Women’s Rights National Historical Park (NHP) is planning Virtual Convention Days 2020, a series of online programs being held July 17 through 19.
Convention Days has been a signature event in Seneca Falls for many years. This annual event allows visitors to engage with women’s history, focusing on the revolutionary 1848 Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention through art, storytelling, speakers, and special programming. The park will continue this tradition in a new format this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and host programs via the park’s social media platforms, all of which can be accessed through the park website at http://www.nps.gov/wori.
“We’re excited that so many elements of this beloved event could be adapted to allow everyone to participate safely in the virtual realm,” said Acting Superintendent Andrea DeKoter.
The weekend event will commence with a live broadcast on July 17 at 11 a.m. by Acting Superintendent DeKoter, followed by a keynote presentation by author, legislator, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton descendant Coline Jenkins. A schedule of events, including full details of the weekend’s programs, is available on the park Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/womensrightsnps/
This year’s Convention Days theme, “Legacies of Our Foremothers,” focuses on the enduring contributions of the leaders of the early Women’s Rights Movement. Living history portrayals, along with presentations by scholars, artists, and park rangers, will aim to provide context and insight into the lives and choices of those activists for social change. Online dialogue and a live question-and-answer session will allow virtual visitors to participate in discussions about the impact those historical figures continue to have on women’s rights today.
Programs will also focus on the Centennial of the 19th Amendment. The 1848 convention called for women’s suffrage, but it took another 72 years before the right to vote in the U.S. could no longer be denied on the basis of gender. Speakers will include author Penny Coleman, Dr. Laura Free, the Highlight Pro Skydiving Team, and a performance of Shout! Poetry for Suffrage by Susanna Rich.
Women’s Rights National Historical Park is currently closed to in-person visits, and Convention Days will be conducted exclusively online. For information, visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/wori or call 315-568-2991.
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