This past Saturday, fine-arts photographer Yves-Richard Blanc hosted the inaugural Catherine Flon Honors Exhibition at the Hunt Art Gallery in downtown Buffalo.
The exhibition celebrates the legacy of remarkable and revolutionary women who are shaping the Buffalo community. The inaugural exhibition will honor:
- Alma Carrillo
- Kendra Brim, MBA
- Verneice Turner
- Rachelle Sat'chell Robinson, MDiv
“The focus for me is to find people, no matter their age, background, what they did, their consistency,” said Blanc. “They focused on outcomes.”
In speaking with Blanc, he emphasized that this event was not about him and the photography, but about the women and their impact on their communities.
“The one thing that all of these women have in common is that they give so much of themselves,” said Blanc. “Not for money or for fame, but to elevate other people.”
That is the story behind Catherine Flon.
Flon was a Haitian woman who was a patriot, a designer, and a seamstress who sewed the first Haitian flag. She remains a powerful symbol of the Haitian Revolution and Haitian independence, holding a place of honor in Haitian history.
“Whatever the talent she had, she came forward with it and she helped a country become free,” said Blanc.
The women all said a few words showing their appreciation for the honor and for being recognized for their tremendous work. Buffalo theater pioneer and poet Verneice Turner also shared a poem.
Nearly two decades after the death of Flon in 1831, the first Women’s Rights Convention was held in Seneca Falls, NY, which began the Women’s Suffrage Movement in the United States in 1848.
In New York, the suffrage movement’s success depended on thousands of women, but today, many of their stories are absent from history. Buffalo Toronto Public Media’s “Discovering New York Suffrage Stories” shares the journeys of four women who tirelessly navigated issues of religious intolerance, sexism, and racism in the fight for suffrage.
As Women’s History Month comes to a close, we still recognize the contributions that were made to elevate and enhance our community and the nation. Whether it’s Catherine Flon, the women of the Suffrage Movement, or the women of Buffalo who share the same goal of uplifting those around them—progress is paved by those bold enough to clear the way for others.
If you’d like more resources on the Women’s Suffrage Movement, see some below.
Suggested Readings
NATIVE AMERICANS and HAUDENOSAUNEE INFLUENCE
Iroquoian Women, The Gantowisas
by Barbara Alice Mann, (Peter Land, 2000)
Iroquoian Women: The Gantowisas provides a thorough, organized look at the social, political, economic, and religious roles of women among the Iroquois, explaining their fit with the larger culture.
Sisters in Spirit: The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Influence on Women’s Rights
by Sally Roesch Wagner, (Native Voices Press, 2001)
Historian Sally Roesch Wagner recounts the struggle for freedom and equality waged by early American women documenting how Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Matilda Joslyn Gage were influenced by their Indigenous women neighbors.
BLACK WOMEN AND SUFFRAGE
African American Women and Social Action: The Clubwomen and Volunteerism from Jim Crow to the New Deal, 1896-1936
by Floris Barnett Cash, (Greenwood Press, 2001)
This book examines the volunteer efforts of black clubwomen in the National Association of Colored Women from 1896 to 1936, and explores how their work influenced the impact and direction of social services in black communities, especially during the Progressive era.
African American Women in the Struggle for the Vote, 1850–1920
by Rosalyn Terborg-Penn, (Indiana University, 1978)
This comprehensive look at the African American women who fought for the right to vote analyzes the women's own stories and examines why they joined and how they participated in the U.S. women's suffrage movement.
One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy
by Carol Anderson, (Bloomsbury, 2018)
With One Person, No Vote, she chronicles a related history: the rollbacks to African American participation in the vote since the 2013 Supreme Court decision that eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Known as the Shelby ruling, this decision effectively allowed districts with a demonstrated history of racial discrimination to change voting requirements without approval from the Department of Justice.
Suggested Websites
Woman’s Suffrage Timeline—Explore events in the suffrage movement in this interactive timeline from the National Women’s History Museum. This website also offers a rich collection of articles, biographies, online exhibits, classroom resources and more.
https://www.womenshistory.org/resources/timeline/womans-suffrage-timeline
Progress of Women’s Voting Rights—Explore where, when and which women could vote using this interactive timeline from the Women & the American Story collection from the New York Historical Society Museum and Library.
https://womenmarch.nyhistory.org/interactive/maps/
The Complex History of the Women’s Suffrage Movement—The New York Times explores the lesser-known history of the fight for the right to vote.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/15/arts/design/womens-suffrage-movement.html
National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection—This Library of Congress collection contains over 800 books documenting the suffrage campaign that were collected between 1890 and 1938. Explorea variety of materials including newspapers, books, pamphlets, memorials, scrapbooks, and proceedings from the meetings of various women's organizations that document the suffrage fight.