Rebel Women series 2 of 3
Artist Phyllis Garibay-Coon of Manhattan created the artwork portraying 13 suffragists beneath a banner. This banner commemorates the state amendment passed by voters in 1912, which granted the women of Kansas full voting rights in all elections. The banner states: “The rights of the citizens of the state of Kansas to vote and hold offices shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex.”
With sash: Laura M. Johns (1849-1935—Salina) Laura was an influential suffragist and journalist who served as president of KESA six times. She also held the positions of president of the Kansas Republican Woman’s Association and field organizer of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). She organized 30 conventions throughout Kansas, starting in Kansas City in 1892, to advocate for women's full suffrage.
At center: Clarina I. H. Nichols (1810-1885—Wyandotte) Clarina played a significant role during the Wyandotte Constitutional Convention in 1859 by advocating for women's right to vote in school board elections. She was a dedicated and lifelong abolitionist, actively participating as a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Quindaro. She is depicted holding the hand of a woman whom she assisted in escaping slavery.
Holding resolution: Lizzie S. Sheldon (1851-1942, Lawrence) Lizzie earned her law degree from KU in 1900. A dedicated Democrat, she crafted the resolution wording on the banner, which Sen. George H. Hodges later falsely claimed credit for as Kansas governor. In 1914, Lizzie became the first woman to seek election to the Kansas Supreme Court seat.
Carrie Langston Hughes (1873-1938—Lawrence): The daughter of civil rights activist Charles H. Langston, Carrie advocated for Black women to engage in politics and journalism through her speech and article published in the Atchison Blade. In 1895, she served as deputy clerk of the county district court and promoted the literary education of her son, Langston Hughes, who later became an esteemed American poet and social activist.
The women dressed in white standing behind the V formation pay homage to activists from later in the 20th century who protested gender pay gaps, child labor, and war crimes. Four suffragists—Mary Dillard, Jane Brooks, Lucy Johnston, and Minnie Grinstead—are next in the third and final series.