Submitted
The Kansas Suffragist Memorial Committee, in collaboration with the Kansas Historical Society, is excited to announce the dedication of a memorial honoring Kansas women who fought for the right to vote.
Honorees include women from WaKeeney and Larned.
The dedication ceremony will take place at noon on January 29, 2025 (Kansas Day), in the first-floor rotunda of the Kansas Capitol.
The Kansas Suffragist Memorial Committee was formed through the combined efforts of the League of Women Voters of Kansas (LWVK) and the Kansas American Association of University Women (AAUW), which united to celebrate the centennial of the 19th Amendment.
The committee's mission is to honor Kansas women who played a significant role in the statewide and national struggle for women's voting rights. This public art piece aims to inspire reflection on Kansas's history, educate people about important Kansas figures, and instill these values in future generations.
The committee worked closely with the Capitol Preservation Committee to bring the mural to life.
Created by artist Phyllis Garibay-Coon, the mural depicts thirteen Kansas suffragists from across the state, arranged in a V formation.
The mural spans 60 years, from 1859 to 1919, showcasing figures such as Clarina Nichols from Quindaro, who achieved voting rights for women in school elections in 1859, and Jane Brooks of Wichita, who served as the president of the Kansas Equal Suffrage Association in 1919. The artist aims to tell a story through her artwork.
The upper part of the mural is adorned with numerous suffragists dressed in white, while various symbols representing Kansas and women's actions fill this emotionally impactful piece. A banner at the top displays the wording of the 1912 Kansas Constitutional amendment that granted women full suffrage.
1. Anna O. Anthony (1844-1930) (Leavenworth), sister-in-law of Susan B. Anthony, hosted national suffragists at her Leavenworth home during the 1887 campaign.
2. Lutie A. Lytle (1875-1955) (Tennessee/Topeka), the first African American woman admitted to the Kansas Bar Association (1897), lectured on marriage and divorce laws in Kansas.
3. Anna C. Wait (1837-1916) (Lincoln), owner and editor of the Lincoln Beacon, co-founded the Kansas Equal Suffrage Association (KESA) in 1884 and spread suffrage news for twenty years.
4. Lilla D. Monroe (1858-1929) (WaKeeney/Topeka), the first woman to practice law before the Kansas Supreme Court (1895), published the Kansas Woman’s Journal in Topeka and gathered stories from 800 pioneer women.
5. Annie L. Diggs (1853-1916) (Lawrence/Topeka), a Populist suffragist and KESA president (1899), helped to design the state library in the Capitol as State Librarian (1898-1902).
6. Laura M. Johns (1849-1935) (Salina), president of KESA (1887-1895) and the Kansas Republican Woman’s Association (1892), helped to coordinate thirty suffrage conventions across Kansas beginning in 1892.
7. Clarina I. H. Nichols (1810-1885) (Wyandotte), a lecturer, editor, and Underground Railroad conductor in Quindaro, sparked and led the woman suffrage movement in Kansas beginning in 1859.
8. Lizzie S. Sheldon (1851-1942) (Lawrence), a KU law graduate (1900), wrote the resolution for full woman suffrage (on banner) in 1911 and ran for a seat on the Kansas Supreme Court (1914).
9. Carolyn (Langston) Hughes Clark (1873-1938) (Lawrence), a civil rights advocate, urged African American women to enter politics as journalists (1892) and encouraged the literary education of her son Langston Hughes.
10. Mary Jane “Mamie” Dillard (1874-1954) (Lawrence), a prominent educator, promoted civil rights in education and taught Langston Hughes.
11. Jane L. Brooks (1867-1945) (Wichita), a KESA president (1917-18), founded the first state chapter of the national League of Women Voters (1919) in Wichita.
12. Lucy B. Johnston (1846-1937) (Topeka), a lawyer, expanded the Kansas Traveling Library collection and led the 1912 campaign for the ratification of the Kansas Equal Suffrage Amendment as KESA president.
13. Minnie J. Grinstead (1869-1925) (Larned/Liberal), the first woman elected to the Kansas House of Representatives (1918), presented the joint resolution to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment (1919).
Garibay-Coon, the daughter of a third-generation farmer from Kingman County, hopes that this mural will serve as a platform for sharing truth and knowledge with all visitors to the Capitol building. The artist invites everyone to attend the dedication on Wednesday, January 29.
If you with to donate to the memorial fund, click on the following: https://kssuffragist.org/KS-suffragist-memorial-contribution-form.pdf