Remember the Ladies
In one image, cartoonist Bülbül leads us on a crash course through the story of the American women’s movement.
There Are Women Cartoonists by Guracar, GennySmithsonian's National Museum of American History
Picket signs, books, and guitars in hand, these women march in solidarity with various women's issues, a reminder of the continued legacy of protest in women's history.
Bülbül's history begins with women dressed like suffragettes, fighting for women's legal rights in the early 20th century. The legacy of older women's activism flies high over the march.
Throughout the mid-1900s, women continued to be involved in activist work, pushing for women's education (not "history" but "herstory"), equal employment, and reproductive rights.
Originally proposed in 1923 but as of yet unratified, the E.R.A. (Equal Rights Amendment) purports to end legal distinctions between men and women.
In the 60s and 70s, women's festivals celebrated feminist and lesbian art, music, and literature. On these circuits, feminist and lesbian singers like Maxine Feldman found their audiences and communities.
There Are Women Cartoonists by Guracar, GennySmithsonian's National Museum of American History
Women's bookstores served as community spaces where women formed their own presses and organized around issues of race, gender, age, labor, and sexuality.
Young girls head up the march, leading the women's movement into the next generation. One young girl with a science kit shares a knowing look with us. She knows where she's going.
