Museum of East Texas Presents “Texas Women Win the Vote”

On December 12, 2014, the Museum of East Texas presented a program entitled “Texas Women Win the Vote” in conjunction with their exhibits of the same name and its annual Family Day. The event featured a panel of three distinguished women who have spent many years ensuring that the history of Texas women will be preserved and celebrated. Lufkin’s Ellen Temple spoke about her efforts to ensure women are included in the history of Texas and to publish historical research about Texas women, particularly the landmark book Citizens at Last: The Woman Suffrage Movement in Texas (1987) and A Texas Suffragist: Diaries and Writings of Jane Y. McCallum (1988). These books, which brought together important documents and archival sources on Texas Women's history, were the first books to address woman suffrage in Texas. Next, historian Kay Arnold discussed her ongoing research on woman suffrage in Texas and her discoveries in the papers of suffragist and former Texas Secretary of State Jane Y. McCallum. She also discussed the importance of East Texas women to the movement. And finally, Lufkin’s Rev. Bettie Kennedy discussed the contributions of African American women to the suffrage and equal rights movements.

The History Center applauds the Museum of East Texas for its ongoing commitment to preservation and the arts in East Texas and for hosting this important event, along with its accompanying exhibits.

Below, please find a video recording of the event, courtesy of the Museum of East Texas.