Part 1: Salvaging the Women's Suffrage Centennial

PLATTSBURGH | The 19th Amendment, which prohibits voter discrimination on the basis of sex, was ratified during the summer of 1920. The amendment reads: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." Women in New York, where the first-wave-feminism-defining Seneca Falls Convention took place in 1848, won that right three years prior to 1920, after over a century of protests and civil disobedience, including hunger strikes and incarceration. In Clinton County, NY, historians and volunteers have adjusted and rebuilt their plans for celebrating this decision-making milestone for women during the COVID-19 outbreak, as local museums, historic sites, and cultural institutions head into Phase 4 this month. CLINTON COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION (CCHA) "We had the most incredible program scheduled for this year," shared Helen Nerska, director of the Plattsburgh-based museum, who expressed understanding, yet disappointment, back in May over closures and phased re-opening plans, particularly considering the women's suffrage centennial. The website champlainvalleywomen.com summarizes themed commemorative events that would have taken place throughout the region this year, including the collaborative August "Suffrage Auto Tour", celebrating the constitutional win. The tour — which gained funding from Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (CVNHP) and Great Lakes Fishery Commission to New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) — is now postponed until 2021, Nerska said. NORTH STAR UNDERGROUND RAILROAD MUSEUM AND NORTH COUNTRY UNDERGROUND RAILROAD HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION (NCUGRHA) In the Adirondacks, the auto tour will travel from Clinton County to Glens Falls, including a stop at NCUGRHA, with time-period-reminiscent vehicles and activities to explore along the way. The "Champlain Line" of the Underground Railroad passed through Northern New York en route to Canada, and the museum commemorates and educates on this. Beyond digital initiatives through its official Facebook page, the museum is planning its own virtual tour experience for this season, utilizing the available outdoor space at the location in Ausable Chasm. Weather permitting, staff will offer live video tours to be displayed on the side of the building utilizing a projector. During the pandemic closure, Museum Director and Association President Jacqueline Madison said, "It's a neat concept, going from new to the old. We're stretching how we provide information to people." Social distancing will be required, as she said the main concern is for docent safety, amidst limited capacity. Staff is following CDC guidelines such as cleaning and distancing, which require volunteers to take on extra responsibilities while putting themselves at risk. She added that because many docents are members of the "most vulnerable age group", their safety is her highest concern in re-opening and avoiding exposure to those who are asymptomatic. Madison told Sun Community News, "It's a whole different way of looking at history."

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Part 1: Salvaging the Women's Suffrage Centennial

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