The Ladies Of Liberty At Southampton Arts Center: Celebrating 100 Years Of Women’s Suffrage In New York State

On Sunday, November 19 at 3 p.m., the Southampton Arts Center will host the Ladies of Liberty to perform an educational musical revue. The songs will highlight the history of women’s suffrage and trace the story of how women won the right to vote. The musical revue was created by Valerie diLorenzo, an award-winning cabaret artist who resides in Sag Harbor, and Amanda Borsack Jones, a musical director and East Hampton native.

Ms. diLorenzo’s passion for this cause surely shines through, “women’s rights have always been on the table, since the birth of our nation; winning the right to vote opened the door to really explore and define what equality means in all areas of life, including government.”

“We are standing on the shoulders of the women who came before us and their passion for Liberty. These brave Suffragists paved the way for all women to have a voice; to say no and say yes and to have that voice be heard, counted and respected,” diLorenzo noted. The revue will trace the Women’s Suffrage movement from its beginnings with the Abolitionist and Temperance Movements to the twenty-first century feminist movement.

Women’s suffrage has a rich history in New York, with the Seneca Falls Convention (the first women’s rights convention) taking place in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. This convention sparked a movement and is acknowledged by New York State to be the birthplace of the women’s rights movement.

In August 2016, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the creation of the New York State Women’s Suffrage Commission, with the purpose of planning programs beginning in 2017 that celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New York. “The Commission’s programs will celebrate the accomplishment of women’s suffrage and the central role of New Yorkers in this milestone, while also helping shape the future to ensure a more just and equitable society for all,” according to the NYS government.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend Ladies of Liberty! “This rollicking event commemorating NYS’s suffragist movement will be entertaining and educational at the same time. Women’s history is everyone’s history so men are encouraged to attend,” noted Tom Edmonds, the executive director of the Southampton Historical Museum.

The event will take place at Southampton Arts Center, with a $10 admission fee. The show will run for about 60 minutes. The program is sponsored by Southampton Arts Center, Rogers Memorial Library, the League of Women Voters, and the Southampton Historical Museum.

Southampton Arts Center is located at 25 Jobs Lane in Southampton. For more information about the event, please visit southamptonartscenter.org.