Interrupted

On August 26, 1920 women were awarded the right to vote in America. What is known as the 19th Amendment was not available to all women, however. That didn't come until 45 years later for black Americans, including black women.

This month's post is a collection of portraits on the theme of  "interrupted," including the disruption the suffragettes caused. The theme originates from Temple University's call for Quarantine Mail Art (for which I submitted the above postcard- a work of art I created as my own interpretation of "interrupted").

Interrupted Because of Skin Color

The words on the postcard image were taken from the back side of paper I re-used to print my photos on. The re-used paper contains text is from my neighbor's petition to get local support for a roller skating rink here in our community. In the petition, she talks about how skating is connected in to black culture and strengthens local connection and community among neighbors.

• She began the effort in response to being interrupted by another local resident who accused her while she was trying to repair our local park's tennis courts. He misjudged her, misunderstood what she was actually doing AND that she was a neighbor trying to do for the commuity. She was interrupted (to deeply understate it)

Interrupted Arts

Covid has created a time of interruption. It reminds us of interruption past, and interruption present. It was and will continue to be a time of awakening. The arts are suffering badly and that interruption, along with my neighbor's story are what led me to create my postcard art.

Cazadero Family Performing Arts camp has been interrupted. Live music has been interrupted. Live music with dancing has been interrupted. The creation of the California Mission System interrupted (okay:  devastated) indigenous peoples' lives, killing many from diseases to which they had no immunity. They were enslaved throughout California (the map of some of their locations). 

Women gaining the right to vote was an interruption to male power. This post is dedicated to the amazing work of the suffragettes. To them I am grateful. 

The Women's Vote 100 Centennial web site has an awesome collection of history. I wanted to share this collection of radio dramas featuring black women and the right to vote (produced by the American Slavery Project)

 

Inez Milholland

For several months this very photo of Inez Milholland was my Facebook cover photo. Because of Covid, I wasn't able to have my Women's right to vote centennial party but I reached out with cards to friends and loved ones. My celebration of having the right to vote has been interrupted. 

Ms. Milholland was a lawyer and famous suffragette. She died at age 30 (that's a shit-ass Saturn Return!) after campaigning all over the western U.S. I was delighted to find the NY Times sharing her story (which is also being re-enacted!) just last week. So many of us are looking back at the work, the toil and the persistence of women 100 years ago. And all in the middle of 2020's myriad perfect and literal storms. 

Dessert:  Interrupted Throwback

In quarantine, I am finding interruption as something I must lean into rather than away from to keep my sanity. So I am leaning back to a time when my grandmother used to make Jell-o "salads" with fruits and nuts. Yes, that was midwestern "salad." Great for kids. NOT! My grandmother would often include grapes and nuts in it and serve on a bed of lettuce- voila:  a salad. eeeeww. 

I'm strangely drawn back to this family tradition in part because it can be refreshing, if not a terribly odd thing to actually eat. It also (for the days from the fires all around us) is cool to eat and offers another way to avoid using the stove during the recent heat waves we have had. This one has wild frozen blueberries and almonds in cherry Jell-O. Your real dessert blogging contribution has also be interrupted by this strange dessert.