Background.
This discussion post is divided into two parts. Please complete both parts to earn credit on this post.
Part 1 of 2. SUFF The Musical
Background. I am a huge fan of the arts. Therefore, I am challenging myself to include the arts in my classes as a way of incorporating experiential learning.
There are many art shows, plays, art exhibits, and Music & dance performances in NJ and NYC. However, in all honesty, I tend to attend most performances and exhibits in NYC. For example, I saw Sunset Baby two weeks ago at the Signature TheaterLinks to an external site.. The playwright, Dominique Morisseau, graduated from my high school, and she is truly a force.
This spring, 18 shows are opening on Broadway in March and April, one of which is SUFFS: The MusicalLinks to an external site.. It’s the story of how women earned the right to vote in the US. The musical features:
Jenn Colella as Carrie Chapman Catt
Nikki M. James as Ida B. Wells
Kim Blanck as Ruza Wenclawska
Grace McLean as President Woodrow Wilson
Ally Bonino as Lucy Burns
Tsilala Brock as Dudley Malone
Nadia Dandashi as Doris Stevens
Jaygee Macapugay as Mollie Hay
Hannah Cruz as Inez Milholland
+Other notable characters
Notably, I am unfamiliar with all of the women featured in the play, and part of the class assignment would be to research the women and Pres. Wilson, relative to their role in the Women’s Suffrage Movement.
What is the Women’s Suffrage Movement?
“Beginning in the mid-19th century, several generations of woman suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change in the Constitution – guaranteeing women the right to vote. Some suffragists used more confrontational tactics such as picketing, silent vigils, and hunger strikes. The women’s suffrage movement was a decades-long fight to win the right to vote for women in the United States. It took activists and reformers nearly 100 years to win that right, and the campaign was not easy.”
How does Women’s right to vote align with DEIB?
“The demand for woman suffrage could not succeed unless it came from a mass movement reflecting the voices of a diverse and large portion of the nation’s women” (American Women Won the Right to Vote After the Suffrage Movement Became More Diverse. That’s No CoincidenceLinks to an external site.)
“The history of women’s suffrage is most often told through the stories of a few famous suffragists, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. However, they were by no means alone in the effort to win the right to vote for women in the United States. From the earliest years of the movement, they were joined by scores of African American, Native American, Latina, and queer women, all of whom fought for equality and suffrage for women as a whole and within their communities.” (The Diversity Of The Women’s Suffrage MovementLinks to an external site.)
“Male allies supported women in their efforts for greater social and political rights from the very beginning of the movement. Lucretia Coffin Mott’s husband James presided on the first day of the women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls in 1848. Frederick Douglass attended the 1848 convention, speaking fervently in support of women’s right to vote.” (Men Supported Women’s SuffrageLinks to an external site.)
“Men in the suffrage movement used their voices and positions of power as lawyers, professors, or legislators to offer women a platform to speak and gain a better place in society. For example, The Men’s League for Women’s Suffrage was founded in the U.S. in 1909.” (A Then-and-Now Look at AllyshipLinks to an external site.)
Our DEIB Course.
I am excited to see this show and would like to offer an opportunity to see this musical as a class, assuming two conditions are met: (1) there is interest from people in the class to see the show, and (2) I can secure dept funding before the end of the semester to cover the cost of the show (i.e., the play ticket).
If we can move forward, an alternative assignment will be created for those who would not attend the play. Additionally, should I be able to get this approved through the dept, attendees will not be able to bring a +1. You will need to attend on your own as part of the class.
Here’s more information about SUFFS: The MusicalLinks to an external site.
NYT Description: “Suffs” explores the early-20th-century struggle for women’s voting rights in the United States; the dramatic tension involves an intergenerational struggle over how best to hasten political change. The musical is a longtime passion project for the singer-songwriter Shaina Taub, who wrote the book, music, and lyrics.
Website Description: It’s 1913 and the women’s movement is heating up in America, anchored by the suffragists — “Suffs,” as they call themselves — and their relentless pursuit of the right to vote. Reaching across and against generational, racial, and class divides, these brilliant, flawed women entertain and inspire us with the story of their hard-won victory in an ongoing fight. So much has changed since the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment over a century ago, and yet we’re reminded sometimes we need to look back, in order to march fearlessly into the future. You can read more about the play here: https://suffsmusical.com/
Part 1 of 2 Discussion Questions
Question #1. If I were to offer an opportunity to see this play for free as part of a class assignment, how much interest would you have in seeing the play? Please be honest here; if seeing the play is not of interest to you, that’s okay!
1. Very Interested
2. Somewhat Interested
3. Not very interested
Question #2. If we were to see SUFFS The Musical as a class, which day would be best to see the production (Select one):
Wed Matinee
Sat Matinee
Sun Matinee
Question #3. During March – April, there are several religious observations (e.g., Ramadan, Easter, Passover). Additionally, most K-12 schools will have Spring Break. Are there any specific dates you cannot attend SUFFS The Musical due to religious observations or conflicts with K-12 school calendars? Please list the date(s)/days(s). (Notably, we would not see the play during Rutgers Spring Break, March 10 -17).
Question #4. We’ll only move forward with this idea if I can secure funding from the dept (hence the matinee shows, which tend to be priced more favorably) to cover the cost of the tickets. However, I will not be able to cover the cost of transportation to/from NYC (e.g., train, tolls + parking). Given that only the play ticket itself would be covered, how much interest would you have in seeing the play? Please be honest; I am trying to determine if people are comfortable covering the cost of transportation to/from NYC.
1. Very Interested
2. Somewhat Interested
3. Not very interested
Question #5. For those that selected Very Interested for Questions 1 and/or 4, why are you interested in seeing SUFFS: The Musical?
Part 2 of 2. Internal Talent Mobility Discussion Questions
Question #6. Why do you believe internal talent mobility will support inclusive workplaces?
Question #7. If you are working, how does your company manage internal talent mobility? And do you think it’s working in the way it’s intended?
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