(Cartoon image from ‘Votes for Women Volume 1, Issue 11,’ courtesy SWSHS)

Our state was a leader in granting women the right to vote, and the movement’s leaders included Alki’s Katherine Smith. This Thursday at 6 pm, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society explores part of what brought suffragists to victory, with an online presentation and panel discussion (and we’re honored to be part of it). Here’s the announcement of “Pressing the System: How Newsprint Won Women the Right to Vote”:

Join us for a presentation discussing suffragist Katherine Smith’s utilization of newsprint to inform voters, and hear from SWSHS volunteers Bethany Green and Kathy Mulady, as well as Tracy Record from West Seattle Blog in a panel discussion reflecting the power of the press. Registration is required.

Newspapers were instrumental in convincing voters that women deserve the right to vote in Washington state 10 full years before the 19th amendment passed in Congress. This program will dig deeper into that journalistic legacy, and explore how the press protects and promotes the basic rights of the American people today. We’ll discuss how the press shaped the way that the public perceived the suffrage movement in Washington for 50 years while women fought for the right to vote and reflect on that power today.

The program will consist of a 20-minute presentation from the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, followed by a 30-minute panel discussion, and an opportunity for an audience Q&A.

For more details and to register, please visit our website at loghousemuseum.org/blog/may-27-pressing-the-system

Questions? Curator Maggie Kase can answer them – maggiek@loghousemuseum.org.