AAUW TN State Convention 2018

In 1917, the National Woman’s Party began picketing the White House to pressure President Woodrow Wilson to support the Susan B. Anthony Amendment – votes for women. Silent Sentinels, as they were known, picketed in shifts around the clock. After two years, they turned up the heat. Placing a giant cauldron in front of the White House, suffragists kept a perpetual fire ablaze to burn effigies and hypocritical speeches of the President. These protests became known as Watchfires. Hundreds of women picketed and dozens were jailed over this period in their fight for the vote. In 1920, the Susan B. Anthony Amendment was ratified by the final state—Tennessee —and became the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

Chick History performed A Watchfire Party, a modern adaptation of these historic protests, complete with a cauldron ceremony. We honored Tennessee picketers Mary Church Terrell and Sue Shelton White and featured select historical readings ranging from Anti-Suffrage Pamphlets to the NAACP’s The Crisis Magazine. We heard some of the most outlandish arguments of the time against suffrage, as well as the words of suffrage leaders demanding votes for women.

It was truly an amazing performance, engaging the audience and giving an invaluable perspective on women’s fight for the vote. It is highly recommended to check out Chick History and their other performances. Find them on Facebook, too.