Happy January, and welcome to a new year and a new academic semester.
January marks my first six months as president, as well as the start of a new decade. And the year 2020 has special importance in marking the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. That amendment came after almost a century of advocacy and struggle.
The year 2020 is also the 200th anniversary of Susan B. Anthony’s birth. Given that Rochester was a home base for her tireless efforts on behalf of women’s suffrage, it seems appropriate that the University is marking these significant milestones by recognizing the accomplishments of women over the last 100 years – and looking forward to the next 100 years. The efforts and successes of so many of this University’s women faculty, students, staff, and alumnae is in many ways a natural progression of Susan B. Anthony’s vision and passion. But we must never lose sight of how much work we still need to do. Even when the 19th Amendment was ratified 100 years ago, there were still women of color who were not invited to cast votes and participate in the electoral process, or in other aspects of civic life. And there are many women who made significant contributions to our world who did not receive the credit they are due.
So 2020 presents an opportunity for both celebration and reflection. Many University departments and units are planning to mark this year through lectures, concerts, and other events that recognize and honor the impact of Rochester women. The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra will host several women-centered concerts, including Women’s Suffrage: Past + Present on January 30 and February 1; and The Mother of Us All, an opera chronicling the life of Susan B. Anthony, on February 6 and February 8 (discount tickets are available to the University community with the code WOMENSRIGHTS). The National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House will host Susan B. Anthony’s 200th Birthday Celebration Dinner at the Riverside Convention Center on February 12. And looking forward to the fall, the Suffragist City Parade on September 12 will celebrate women and encourage voter registration. We have established a 2020 celebration events calendar in an effort to gather all of these activities in one place. I hope you’ll take a look and I hope you’ll take part. And if you have an event that should be included, you can make that submission by email to 2020collaborative@rochester.edu.
This is a time for optimism as we look forward to the coming semester – and the next century. I welcome your ideas for how we, as a community of learning, can further our educational mission to create more access and opportunity for people to engage in democracy and dialogue. In the words of Susan B. Anthony, “Failure is impossible.”
Enjoy the Spring semester!
Sarah C. Mangelsdorf
President and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor
University of Rochester