A free outdoors concert series and community resource fair showcasing women and gender non-conforming musicians, both international & local, in the summer of 2019.
The century-old suffragette message needs to be heard and updated to be made more inclusive. Women, especially women of color, still struggle for equity in their everyday lives. We’ll bring history alive with music, positioning the suffragettes as radical role models to explore gender imbalance throughout society–from music festivals to single mother households in low-wealth communities.
Highlighting discrimination of women, non-binary, and gender non-conforming artists, particularly women of color, Spirit of the Suffragettes responds to the inequity facing women artists. All-male acts make up the overwhelming majority of festival lineups; femme artists face pervasive under-representation in museums and galleries.
Women still struggle for equity in their everyday lives, especially low-income women, single moms, and women of color. Spirit of the Suffragettes will serve local women in a place where two thirds of children younger than 12 live below the poverty line. The community resource fair is an opportunity to highlight the organizations and opportunities that can support women and families in North Central Troy and beyond. Women bear the heavy load of caring for their families against all odds. We can still learn from the suffragettes, elevating the concerns of women to a statewide and national level.
Spirit of the Suffragettes Playlist
In anticipation for the Spirit of the Suffragettes summer concert series and resource fair, Hudson Mohawk Magazine correspondent Cassidy McCabe is producing radio segments showcasing local activists and organization work that connect local social justice work to our history. Shared on WOOC 105.3 FM Troy, WOOS 98.9 FM Schenectady, these interviews are also uploaded to Soundcloud and iTunes for download and unlimited access.
Did you know that the Seneca Clan Mothers of the Haudenosaunee Native American tribe were an inspiration to the early suffragettes? Listen to their story, and check out these other interviews …
Thank you to the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature for making this project possible!
And thank you to the sponsors and foundations helping us meet the matching funds required to pull this off!
If you would like to sponsor “Spirit of the Suffragettes,” please contact Melissa Bromley, Development Director at: [email protected]. You can view our sponsorship package by clicking here.
The Tides Foundation
Troy Capital Resource Corporation
Upstate Coalition for a Fairgame Arts Grant
Messler Family Foundation
Stephen J. McKee Foundation
The O’Bryan Family Foundation
The Judith Fund
Merrill Family Charitable Foundation
Tom Phelan Memorial Fund of the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region
Honest Weight Food Coop
Capital Women
The Church
Denison Farm
Pioneer Bank
Bella Napoli Bakery
Friends of Claudia Israel
Music Haven
Price Chopper | Market 32
YWCA
TRIP & RCHR
Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood
Women Against War
