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Songs of suffrage

The Webster City Women’s Club enjoyed a presentation on women’s suffrage at their meeting Monday afternoon at the Jane Young House. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920

In accordance with the club’s ‘Salute to Women’s Suffrage Movement’, Karin Yungclas and Donna Foster read a poem, ‘We as Women’.

Molly Ketchum, a Boone resident who serves on the Iowa Community Theatre Association Board of Directors, spoke to the club about famed suffragist, Inez Milholland, and her fervent efforts to give women across the nation the right to vote. Ketchum performed in character as a suffragette. Ketchum explained the women in the United States who fought for the right to vote were referred to as suffragists. Women in Britain who did so were called suffragettes. Ketchum donned a sash with green, white, and purple and spoke as a sister suffragette from Britain.

“Women’s rights have always been an interest,” said Ketchum. “When I worked in county auditor’s offices working with voter registration and elections and administration, it kind of fed right into that. It’s always been a passion of mine.”

Ketchum will also be doing a program days before the November election at the Historical Building in Des Moines for youth concerning the suffrage movement.

“I like to think I would have been one of those women out marching,” said Ketchum.

With the upcoming election in November, Ketchum hopes everyone will take the time to vote.

“Go vote. Please. Having been on the end of setting up elections, there is nothing more discouraging than to go through all that work to have a poor turnout,” said Ketchum. “Please go exercise your right and privilege to vote.”

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