Maine Suffrage Centennial Talk
The 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote was ratified by the state of Maine in 1919. Celebrate 100 years of suffrage with a talk by Anne Gass, author of “Voting Down the Rose: Florence Brooks Whitehouse and Maine’s Fight for Woman Suffrage,” on Tuesday, May 14 at 5:30 pm.
Florence Brooks Whitehouse was a novelist, painter, vocalist, and mother of three sons when she first joined the suffrage movement in 1914. This talk explores Florence’s life up to 1914 and her leadership in moving suffrage forward in Maine, joining forces with national leader Alice Paul in a desperate, last-ditch effort to ensure that the Maine legislature ratified the 19th Amendment that would give women voting rights. Slides of historic photos accompany this lively talk.
Gass, who is Whitehouse’s great-granddaughter, speaks regularly on Florence Brooks Whitehouse and women’s rights history at conferences, historical societies, libraries, high schools, and for other groups. Gass has continued her great-grandmother’s activist tradition in her professional work. She is the founder and principal of ABG Consulting LLC, a small business supporting nonprofits, local and state governments, and foundations in their efforts to help people in need build stable, productive lives. Gass has written over $163 million in successful federal grants since founding her business in 1993, working both in Maine and nationally.
The 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote was ratified by the state of Maine in November 1919 and officially adopted as part of the U.S. Constitution in August 1920. For more about the Maine Suffrage Centennial visit: https://www.mainesuffragecentennial.org/
