Pat Taub
As inauguration day approaches, many of us are on pins and needles, worried that the Ultra Right that staged the Capital insurrection will create more violence when Biden is inaugurated. Washington resembles a third world country with 20,000 National Guard members everywhere the eye can see, and the White House newly cordoned off with metal fences and high walls.
Trump will soon disappear to Mar-a-Lago, but his followers remain emboldened and ready for bear. Can Biden unite the country? That remains to be seen.
Rather than succumb to doom and gloom, we can draw inspiration from another inauguration: that of Woodrow Wilson’s in 1913 when Suffragettes ruled the day.
I doubt that Wilson was prepared for the massive, elaborate Suffragette march that accompanied his inauguration. Women from across the country descended on Washington to press for the women’s vote.
In a time before mass communication, creative ways were implemented to recruit followers for the march. “The Suffragette Hikers,” were a group of women who walked the 247 miles from New York City to Washington to attract prospective marchers. It took 17 days to complete their journey, against a backdrop of cold, rainy weather and male hecklers.
A group of “Suffragette Hikers” who marched from New York City to Washington to join the march.
Almost every state was represented in the march. A group of Black women, led by the activist, Ida Wells, were the last to join the march, against the objection of its founder, Alice Paul.
The Suffragette march was replete with pageantry—a precursor to what we now think of as ‘street theater.” Labor lawyer Inez Milholland, dressed dramatically in white astride a white horse, led the 8,000 marchers.
Inez Milholland, majestically leading the 1913 Suffragette March
Among the marchers were nurses in their white uniforms; women from the Seven Sister colleges in their graduation gowns and mortar boards, carrying banners announcing their schools; Native American women in native dress on horseback; and delegations from foreign countries in ethnic attire. There were a total of nine bands, four mounted brigades, and 20 floats. The march culminated in an allegorical tableau near the Treasury Building where women dressed in flowing gowns represented Justice, Charity, Liberty, Peace and Hope.
All was going well until the march, proceeding up Pennsylvania Avenue, approached the White House. There a crowd of men in town for the inauguration grew agitated, jostling and ridiculing the marchers and blocking their path. Some women fell to the ground while others were assaulted. The DC policeman stood by passively, appearing sympathetic to the mob.
Women marches getting mobbed
Eventually, boys from the Maryland Agricultural College created a human barrier, protecting the women from the angry crowd and helping them progress toward to their destination. Over 100 women were treated for injuries at local hospitals. But the march was a game changer, attracting sympathizers and energizing women as they continued their campaign.
Today, over 100 years later, we can model ourselves after the original Suffragettes by committing to long-term goals, while refusing to allow setbacks to discourage us.
Angela Davis, a major contemporary Suffragette, suggests that desperate times require bold action:
“We cannot go on as usual. We cannot pivot the center. We cannot be moderate. We will have to be willing to stand up and say no with our combined spirits, our collective intellects, and our many bodies.” (from Freedom is a Constant Struggle)
Let’s make our foremothers proud. While many of us are already involved with progressive causes, it’s time to up our game: to forge national alliances, but, unlike the original Suffragettes, who were elitist, our movement has to reflect a broad base of women across class, racial and economic backgrounds. Like the Suffragettes, we can’t turn away from the rigorous, often frustrating, work involved in developing long-term strategies to achieve our goals.
Contemporary Suffragettes protesting against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh in the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building, Oct. 4, 2018–the Suffragettes didn’t win every battle, either
We have to push Biden for compassionate laws that address health care, racial injustice, income inequality, and the climate crisis. Male leadership got us in the mess we’re in through their addiction to wars and their arrogant disregard for those struggling in their midst.
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for!
