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Votes For Women: The History of Women’s Suffrage Through Song

Showtime:
Sun Jul 23 at 2 PM

Tickets are $10 General Admission
50% of all proceeds will be donated to the “Girls Day at the Statehouse” program

One hundred years ago, on July 21, 1923, Alice Paul (pictured below) first proposed the Equal Rights Amendment.  One hundred years, and still there is no constitutional right to equality for women. To commemorate this centennial the historic Lincoln Theater in Damariscotta will screen Votes for Women, The History of Women’s Suffrage Through Song followed by a panel discussion of distinguished speakers who will share remarks on the state of women’s rights and the Equal Rights Amendment in Maine and in the nation. Our guest speakers include Filmmaker – Barbara Cray, Maine’s first female Secretary of State – Shenna Bellows, Labor Commissioner – Laura A. Fortman, Executive Director of the Maine Women’s Lobby – Destie Hohman Sprague, and from Maine Youth for Climate Justice and Maine Youth Action – Audrey Hufnagel. 

Barbara Cray’s documentary film Votes for Women:  The History of Women’s Suffrage Through Song, tells the story of the women’s suffrage movement through historical segments narrated by Nancy Giles (contributor to CBS Sunday Morning) and illustrated with archival images and video from the Library of Congress, the National Archives and other sources. It captures the heroic efforts of women through the rousing songs of the suffrage movement (performed by Portland chorus Women in Harmony at their January 2020 concert in recognition of the centennial of the ratification of the 19th amendment giving women the constitutional right to vote) interspersed with historical accounts and illustrated with fascinating archival photographs and video. 

The effective protests of women over one hundred years ago serve as models and inspiration for today. Barbara Cray’s movie is both delightfully entertaining and compelling. It reminds us, if this is necessary, of both the decades of struggle and sacrifice that were necessary to give us the freedoms we enjoy today, and of the unfinished business for a ‘more equal union’ that has been bequeathed to our generation.

⭐️ Award winner for Best Historical Film from the Toronto International Women Film Festival.

Filmmaker, Barbara Cray, invites all attendees to join her for a post-event gathering. “Dress in suffrage white, or women’s rights colors of purple and gold, or dress as your favorite female leader.  After the film screening and panel discussion, we’ll plan to parade down Main St. to Veterans Park in Newcastle for a sing-along of suffrage and women’s rights songs and a bring you own picnic in the park.”

Running Time: 55 minutes
The entire program is estimated to run approx. 2 hours
Guest Bios below.

 

Honorable Shenna Bellows
Maine’s 50th Secretary of State
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is Maine’s 50th Secretary of State, sworn into her first two-year term in the position on Jan. 4, 2021. Secretary Bellows is Maine’s first female Secretary of State. Secretary Bellows previously served two terms in the Maine Senate from 2016-2020, representing 11 towns in southern Kennebec County. In the Maine Senate, she served as Senate Chair of the Labor and Housing Committee and served on the Judiciary Committee.  She was a 2020 presidential elector in the Electoral College. Secretary Bellows led the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine as executive director from 2018 to 2020. Previously, she owned Bellows & Company, a non-profit consulting business, where she worked with organizations such as the Sierra Club’s Maine Chapter, Consumers for Affordable Healthcare and the Maine Women’s Lobby. She also served as interim executive director of LearningWorks. In 2014, Secretary Bellows was the Democratic nominee for United States Senate in Maine. From 2005 to 2013, Secretary Bellows was executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine. She was a member of the first Right to Know Advisory Committee and the Maine Freedom of Information Coalition. She served on the Executive Committee of the 2009 and 2012 ballot campaigns to pass marriage equality in Maine, and co-chaired a successful 2011 statewide ballot campaign to restore same-day voter registration. She was an original member of the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting. Currently, Secretary Bellows is serving on the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) Elections, Cybersecurity, State Records and Archives, Business Services, and International Relations Committees. She was a member of the bipartisan 2021 NASS Task Force on Vote Verification. She serves as Secretary on the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing & Analysis Center (EI-ISAC) Executive Committee. She is also a member of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Election Infrastructure Subsector Government Coordinating Council. She previously served as co-chair of The Council of State Governments (CSG) 2021-2022 Healthy States National Task Force Civic Health Subcommittee. Additionally, she is a member of the University of Maine at Augusta Board of Visitors. Secretary Bellows grew up in Hancock and is a graduate of Ellsworth High School. She holds a B.A. in International Politics and Economics from Middlebury College. She volunteered with the Peace Corps in Panama and AmeriCorps VISTA in Nashville, Tennessee. Secretary Bellows lives with her husband, Brandon, in Manchester.

Laura A. Fortman
Laura Fortman is the Labor Commissioner for the State of Maine, where she is responsible for labor standards enforcement, employment and training programs, unemployment insurance, labor market information, and vocational rehabilitation services.   She was previously Maine Labor Commissioner from 2003 to 2007.  From 2013 to 2017 she was Deputy Administrator for the Wage and Hour Division at the U.S. Department of Labor, where she was responsible for enforcing our nation’s most fundamental labor standards.  She dedicated the early part of her career to improving the lives of women and girls, and was founding member of the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and served as Executive Director of the Maine Women’s Lobby and the Maine Women’s Policy Center.  She was inducted into the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame in 2007. 

Destie Hohman Sprague
Destie Hohman Sprague is executive director of the Maine Women’s Lobby.  She was previously Associate Director of the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault.  Destie is passionate about organizational infrastructure, policies, and practices which reflect anti-oppression and feminist values.  She lives in Bath with her partner and their child, where she enjoys growing, cooking, and preserving food, neighborhood potlucks, and running.

Audrey Hufnagel
Audrey Hufnagel is an incoming senior at Lincoln Academy.  Besides being a top student, she is involved in many school activities including the cross-county team and performing in school productions.  She is also an advocate.  She advocates for climate justice, saying that climate change is not just an environmental issue, it is also a justice issue.  She is in leadership roles with several youth-led climate organizations, Maine Youth for Climate Justice and Maine Youth Action. 

Tickets are $10 General Admission
50% of all proceeds will be donated to the “Girls Day at the Statehouse” program

All ticket sales are final – Nonrefundable and Nonexchangeable.

All tickets are available for purchase at the door beginning 30 minutes before showtime, or in advance* through our online box office.

*Advance tickets or confirmation emails may be printed for admission OR you may check in with your email address at the theater box office when you arrive.