Rep. Robin Smith Says She And Rep. Hazelwood Were Invited To Take Part In Women's March

Friday, January 10, 2020

Rep. Robin Smith

Rep. Robin Smith said she plans to take part in the Women's March event set for Jan. 18 at Miller Park after being invited to do so.

Rep.

Smith said she and Rep. Patsy Hazelwood got the invitation, and she said earlier this week she was asked to be on the program.

Some "activists" who took part in earlier Women's Marches here say the event has been "hijacked" and they object to the Republican legislators taking part.

Rep. Smith said she and Rep. Hazelwood are particularly interested in the fact this is the 100th anniversary of Tennessee being the state to make voting rights for women possible. She said they have been serving on a state committee on the topic and have been working to provide curriculum for the schools on womens' suffrage.

She said she had received this invitation:

Dear Supporter of Women,

On Saturday, January 18, the 2020 Chattanooga Women’s Rally and Celebration of 100th Anniversary of Tennessee Women’s Right to Vote will be held at Miller Park, 11 am – 3 pm. We will honor all women elected to political office in Hamilton County as well as the female leadership of the Chattanooga police department. We will have live music, a children’s area and 100 booths for local non-profits that serve women and their families in the local Hamilton county area. We will also have food trucks and booths for local women business owners to sell their products.

The theme of this event is “Call to Action”. We want to honor those who have stepped up in the past and encourage attendees to support local organizations that serve women and their families with their time, efforts or donation. There are numerous women and their families in our community that will benefit from an event to connect the organizations that serve them with engaged persons who want to make our city and county better for everyone.

Dr. Paula Casey, a Tennessee native who now resides in Memphis, will be our featured speaker. Paula Casey has a vision of women taking their rightful place in the halls of power. She has worked tirelessly and creatively to make that vision a reality. We will also have local speakers.

Paula is a co-founder of the Memphis Women’s Political Caucus, was president of the Tennessee Women’s Caucus, served as a charter member and secretary of the Economic Justice for Women Coalition, and is currently a board member of Woman’s Party Corp. in Washington, D.C., which maintains the Sewall-Belmont House, a depository for women’s suffrage memorabilia. She has served as President of the Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument, Inc., and currently chairs the Memphis Suffrage Monument Committee.

In 1989 Paula founded VOTE 70 and incorporated it with others to celebrate the 70-year history of women’s right to vote. Frustrated with the lack of information concerning the suffragists in history books, she decided to take action. The result is a 12.5-minute video, Generations: American Women Win the Vote, detailing 70 years of struggle for the right for women to vote. It is now available in all 50 states and at the Smithsonian Institute.

Attached is sponsorship availability, vendor and volunteer opportunities offering numerous ways for support. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit so all sponsorships, vendor fees and donations are tax deductible. Thank you in advance for your consideration of this request.

Here is the schedule:

Opening Music - TBA

Opening Remarks from Mistress of Ceremony- Tenesha Irvin

Dance Performance by The Pop-up Project

Poem by Carla "Poetess Phenominal C" Elliot

Key Note Speaker - Dr. Paula Casey

Introduction by Robin Smith, TN Women 100, 1920-2020 TN Women’s Suffrage Centennial
Dr. Paula Casey
- Author of “The Perfect 36: Tennessee Delivers Woman Suffrage”
- Produced “Generations: American Women Win the Vote”
- Served as president of Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument, Inc.
- Fiscal agent for Jackson’s statue of Sue Shelton White, the only TN woman jailed fighting for suffrage
- Chairs the Memphis Suffrage Monument Committee
- Casey has spoken extensively around the country at conferences, universities, colleges, and junior colleges
- Casey is a TN native: From Nashville, Attended College at UT-Knoxville, and currently resides in Memphis
Dr. Casey will be telling the story of the Tennessee’s Women’s Suffrage movement. She will discuss the racial politics of the movement and how women of color had to continue the fight after the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Finally, she will talk about how this story is still unfolding in modern times.