NEWSLETTER | March 9, 2023
THIS WEEK Resources that explore milestones in women's history. Plus guideposts to a leader in the fight for rights for people with disabilities, research on what may cause the rift between conservatives and liberals, the first jazz record and other surprises from history.
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A Month to Acknowledge Milestones in Women's History
By presidential proclamation, March is designated as Women's History Month, commemorating the role of women in American history. The celebration started as Women's Day, on Feb. 28, 1909, led by a group of Manhattan socialists and suffragists in honor of the one-year anniversary of the garment strike led by the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women's History Week in 1980, and in 1987, Congress passed Public Law 100-9, naming March as Women’s History Month.
Learn more about the history of Women's History Month with a virtual visit to the Library of Congress. A collection of links to more government resources on the topic is here.
Teachers: Find Retro Report short videos, lessons and student activities related to significant moments in women's history here.
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From Women's Suffrage to the E.R.A., a Century-Long Push for Equality
The Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress in 1972, and within a year 30 of the 38 states needed had ratified it. In January 2020, Virginia became the latest state to ratify, and immediately, there were challenges. This video, released in collaboration with PBS "American Experience," tells the story of the long – and continuing – path to passage.
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How Black Women Fought Racism and Sexism for the Right to Vote
Black women have long been at the forefront of the right to vote. Today, 103 years after the passage of the 19th Amendment and 58 years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, their fight continues. This Retro Report video was a collaboration with American Experience PBS for its film "The Vote."
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She Derailed a Fight for Equal Rights for Women
Phyllis Schlafly traveled the country decrying the proposed Equal Rights Amendment, which sought to ensure equal rights for women under law, as “anti-family” and un-American, helping to send it to defeat in 1982. In the process, she built a coalition of evangelical Christians and political conservatives that continue to influence politics. Many of the goals of the E.R.A. have been achieved by other means, and predictions Schlafly made about what would happen if the amendment succeeded – from women serving in the military to gay rights – have come to pass.
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JAN. 23, 2020 "Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution" had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award.
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Retro Report Recommends . . .
The Retro Report team suggests articles, podcasts and videos that interest, impress and inspire us. Do you have a pick you'd like to share? Let us know: news@retroreport.com.
. . . Tribute to a human rights pioneer
Judy Heumann, a leader in the fight for rights for disabled people, died last week. She successfully battled to become a teacher and went on to help bring about a revolution in the government’s treatment of the disabled. Heumann organized protests, advocated for new legislation and served in two presidential administrations. She appeared in the Oscar-nominated documentary "Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution," above. The doc is streaming on Netflix. [Smithsonian Magazine]
. . . Unraveling the past
Mitigation specialists work to uncover traumas and the personal and family histories of people facing the death penalty to help paint fuller portraits of them so jurors can consider them as human beings with pasts, rather than monsters. For this article, Maurice Chammah of the Marshall Project spent time with mitigation specialist Sara Baldwin as she investigated the case of a man on death row. [The Marshall Project]
. . . Understanding differences of opinion
"Forty years of research has shown that, on average, conservatives see the world as a more dangerous place than liberals. This one core belief seemed to help explain many policy disagreements like conservative support of gun ownership, border enforcement and increased spending on police and the military — all of which, one can argue, aim to protect people from a threatening world." [Scientific American]
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MARCH 7, 1917 The first jazz record ("Dixie Jazz Band One Step," on one side and "Livery Stable Blues," above, on the other) was released on a 78 by Original Dixieland Jass Band for the Victor Talking Machine Company.
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