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Her March to Democracy

Her March to Democracy

By: National Votes For Women Trail
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Welcome to Her March To Democracy where we're telling stories along the National Votes For Women Trail. The trail chronicles the fight for voting rights for women. If you are a historian, history enthusiast, heritage tourist, or simply want to be inspired, listen to the stories of these remarkable and heroic activists who never wavered in their belief in democracy and the rule of law.

© 2026 Her March to Democracy
Political Science Politics & Government World
Episodes
  • S02 E18 Utah: Early Voters & the Hawaiian Connection
    Feb 11 2026

    In this episode, we talk about the suffrage movement in Utah.

    Some of the activists and events in the UT voting rights campaign:

    • Hannah Kaaepa, a native Hawaiian living in a Latter-day Saints community in Utah, spoke powerfully for women’s suffrage alongside national leaders of the movement.
    • Elizabeth Taylor was a suffragist, journalist, and equal rights leader, and in 1904, she established The Western Federation of Colored Women.
    • Emma McVicker was a bridge builder in the suffrage movement and actively worked to put women forward as candidates for public office.
    • Lucy Rice Clark was chosen as the first female delegate to attend and vote at the Republican National Convention in 1908 and declared, “It means so much for the cause of woman suffrage!”
    • In 1911, a slate of women candidates was entered into a town council election as a joke by some men. The five women won in a surprising result and proceeded to improve the town in multiple ways over their two-year term.

    About our Guest:

    Katherine Kitterman is the Executive Director of Better Days, a nonprofit centered on Utah women’s history, and manages the Women's History Initiative at the Utah Historical Society. She is a public historian with a specialty in Utah women's history of suffrage and advocacy. She co-authored two books about Utah women’s work for suffrage: Champions of Change: 25 Women Who Made History, and Thinking Women: A Timeline of Suffrage in Utah.

    Links to People, Places, Publications:

    Utah & the 19th Amendment (here)

    The Story of Utah Women’s Suffrage (here)

    Visit the “A Path Forward” memorial (here)

    Emma McVicker Biographical Sketch (here)

    Visit the Emma McVicker marker (here)

    Elizabeth Taylor Biographical Sketch (here)

    See the Trinity AME historic church (here)

    Lucy Rice Clark Biographical Sketch (here)

    Visit the Lucy Rice Clark historical marker (here)

    Hannah Kaaepa Biographical Sketch (here)

    Visit the Hannah Kaaepa marker (here)

    The 1911 Kanab Town Council story (here)

    Visit the Kanab Town Council marker (here)

    CM Marihugh is a public history consultant and currently conducting independent research for a book on commemoration of the U.S. women’s suffrage movement. She has an M.A. in Public History from State University of New York, and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College.

    Learn more about:

    • National Votes for Women Trail (here)
    • National Votes for Women Trail - William G. Pomeroy historical markers (here)
    • National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites (here)

    Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion? Get in touch! Send an e-mail to NVWTpodcast@ncwhs.org


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    46 mins
  • S02 E17 Indiana: Suffrage Battles at America's Crossroads
    Feb 2 2026

    In this episode, we talk about the suffrage movement in Indiana.

    Some of the activists and events in the IN voting rights campaign:

    • Sojourner Truth traveled to Indiana several times to speak in a number of towns, while the state’s 1851 constitution barred Black persons from entering to reside or settle.
    • Helen Gougar mobilized scores of women to show up at the polls around the state in 1894, demanding the right to vote, and she sued her county for denying her suffrage, ultimately testifying before the Indiana Supreme Court.
    • Madam C.J. Walker–pioneering Black business owner of a hair and beauty empire–hosted meetings of the African American Indiana Equal Suffrage Association in her Indianapolis home and donated generously to the movement.
    • Ida Usted Harper was a Hall-of-Fame journalist and worked with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton on the history of women’s suffrage project.

    About our Guest:

    Melissa Gentry is the Supervisor of the Paul W. Stout Map Collection at Ball State University Libraries. She was a featured speaker for the Indiana Suffrage Centennial and created a set of maps about the history of Indiana women battling for the ballot. She also serves as the coordinator of the Muncie and Delaware County Notable Women local history project, which won the Outstanding Collaborative Project Award from the Indiana Historical Society in 2023.

    Links to People, Places, Publications:

    Indiana & the 19th Amendment (here)

    Visit the Sojourner Truth statue (here)

    Naomi Anderson Biographical Sketch (here)

    Visit the Naomi Anderson memorial sculpture (here)

    Helen Gougar Biographical Sketch (here)

    Visit the Helen Gougar historical marker (here)

    Visit the Marie Stuart Edwards statue (here)

    Ida Usted Harper Biographical Sketch (here)

    Madam C.J. Walker Biographical Sketch (here)

    Visit the Madam Walker Legacy Center (here)

    Carrie Barnes Biographical Sketch (here)

    Visit the May Wright Sewall historical marker (here)

    Visit the Grace Julian Clark historical marker (here)

    CM Marihugh is a public history consultant and currently conducting independent research for a book on commemoration of the U.S. women’s suffrage movement. She has an M.A. in Public History from State University of New York, and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College.

    Learn more about:

    • National Votes for Women Trail (here)
    • National Votes for Women Trail - William G. Pomeroy historical markers (here)
    • National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites (here)

    Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion? Get in touch! Send an e-mail to NVWTpodcast@ncwhs.org


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    50 mins
  • S02 E16 Maryland: Silent Sentinels and Effigy Ashes
    Oct 10 2025

    In this episode, three guests talk about the suffrage movement in Maryland.

    Some of the events and activists in the MD voting rights campaign:

    • In 1648, Margaret Brent went before the Maryland Provincial Assembly and demanded a voice and a vote as a property owner in the Maryland colony.
    • Augusta Chissell and Margaret Hawkins were African American women who held many suffrage meetings in their homes in Baltimore.
    • Estelle Hall Young was a Black suffragist who created the Baltimore Women's Colored Women's Suffrage Club in 1915.
    • Gladys Greiner was a competitive golfer whose militant suffrage activity–such as picketing the White House and going to prison–disappointed her prominent parents, who wrote an op-ed distancing themselves from her actions.
    • Corrine Robert Redgrave was a professional actor who used the stage to put on suffrage plays and spread the suffrage message.
    • Elizabeth Forbes was a suffrage leader willing to advocate for confrontational actions through the Just Government League.

    About our Guests:

    Kate Campbell Stevenson is the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center’s Board Chair. She is an activist for women’s and girls’ rights and has been honored by the Maryland State Education Association with the Dorothy Lloyd Women’s Rights Award.

    Dr. Ida B. Jones is the Associate Director of Special Collections and University Archivist at Morgan State University in Baltimore and co-president of the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites. She received her PhD in American History from Howard University.

    Dr. Amy Rosenkrans received her PhD from Notre Dame of Maryland University. She has been awarded the Joseph L. Arnold Prize for Outstanding Writing on Baltimore History by the Baltimore City Historical Society. She is the Secretary of the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center and served as one of the researchers for the Suffrage Bicentennial Project.


    Links to People, Places, Publications:

    Maryland & the 19th Amendment (here)

    Augusta Chissell Biographical Sketch (here)

    Margaret Hawkins Biographical Sketch (here)

    Visit the Augusta Chissell and Margaret Hawkins historical marker (here)

    Estelle Hall Young Biographical Sketch (here)

    Gladys Greiner Biographical Sketch (here)

    Elizabeth Forbes Biographical Sketch (here)

    Visit the Elizabeth Forbes historical marker (here)

    Corrine Robert Redgrave Biographical Sketch (here)

    CM Marihugh is a public history consultant and currently conducting independent research for a book on commemoration of the U.S. women’s suffrage movement. She has an M.A. in Public History from State University of New York, and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College.

    Learn more about:

    • National Votes for Women Trail (here)
    • National Votes for Women Trail - William G. Pomeroy historical markers (here)
    • National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites (here)

    Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion? Get in touch! Send an e-mail to NVWTpodcast@ncwhs.org


    Show More Show Less
    50 mins
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