CELEBRATE 2011 SUFFRAGE CENTENNIAL WINNING THE RIGHT TO VOTE!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          Contact: Diana C. Madoshi

                                                                                                  (916) 435-9760 or (916) 300-8676

                                                                                                  quemere@sbcglobal.net

October 2011

CALIFORNIA WOMEN CELEBRATE CENTENNIAL OF WINNING THE VOTE!

(Sacramento, October 9-10, 2011) This Columbus Day weekend the public is invited to celebrate the centennial of California women winning the right to vote. The 2-day event in Sacramento begins on Sunday, October 9 and continues through Monday, October 10, 2011. One hundred years ago, California women and supportive men created an innovative and strategic campaign to win women the right to vote.  Despite strong opposition, supporters from all walks of life waged the struggle for women’s political equality – with success and without violence.  This victory for populous California re-ignited the quest for women’s suffrage in all the states, coming as it did nine years before the Federal Amendment passed.

Join us at the kick-off event on October 9^th at the Crest Theater, 1013 K Street, from noon to 4:00 p.m.  Crest will host the Sacramento premiere of “California Women Win the Vote!” This documentary by Martha Wheelock champions the model campaign that inspired the nation, crossing class, education, racial, and ethnic lines.  “Seneca Falls,” an award winning film by Louise Vance, takes viewers on a life-changing journey with nine teenage girls bound for the birthplace of women’s rights in America. Finishing the program is “We Did It for You!” a musical play by Dr. Thea Iberall. The nine-member cast brings to life the stories of historical women who made women’s rights happen.

Walk (three blocks) in our Celebration Stroll on the morning of Monday, October 10 from the California Museum to the State Capitol. We will gather at the California Museum, 2010 O Street, at 9:30 a.m. Come dressed in fashions of the era or in the suffrage colors of purple, yellow, and white, although costumes are not required. Multiple events have been planned throughout the day on Monday, including reenactments, living history presentations, and suffragist singers. The closing ceremony features Secretary of State Debra Bowen at the Secretary of State Building Complex courtyard. 

For a complete listing of celebration events, go to the web site http://www.californiasuffragecentennial.com/.  All events in Sacramento for this celebration are free and open to the public. Attendance is limited only by occupancy limits.

The centennial of California women winning the vote in 1911 is being celebrated in a variety of community, civic, and educational events throughout the state.

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