FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Friday, August 21, 2009 Ellen K. Wheeler
Director of Development & Public Relations (585) 279-7490
1872 Monument to be unveiled at 11 a.m. on Saturday;
19th amendment celebration to follow
Rochester, NY—Join Mayor Robert Duffy, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, and other dignitaries for the unveiling at 11 a.m. Saturday, August 22, 2009 of the 1872 monument marking the spot on West Main Street (across from Canal Street) where Susan B. Anthony and 14 other women voted in the 1872 presidential election. The monument is the creation of renowned local sculptor Pepsy Kettavong, who also created the Nathaniel Rochester statue in the South Wedge and the Let’s Have Tea sculpture of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, in the park on Madison Street.
Following the unveiling, the Susan B. Anthony House and Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood Association invite one and all to celebrate the ratification of the 19th amendment to the US Constitution—finally giving women the right to vote in 1920—from noon to 4 p.m. at the Susan B. Anthony House and Susan B. Anthony Park on Madison Street. This marks the 89th anniversary of the ratification of the amendment also known as the Susan B. Anthony amendment.
The amendment celebration includes reduced-price tours of the House and free entertainment in the Susan B. Anthony Park. It also includes, from noon to 2 p.m., presentations in the Anthony House gardens about historic garden rehabilitation. Performances by neighborhood children, a jazz trio from Fairport, and other groups will take place in the park from noon to 4 p.m. Members of the neighborhood association will lead tours around this Historic Preservation District. Artisans from the Well-Woman Institute Limited will sell their handcrafted items in the park.
The event is open to the public.
Background: The Susan B. Anthony House was Anthony’s home during the most politically active period of her life and the site of her famous arrest for voting in 1872. Anthony’s story of courage and determination has been told and retold to visitors for more than 60 years. The Susan B. Anthony House, a National Historic Landmark, is supported primarily through the contributions of its members.
Mission Statement: The Susan B. Anthony House is a learning center through which we share and interpret Miss Anthony’s life and work as a champion of women’s rights, thereby inspiring and challenging individuals to make a positive difference in their lives and communities. For more information, visit our website at www.susanbanthonyhouse.org.
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