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Casey: Honor women’s suffrage heroes with Capitol busts

With the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument in the distance, a man stands at the edge of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at sunrise, Sunday, June 7, 2020, in Washington, the morning after massive protests over the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
With the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument in the distance, a man stands at the edge of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at sunrise, Sunday, June 7, 2020, in Washington, the morning after massive protests over the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) With the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument in the distance, a man stands at the edge of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at sunrise, Sunday, June 7, 2020, in Washington, the morning after massive protests over the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

By Paula Casey 3 min read

All American women vote today thanks to Tennessee, yet that message is largely unknown in our state.

For the last 31 years, I have worked to educate the public about Tennessee’s pivotal role in the 19th Amendment’s ratification. The late, great Carol Lynn Yellin wrote “Countdown in Tennessee” in the December 1978 issue of American Heritage magazine. She interviewed Rep. Joseph Hanover of Memphis and Rep. Harry Burn of Niota. She was my mentor who impressed upon me this history must be preserved. Because of her extensive research, we published “The Perfect 36: Tennessee Delivers Woman Suffrage,” which was donated to every school, college and library in the state.

Before February 1998, there was nothing inside the state capitol building that depicted Tennessee’s important role in this nonviolent revolution. Then-state Sen. Steve Cohen, now my congressman, sought to rectify that. He understood the importance of public art and worked with the Tennessee Arts Commission to hold a blind competition. Noted artist/sculptor Alan LeQuire of Nashville won that competition and his bas relief sculpture was unveiled between the House and Senate chambers.

It is the only item in the state capitol that celebrates our state’s greatest gift to this country – the enfranchisement of 27 million American women. Since 1998, LeQuire has been commissioned to do more suffragist public art in Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga.

With the continuing controversy about Nathan Bedford Forrest’s bust inside the state capitol, we have an opportunity to spotlight the Tennessee suffrage heroes. Benton County Mayor Brett Lashlee, a relative of Forrest, wants the bust placed in the Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park where it can properly depict the context of his history there.