City Of Wilmington: Wilmington To Dedicate Four Women's Suffrage Historic Markers On National Voter Registration Day

Press release from the City of Wilmington:

09/24/2021 5:00 PM

Mayor Mike Purzycki is pleased to share the following news release from the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites (NCWHS) and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, who have partnered to launch a historic marker program identifying individuals and events connected to the history of women’s suffrage. Eight markers have been awarded in Delaware, with four of those to be dedicated in Wilmington on Tuesday, September 28 – National Voter Registration Day. The joint news release announcing next week’s event is presented below.

Mayor Mike Purzycki is pleased to share the following news release from the  National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites (NCWHS)

In commemoration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed women’s right to vote, the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites (NCWHS) and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation have partnered to launch a historic marker program identifying individuals and events connected to the history of women’s suffrage. Historic markers awarded through the Pomeroy Foundation’s grant program highlight sites on the National Votes for Women Trail (nvwt.org), a project of the NCWHS.  Eight markers have been awarded in Delaware.
 
On Tuesday, September 28—National Voter Registration Day—four of the Pomeroy markers will be dedicated in Wilmington.  The event will take place at 3 pm on the grounds of St. Michael’s Day Nursery, 7th and Walnut.  Mayor Mike Purzycki and Delaware Attorney General Kathleen Jennings will attend and make some remarks.  The event will observe all Covid-19 protocols in effect on the dedication date.
 
About the 4 Wilmington Pomeroy Suffrage Markers:

• Site of the Thomas Garrett Settlement House, 7th and Walnut Streets.  Meetings of the African American Equal Suffrage Study Club and occasional integrated suffrage events were held here, 1914-1920.
   
• Rodney Square. Site of the May 1914 suffrage parade and rally for “Votes for Women.” The parade started at the train station and ended here on Market Street, between 10th and 11th streets.
   
• Home of Blanche Williams Stubbs, 827 N. Tatnall Street.  Blanche Stubbs, an advocate for civil rights and voting rights, led the African American Equal Suffrage Study Club in the 1914 parade.
   
• Home of Alice Dunbar-Nelson, 1310 N. French Street.  Author, poet, journalist, teacher, and advocate for racial and gender equity, Dunbar-Nelson was the first president of the Equal Suffrage Study Club, 1914.

About the Pomeroy Foundation
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation is a private, grant-making foundation established in 2005. The Foundation is committed to supporting the celebration and preservation of community history; and to raising awareness, supporting research and improving the quality of care for patients and their families who are facing a blood cancer diagnosis. To date, the Foundation has awarded over 1,100 roadside markers and plaques nationwide. Visit: www.wpgfoundation.org
 
About the NCWHS
The National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites is a non-profit organization established to support and promote the preservation and interpretation of sites and locales that bear witness to women’s participation in American history. NCWHS is dedicated to making women’s contributions to history visible so all women’s experiences and potential are fully valued. Visit: www.ncwhs.org

COMMUNITY AND MEDIA INQUIRIES: 

Anne M. Boylan
Professor of History, Emerita
University of Delaware
Email: aboylan@udel.edu

John Rago
Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Communications
City of Wilmington, Office of the Mayor
Mobile: (302) 420-7928
Email: jrago@WilmingtonDE.gov

This press release was produced by the City of Wilmington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.