Nyack--- On April 29, 2021, SuffrageForward will present a live, 1-hour ZOOM program, featuring science journalist and author Rebecca Coffey.  Coffey will use science, nature and a bit of humor to explore how men and women differ and how a better understanding of animal behavior might liberate us from gender inequality.  A conversation will follow led by Paulette Ross and Penny Peace, both of SuffrageForward.  Recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the goal of the program is to build on SuffrageForward’s past presentations which aim to foster enlightening, inspiring community conversations.  The program is free (registration required), and will begin at 7pm. 

 “In our quest for equality for all, the first step toward change is to listen to each other and to understand the root of our behavior,” said Paulette Ross, SuffrageForward Chair.  “With a bit of humor, and a deep exploration of science, we hope to heighten awareness, open a conversation and to inspire action for change.”  

 This virtual community conversation follows other successful programs presented by SuffrageForward including: 

•          Breaking the Cycle – A Conversation on Race Justice Equity and Change (February 2021). 

•          Vote American – The Premiere Screening of Susan Stava’s New Documentary (March 2021)

 More information and registration information can be found at www.SuffrageForward.org.

 Many past programs have been recorded and are available to be streamed on-demand at www.SuffrageForward.org.

ABOUT REBECCA COFFEY:  Rebecca Coffey is a science journalist with broad national recognition. She contributes five features a month to Forbes.com, where she addresses evolution, science, health, and behavior. She has written regularly for Scientific American and Discover magazines, PsychologyToday.com, and Vermont Public Radio (where she was a frequent on-air contributor for almost a decade), and she also contributes science-informed op-eds to newspapers like The New York Daily News, The Chicago Tribune, The Seattle Times, and to many radio and internet outlets. Coffey is also a humorist (McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Defenestration, The Rumpus, a host of lit websites, and a book of literary humor) and a novelist (the highly praised, serio-comic Hysterical: Anna Freud’s Story). Kirkus Reviews has likened Coffey to journalist and humorist Mary Roach.

 ABOUT SUFFRAGEFORWARD:  SuffrageForward is a component fund in the Rockland Community Foundation, founded to mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which affirmed women’s right to vote and granted them the power to shape policy.  SuffrageForward’s mission is not only to celebrate women’s right to vote, but to empower women now and in the future and create awareness among all people of the strength and resiliency of girls and women.  As they did in 2020, SuffrageForward will present a series of events in 2021 to highlight the activism and courage of the women and men who supported and fought for women’s right to vote and who continue to fight for equality for all.  The group will continue to work with organizations in Rockland and beyond on a series of events and activities which will span many genres of expressions: street theater, visual and literary art, dramatic readings, performance art, speakers’ series along with activities falling within education, health, wellness, government, and history.

 Chairperson: Paulette Ross; Steering Committee: Harriet Cornell; Robin Rosenberg; Cristina Biaggi; Lilian Morvay and Joe Allen

 SuffrageForward-100 Years & Onward

P.O. BOX 919. Nyack, NY 10960           

info@SuffrageForward.org                

www.SuffrageForward.org

Paulette Ross

(845) 480-1693

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Nyack – SuffrageForward, a women's rights and advocacy group based in Nyack, will celebrate Women’s History Month with a special premiere screening of Susan Stava’s new documentary “Vote American.”  This ZOOM Webinar event offers viewers the opportunity to screen, for the first time, Stava’s documentary about women and voting in today’s challenging times.  A live Q&A will follow, moderated by Paulette Ross, SuffrageForward Chair. "Vote American" will premiere, on-line, on March 25 at 7pm.

 "When we heard that Susan Stava was working on a new documentary about women and voting, we knew we wanted to collaborate with her,” said Paulette Ross, SuffrageForward Chair.  “Susan Stava’s past work is compelling and thought provoking, and this film builds on that with an interesting look at civic engagement by women 100 years after the passage of the 19th Amendment.  Our theme for 2021 is to break the cycle and open conversations, so this documentary is a perfect fit.”

 The documentary, "Vote American” is directed by Susan Stava and edited by Chris Kenhle.

 The online event will serve as a fundraiser for SuffrageForward with ticket sales to benefit the organization’s mission.  Those interested in learning more information or to donate to make a reservation should visit  www.SuffrageForward.org.

 "Vote American" will premiere, on-line, on March 25 at 7pm.

Ticket price:  $15, $25 or $75 donation (donors at the $75 level receive a SuffrageForward commemorative tote as a thank you gift) 

ABOUT SUSAN STAVA:  Susan Stava has worked in the NYC area as a photojournalist for over 25 years covering humanitarian projects, stories, and news assignments from politics to protests.  Her recent video “Women Are All The Thing” was exhibited at Garner Arts in Sept 2020.  She received a NYSCA grant for a series on women correction officers on Riker’s Island, Santa Fe grant as well as NPPA and NYPPA awards for her feature and news submissions.  Contributing photographer for the NY Times since 2002, she also has been published in Time, Newsweek, People as well as other news outlets.  She graduated from Pratt Institute and attended Teachers College for her degree in Education.

 ABOUT SUFFRAGEFORWARD:  SuffrageForward is a new component fund in the Rockland Community Foundation, founded to mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which affirmed women’s right to vote and granted them the power to shape policy.  SuffrageForward’s mission is not only to celebrate women’s right to vote, but to empower women now and in the future and create awareness among all people of the strength and resiliency of girls and women.  Throughout 2020  SuffrageForward presented a series of events to call attention to the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment.  In 2021, the group will continue to highlight the activism and courage of the women and men in Rockland County who supported and fought for equality for all people.  The group continues to take a leadership role by working with organizations in Rockland and beyond on a series of events and activities which will span many genres of expressions: street theater, visual and literary art, dramatic readings, performance art, speakers’ series along with activities falling within education, health, wellness, government, and history.

 Chairperson: Paulette Ross; Steering Committee: Harriet Cornell; Robin Rosenberg; Cristina Biaggi; Lilian Morvay and Joe Allen

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Nyack--- On February 25, 2021, SuffrageForward will present a live, 75-minute ZOOM program, moderated by Shirley Crabbe and Sean Jones, with the aim of fostering an enlightening, inspiring community conversation about racial justice and the challenges and opportunities at this historic moment in our nation. A diverse group of people who have devoted their lives to equity and justice will kick off the conversation including Milly Hawk Daniel, Phyllis B. Frank, and Jamila Michener. They will be joined by speakers, including Dr. Frances Pratt, Nicole Hines, Adal Regis, Gulienne Rollins-Rishon and others who will share personal stories of perseverance, challenge, growth, and compassion. A Q&A will follow.

 “In our quest for equality for all, the first step toward change is to listen to each other and to hear what our neighbors have to say,” said Paulette Ross, SuffrageForward Chair.  “Through this empathic activity we hope to heighten awareness of social injustice and to inspire action for change.”  

 This virtual community conversation follows other successful programs presented by SuffrageForward including: 

•          The film screening and panel discussion of “Two Schools in Hillburn” the documentary that tells the compelling 1943 story of how Thurgood Marshall and a community achieved the historic desegregation of a Rockland County elementary school. 

•          The three-part video series “Power of Persistence,” which featured local and national celebrities including Jane Fonda, Muriel Fox, Jamie Margolin, Dr. Frances Pratt, Gloria Steinem, and others presenting poems, correspondence, speeches, music, and art created by or inspired by Suffrage Activists and Women's Rights Pioneers.  

•          The webinar “Breaking the Bronze Ceiling - Envisioning & Creating the First Ever Monument to Real Women in Central Park which explored the process of conceiving, advocating, and fundraising for the creation of this groundbreaking public sculpture.  

 Other programs were recorded and are available to be streamed on-demand at www.SuffrageForward.org.

ABOUT MILLY HAWK DANIEL:  Milly Hawk Daniel is a speechwriter, editor, presentation and strategic communications trainer, and author.  She has directed communications for several nonprofit organizations and provided communications consulting services for many others. In this role she has led communications activities and campaigns focusing on health equity, infrastructure equity, equity as a superior growth model, and federal and state advocacy. She is an avid jazz lover, arts and culture fanatic, and a staunch believer in the power of equity.

ABOUT PHYLLIS B. FRANK:  Phyllis B. Frank is a long-standing Rockland County feminist leader. She is well known for her pioneering work in the LGBTQ+ community. She organized and led the first ever Pride event held in the lower Hudson Valley of New York, right here in Rockland County in 1999. In 2020, in her honor, the center that she helped create, was renamed the Phyllis B. Frank Pride Center of Rockland. An inspiring leader in the continuing fight for racial justice, she has been honored by election to the Rockland County Civil Rights Hall of Fame. In 1996 she introduced the Undoing Racism Workshop to Rockland County. More than 2000 educators, human service providers, court personnel, faith community leaders, etc., have participated in this groundbreaking experience. Phyllis’ work against domestic violence has included the co-founding of Rockland Family Shelter in 1979 (today the Center for Safety & Change), the NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the creation of the NY Model for Batterer Programs. She continues to work on issues as diverse as transgender awareness, sexual objectification of women, and redressing the injustices of a racially biased nation, as well as counselor/therapist in private practice in Nyack. Today Phyllis serves as the Chief Program Officer at the Center for  Safety & Change in New City, NY.

  ABOUT JAMILA MICHENER:  Jamila Michener, PhD, is an associate professor of Government at Cornell University. She is co-director of the Cornell Center for Health Equity, co-director of the Politics of Race, Immigration, Class and Ethnicity (PRICE) initiative, and chair of the board of the Cornell Prison Education Program.  Professor Michener studies poverty, racial inequality, and public policy. She is author of Fragmented Democracy: Medicaid, Federalism and Unequal Politics (Cambridge University Press). Her public writing has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Vox, Salon, and numerous other outlets.  She engages extensively with state, local, and national policymakers and organizations, advising on issues related to race, poverty, and public policy.  Prior to working at Cornell, Michener was a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Scholar at the University of Michigan. She received her MA and PhD from the University of Chicago and her undergraduate degree from Princeton University. 

ABOUT SHIRLEY CRABBE:  Native New Yorker and 2019 New York Bistro Award winner, Shirley Crabbe has been hailed as possessing a voice that “must surely appeal to all who love good jazz singing.” Her “almost Ella Fitzgerald–like vibe glows…” says Downbeat Magazine's John Ephland on her 2011 debut recording HOME featuring the legendary saxophonist Houston Person. Her 2018 Top 50 album BRIDGES (2018) has received rave reviews and spotlights her collaborations with renowned pianists Donald Vega, and David Budway. Shirley has been a guest on syndicated radio programs such as “Jazz Inspired” hosted by Judy Carmichael, and Steve Cuden's "StoryBeat" to name a few, and currently performs at jazz clubs, festivals, and concert series in the US.   She is the recipient of the 2009 Rockland County Executive Performing Artist Award, 2008 Stanton Bronze Medalist at the American Traditions Vocal Competition.  In 2010, she was a top 5 finalist at Jazzmobile’s “Best of the Best” Jazz Vocalist Competition held in New York City.   Shirley holds music degrees from Manhattan School of Music and Northwestern University.

 ABOUT SEAN JONES:  Sean Jones has 20 years’ experience working as a School Psychologist and Therapist, having worked with children and adults in a variety of clinical and school-based settings. Sean’s interests and expertise include social-emotional learning, learning disorders, meditation & mindfulness, equity, and social justice. Sean is also a photographer who has exhibited in individual and group shows. He has served on the Board of Directors on multiple arts and cultural organizations in Rockland County. In addition, Sean is a Women’s college basketball official and is a member of the Board of Directors of his local high school officiating organization.

ABOUT SUFFRAGEFORWARD:  SuffrageForward is a component fund in the Rockland Community Foundation, founded to mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which affirmed women’s right to vote and granted them the power to shape policy.  SuffrageForward’s mission is not only to celebrate women’s right to vote, but to empower women now and in the future and create awareness among all people of the strength and resiliency of girls and women.  As they did in 2020, SuffrageForward will present a series of events in 2021 to highlight the activism and courage of the women and men who supported and fought for women’s right to vote and who continue to fight for equality for all.  The group will continue to work with organizations in Rockland and beyond on a series of events and activities which will span many genres of expressions: street theater, visual and literary art, dramatic readings, performance art, speakers’ series along with activities falling within education, health, wellness, government, and history.

Chairperson: Paulette Ross; Steering Committee: Harriet Cornell; Robin Rosenberg; Cristina Biaggi; Lilian Morvay and Joe Allen

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When Meredith Bergmann’s Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument was unveiled on August 26, 2020, it, in essence, broke Central Park’s bronze gender barrier. This panel discussion, via ZOOM Webinar, will explore the process of conceiving, advocating, and fundraising for the creation of this groundbreaking public sculpture.  The panelists will be artist Meredith Bergmann, Pam Elam, and Coline Jenkins, with moderator Clare Bowes Sheridan.  A live ZOOM chat will follow the webinar with invited guests.

“We are delighted to have been able to re-schedule this panel discussion for November 19th,” said Paulette Ross, chair of SuffrageForward.  “Although we cannot gather in person, as we had originally planned, we were happy to pivot and offer it virtually.  And what’s exciting is that we can reach an even broader audience through this webinar format,” she noted.

The journey of envisioning and creating this sculpture was spearheaded by Monumental Women, an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization created in 2014, with the goal of creating the first statue of real women in Central Park. This journey had its own share of hurdles. Contending with NYC bureaucracy and permits was as massive a task as the process of sculpting the work. Monumental Women has raised over $1.5 million, with the help of private donations and the Girl Scouts, to fund the statue.

The three women of the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument were selected by Monumental Women for their historic victories in women’s suffrage, women’s civil rights and the abolition of slavery. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Sojourner Truth made history again when they became the first real women to be memorialized in NYC’s iconic Central Park.  Although each of the three women are shown hard a work, having a vigorous conversation, it is Bergmann’s hope that viewers will make up their own story about who is saying what.  Of the 840 acres in the 166-year-old park, where there are 23 statues of men, there are only a handful of sculptures of women— all based on fictional characters. This monument is sited on Literary Walk, near Sir Walter Scott and William Shakespeare.

Bergmann’s powerful homage to these remarkable women depicts a coalition of like-minded people and serves as an inspiration for further study and activism by young girls and women of all ages. With the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument, Monumental Women and Bergmann begin to correct the scarcity of commemorative sculptures highlighting women’s achievements.

When the 14-foot monument was unveiled on August 26, 2020, it was the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote. 2020 is also the 200th anniversary of the birth of Susan B. Anthony.

The distinguished panelists will discuss the 6-year journey of this process and its significance.

Meredith Bergmann has been creating both private and public sculpture that addresses complex themes, such as social justice and human rights, in an accessible, beautiful, and provocative way, to challenge viewers and inspire change. Bergmann’s largest public commission, unveiled in 2003, was for the Boston Women’s Memorial on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston’s Back Bay. Her FDR Hope Memorial for New York City’s Roosevelt Island is to be completed soon.

Pam Elam, the President of Monumental Women, has worked in various capacities for New York City government and its elected officials including: Coordinator at the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs; Chief of Staff to a NYS Senator; and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Manhattan Borough President. Elam made her first public speech in support of Women’s Rights when she was 13 years old and has been organizing for women ever since, including in 2004 when she led the effort to approve legislation naming “Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton Corner” near the site where Anthony and Stanton published their newspaper, The Revolution.

Coline Jenkins is a legislator, author, television producer, and Vice President of Monumental Women. Jenkins comes from a long line of women activists including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, her great-great grandmother, and Harriot Stanton Blatch, her great-grandmother. Through the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Trust, of which she is co-founder and President, she is instrumental both in the advancement of women's rights and the preservation of the history of the women’s rights movement.

The moderator, Clare Bowes Sheridan, is the producer, writer, and host of “Crossroads of Rockland History,” an award-winning radio show presented by The Historical Society of Rockland County. Before joining the Historical Society of Rockland County, she was Senior Vice President, Business Director at Sotheby’s for many years.

We invite you to join us for Breaking the Bronze Ceiling Panel Discussion

Thursday, November 19; 7:00pm

Via ZOOM Webinar (a link will be provided with a confirmed donation)

Admission:  Suggested Donation:  $15; $25 or $75 (donors at the $75 level will receive a commemorative tote bag as a thank you gift) All proceeds benefit SuffrageForward.

To make a reservation visit: www.SuffrageForward.org or www.rocklandartcenter.org

RoCA gratefully acknowledges support for its programs from M&T Bank, Orange & Rockland Utilities, Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman P.C., Sterling National Bank, the Rea Charitable Trust, Crystal Run Healthcare, Quiet Events, Rockland County Tourism, the Estate of Joan Konner, Lighting Services Inc., Sarah and Stephen Thomas, the Mark and Jessie Milano Foundation, Zaklin Family Charitable Fund, The County of Rockland, The Family Fjord Foundation, Simona and Jerome Chazen, ASG, RoCA members, donors and business members.

RoCA’s programs are made possible, in part, with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

 This program is a collaboration between SuffrageForward and the Rockland Center for the Arts. SuffrageForward is a component fund of the Rockland Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3). SuffrageForward’s mission is not only to celebrate women’s right to vote, but to empower women now and in the future and create awareness among all people of the strength and resiliency of girls and women.  SuffrageForward gratefully acknowledges support from the County of Rockland Department of Tourism, our generous donors and founding members.

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ABOUT JANE FONDA: Jane Fonda is a two-time Academy Award-winning actress (Best Actress in 1971 for Klute and in 1978 for Coming Home), author, activist, and fitness guru. Her career has spanned over 50 years, accumulating a body of film work that includes over 45 films and crucial work on behalf of political causes such as women’s rights, Native Americans, and the environment. She is a seven-time Golden Globe® winner, Honorary Palme d’Or honoree, 2014 AFI Life Achievement Award winner, and the 2019 recipient of the Stanley Kubrick Excellence in Film Award as part of BAFTA’s Britannia Awards. Fonda is currently in production for the seventh and final season of Grace & Frankie, which will be Netflix’s longest running original series. It is for her work on the series that she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2017. She was last seen on the big screen in Paramount’s comedy, Book Club in which she starred alongside Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen, and Candice Bergen. Fonda also premiered Jane Fonda in Five Acts, a documentary for HBO chronicling her life and activism, at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. The documentary received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special in 2019. Jane celebrated her 80th birthday by raising $1 million for each of her nonprofits, Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential and The Women’s Media Center. Currently, Jane is leading the charge on Fire Drill Fridays, a national movement to protest government inaction on climate change. Her latest book, “What Can I Do? My Path From Climate Despair To Action,” details her personal journey with the movement and provides solutions for communities to combat the climate crisis, will be released on September 8 via Penguin Press.

 ABOUT MURIEL FOX:  Muriel Fox is well known as the co-founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW), chair of Veteran Feminists of America, and ambassador for the women’s movement.  She remains an active force in the feminist movement as an organizer, speaker, writer, and editor.  Fox maintains an active role in the political movement towards equality.  For her dedication towards the cause, the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund created the Foxy Award, and recognized Muriel Fox as its first recipient.  Fox was also the first recipient of New York State’s Eleanor Roosevelt Award, the first woman to receive the “Business of the Year” award, and is cited in several literary sources, including Who’s Who in the World and Feminists Who Changed America.    

 ABOUT JAMIE MARGOLIN:   Jamie Margolin is a Colombian-American writer, community organizer, activist, and public speaker living in Seattle, Washington. Her identity as a Latina Jewish lesbian drives her passion to fight for those who are oppressed and marginalized. Margolin’s love for her Pacific Northwest home fuels efforts to protect mother earth. Climate change is destroying Seattle, Margolin’s home. The oceans are acidifying, which is killing the fragile ecosystems. Margolin hardly sees seals or otters, a once common sighting in the area.  Margolin is the founder of Zero Hour, an international youth climate justice movement. Zero Hour led the very first Youth Climate March in Washington DC and 25 other cities all around the world during the summer of 2018. Margolin is also a plaintiff on Our Children's Trusts' Youth v. Gov, a Washington state lawsuit against the state of Washington for denying her generation's constitutional rights to a livable environment by continuing to make climate change worse. Youth are already dealing with the detrimental effects of climate change and as they get older, will inherit a world ridden by climate chaos.  Margolin’s frank and humorous writing has appeared on CNN, Refinery29, The Seattle Times, TeenInk, Writer’s Digest, The Guardian, and Huffington Post. Her debut book “Youth To Power”, published earlier this year, is the ultimate guide to being a young activist.

 ABOUT SUFFRAGEFORWARD:  SuffrageForward is a new component fund in the Rockland Community Foundation, founded to mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which affirmed women’s right to vote and granted them the power to shape policy.  SuffrageForward’s mission is not only to celebrate women’s right to vote, but to empower women now and in the future and create awareness among all people of the strength and resiliency of girls and women.  Throughout 2020 and 2021, SuffrageForward will present a series of events to call attention to the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment and to highlight the activism and courage of the women and men in Rockland County who supported and fought for women’s right to vote.  The group intends to take a leadership role in celebrating this momentous event by working with organizations in Rockland and beyond on a series of events and activities which will span many genres of expressions: street theater, visual and literary art, dramatic readings, performance art, speakers’ series along with activities falling within education, health, wellness, government and history.

 Chairperson: Paulette Ross; Steering Committee: Harriet Cornell; Robin Rosenberg; Cristina Biaggi; Lilian Morvay and Joe Allen

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ABOUT SUFFRAGEFORWARD

SuffrageForward is a new component fund in the Rockland Community Foundation, founded to mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which affirmed women’s right to vote and granted them the power to shape policy.

SuffrageForward’s mission is not only to celebrate women’s right to vote, but to empower women now and in the future and create awareness among all people of the strength and resiliency of girls and women.

Throughout 2020, SuffrageForward will present a series of events to call attention to the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment and to highlight the activism and courage of the women and men in Rockland County who supported and fought for women’s right to vote. The group intends to take a leadership role in celebrating this momentous event by working with organizations in Rockland and beyond on a series of events and activities which will span many genres of expressions: street theater, visual and literary art, dramatic readings, performance art, speakers’ series along with activities falling within education, health, wellness, government and history.

Chairperson:   Paulette Ross; Steering Committee:  Harriet Cornell; Robin Rosenberg; Cristina Biaggi; Lilian Morvay and Joe Allen

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Cristina Biaggi is foremost an artist and has exhibited throughout the United States, Europe and Australia. She has also achieved international recognition for her varied and significant contributions to the field of Goddess centered art and scholarship. Her works are a reflection and an extension of her lifelong interest in the classics, art and art history, archaeology, literature and languages acquired at Vassar, The University of Utah, Harvard and New York University as well as from her extensive travel throughout the world.

When she isn’t preparing new pieces for an exhibition, Dr. Biaggi is writing and lecturing. As a 5th degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, she continues practicing and teaching it. She is also a black sash in Kung Fu. In talking about her creative process, Dr. Biaggi says, “As an artist, I enjoy transitioning from realistic work to abstract work.”