Anthony House luncheon attended by hundreds
More than 600 people attended the Susan B. Anthony House’s annual luncheon this afternoon at the Riverside Convention Center, which kicked off a year of celebration for the 90th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
Annually the largest fundraiser for the Susan B. Anthony House, the event featured a one-act play called Hear My Voice: Win the Vote that followed the life of a woman who joined the suffrage movement against the wishes of her parents.
Elizabeth Rainer of Brooklyn, the play’s only actor, was accompanied by videos and photographs, as well as a soundtrack of dialogue from other prominent story members. The story followed her character as she interacted with family members, who eventually came around to her point of view, and suffragists, including Ida Wells, Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, and ended with the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
The play will also be performed Thursday for students of the City School District.
Deborah Hughes, executive director of the Susan B. Anthony House, said that the celebration of Susan B. Anthony and everything she represented is inspiring, especially when weighed against some of the problems of today.
“These are hard times. People are stressed about the economy, concerned about Haiti, there’s all kinds of things weighing heavy on people’s hearts,” said Hughes.
“But when you look at the struggles that these 19th-century and 20th-century women had, it gives us some perspective on what we’re going through.”
The afternoon also featured a number of speakers including Kitty Van Bortel, owner of Van Bortel Ford and Van Bortel Subaru, which were the presenting sponsors of the event.
