Celebrating Women

February is almost over, although we do have an extra day of it this year. But March begins Sunday, and whether it comes in like a lion or a lamb, it’s Women’s History Month.

As you might know, this year marks the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote. You probably learned about suffragist Susan B. Anthony in school. Those of us of a certain age even remember the Susan B. Anthony dollar, first issued in 1979. I worked at a drug store then and the coin was a nuisance for customers who mistook it for a quarter at the cash register. Nobody wanted to get one of those dollars back in change. Production of the coin was suspended in 1981, but it was brought back in 1999, only to be retired again the next year.

Suffragists, from left, Elizabeth Cady Stanton,
Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott

Ah, but Anthony represents so much more than her ill-fated dollar. And Women’s History Month gives us an opportunity to learn more about her, others in the suffrage movement and women who have accomplished all kinds of things without many of us knowing their names.

The William McKinley Presidential Library & Museum in Canton is presenting a four-week lecture series this month in honor of women’s history. Beginning Monday, March 2, and continuing for the next three Mondays from 2 to 4 p.m., the series will highlight women’s suffrage; significant women in Canton’s history; fashion; and women in science.

Those days and times might not fit into a lot of people’s schedules, but the lecture series could be worthwhile if you’re free on Monday afternoons. The cost for each lecture is $10 per person. However, if you sign up for all four, the cost is $30, so you get one lecture for free.

The museum is at 800 McKinley Monument Drive NW, just a couple of miles from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.