Hello, how are you? I’ve been learning the benefits of care and compassion over the past few months, including recognizing the weight held by the rote greetings we’ve given each other for most of our lives. This summer isn’t over and not only does the pandemic remain, but the BLM uprisings continue to intersect with the public health crisis of COVID-19, and the environment continues to groan and heave (prayers to those of you in my home state of California and those in the Gulf). As a lecturer, I wholeheartedly empathize with parents and teachers as they grapple with uncertainties around education this year.
But 2020 isn’t all doom and gloom. This is also the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, and historians, journalists, and the general public alike are having great, intensive, thoughtful discussions to tease out the story around granting women the right to vote.
I gave the keynote speech at the Hoosier Women at Work symposium this past spring, and gave a shout out to Dr. Martha S. Jones’ (JHU) upcoming book, Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All.
Pre-Order from Basic Books (and you can also download the first 25 pages)
To get a taste of Dr. Jones’s insightful history, she was in conversation with A’Lelia Bundles today, hosted by the US National Archives
Edwardian Promenade has published many posts around women’s suffrage over the years. Here is a sampling of them:
Guest Post: Suffragette Style by Lucy Adlington
100th Anniversary of the Women’s Suffrage March on Washington
3 Games That Helped The Suffragettes Win the Vote
What I’ve Been Watching
I am busy writing a more detailed post about the Frankie Drake Mysteries. Sadly, period dramas have palled for me in the years since both Mr. Selfridge and Downton Abbey made their final bows, so I was surprised by how much I love this series. It’s set in 1920s Toronto and features a great cast of characters—and real life people pop up too. Best of all, it is also inclusive and multicultural (Edwardian Promenade’s new motto!), authentic and glam, and displays the bustling Canadian city in its entirety.
Zoom fatigue is real, but I have taken advantage of so many excellent events that drew together people who wouldn’t normally be in conversation due to time, distance, and money. Some of the highlights:
The esteemed Dr. Carol Tulloch (UAL), a fashion historian, in conversation with Dr. Tanisha Ford (CUNY) and Dr. Siobhan Carter David (SCSU) on African diasporic fashion
Monumental Mobility: The Memory Work of Massasoit - hosted by the Newberry Library. A Virtual Conversation with Dr. Lisa Blee (WFU), Dr. Jean M. O’Brien (UMN), and Dr. Rose Miron (Newberry Library) on indigenous history and monuments.
A curated list of interesting lectures and events I feel will be of interest
September 17 - Virtual Talk: The Evolution of Chinese Fashion
September 17 - 'Dining with Jane Austen: Food in Georgian and Regency England' Webinar
September 21 - HAMILTON! How the Musical Remixes American History with Dr. Richard Bell
September 24–30 - the American Association for State and Local History 2020 conference is virtual, and they are offering a free limited access tier (basic registration is $45 and full registration is $75)
October 30 - Cold War Cosmopolitanism: Period Style in 1950s Korean Cinema
December 2 - The Truth about Baked Beans: An Edible History of New England
Until next newsletter!