“In 2018, I took a poetry workshop with poet Richard Blanco in Provincetown. He challenged us to write a commemorative poem. I was the only one in the class to do it. It took me two years, but I chose the 100th Anniversary of Women's Suffrage in 2020 as my topic. The poem is titled, One Uprise, and includes a stanza for each decade [1920-2020] on the essence of women's status in society at the time. In 2020, I was invited by Fredie Kay of the Women's Suffrage Celebration Coalition of Massachusetts to read my poem during one of the many events that were supposed to take place that year. Sadly, Covid thwarted everyone's plans and I never had that opportunity. I am submitting my poem in the hope that it might be included in the Monumental Idea celebration however you see fit. And, of course, I would be beyond honored to read it.”
I was inspired by my grandmother, Mildred Wright Ingraham, who was a suffragist in Wisconsin. She was the president of the Suffrage Society at her college, Milwaukee Downer [later incorporated into the University of Wisconsin]. I have photos of her from 1917 at Suffragist rallies. Later, when I was a girl, she would take me to the swan boats in Boston and tell me stories of how they were given to Boston by the Suffragists. I have a feeling that some of the women I met when with her in those days were her old Suffragist pals. Another Monumental Idea might be something that showcases the history of the iconic Boston swan boats.
You’re invited to inspire America’s newest landmark. We want to hear from YOU! Contribute your ideas today and have a voice in the design of the Women's Suffrage National Monument.
