monday, August 10, 2009 Ellen K. Wheeler
Director of Development & Public Relations (585) 279-7490
Susan B. Anthony House and Neighborhood Association to celebrate 19th Amendment; Vote statue to be dedicated on West Main St.
Rochester, NY—The Susan B. Anthony House and Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood Association invite one and all to celebrate the ratification of the 19th amendment to the US Constitution—finally giving women the right to vote in 1920—on Saturday, August 22, 2009, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Susan B. Anthony House and Susan B. Anthony Park on Madison Street. This marks the 89th anniversary of the ratification of the amendment also known as the Susan B. Anthony amendment.
Prior to the event’s kick-off, at 11 a.m., will be the dedication of the Vote Statue at the site on West Main Street (across from Canal Street) where Susan B. Anthony and 14 others voted in the presidential election of 1872. The statue has been created by renowned local sculptor Pepsy Kettavong, who also created the Nathaniel Rochester statue in the South Wedge and the Let’s Have Tea sculpture of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, in the park on Madison Street.
The amendment celebration includes reduced-price tours of the House and free entertainment in the Susan B. Anthony Park. It also includes, from noon to 2 p.m., presentations in the Anthony House gardens about historic garden rehabilitation. Performances by neighborhood children, a jazz trio from Fairport, and other groups will take place in the park from noon to 4 p.m. Members of the neighborhood association will lead tours around this Historic Preservation District. Artisans from the Well-Woman Institute Limited will sell their handcrafted items in the park. Susan B. Anthony, Mary Anthony, Frederick Douglass, and other historic figures may make appearances.
The event is open to the public.
Background: The Susan B. Anthony House was Anthony’s home during the most politically active period of her life and the site of her famous arrest for voting in 1872. Anthony’s story of courage and determination has been told and retold to visitors for more than 60 years. The Susan B. Anthony House, a National Historic Landmark, is supported primarily through the contributions of its members.
Mission Statement: The Susan B. Anthony House is a learning center through which we share and interpret Miss Anthony’s life and work as a champion of women’s rights, thereby inspiring and challenging individuals to make a positive difference in their lives and communities. For more information, visit our website at www.susanbanthonyhouse.org.
#####