Susan B Anthony B-day &the Racism of the US Suffragettes
Cross post to AmAf
Source---https://www.aclu.org/blog/womens-rights/celebrate-womens-suffrage-dont-whitewash-movements-racism
more at article.
snip--"Legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw argues that racism and sexism intersect in a manner that compounds Black women’s oppression. Although the above historical events occurred long before Crenshaw articulated intersectionality, this insightful theory should be applied to all historical narratives that do not fully engage with the lived experiences of African-American women.
snip--"When suffragists gathered in Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848, they advocated for the right of white women to vote. The participants were middle and upper-class white women, a cadre of white men supporters and one African-American male — Frederick Douglass. The esteemed abolitionist had forged a strong working relationship with fellow abolitionists and white women suffragists, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. No Black women attended the convention. None were invited."
snip--" In February 1898, Terrell spoke at the National American Woman Suffrage Association convention in Washington, D.C.
Her speech forced powerful white women attendees to reflect on the compounding oppressions and systemic violence that Black women endured during slavery. She ended on a more optimistic note — praising the sheer grit and intellect of freed women. Terrell’s rhetorical style echoed the American ethos of self-made men and women, but she oversimplified the historical reality that the paths to racial and gender equality are long, jagged, and still unwinding."
snip--" The history of women’s suffrage in America is not nice or neat, because the impact of white supremacy is broad and human nature is messy. Furthermore, a nation built on stolen land from Native Americans and stolen labor from African slaves is flawed from the start. We must constantly acknowledge this truth and engage in an intersectional celebration of women’s rights activists and landmark events."
I know this is from 2018, I did not know this before then, so shame on me.
There is alot of scholarship on this topic, I keep trying to learn more. Look around please
= new reply since forum marked as read
One of the arguments they used was that if women get the vote, BLACK women get the vote. And the next thing you know, Washington will be trying to put an end to the suppression of the vote of black MEN---and we can't have that! 
(pulling this from "The Woman's Hour" by Elaine Weiss, also from 2018 btw and a fascinating book)
Not defending the racism, just noting the context of the times. Doing a little study on the progressive era and the fight for voting rights for a program I'm involved with...the road to making the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution reality is on-going and messy. Thanks for bringing this here.
