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#1415: A Suffragist, A Refugee And An Immigrant

Inez Milholland on white horse 1913
InezMilholland.org

On this week’s 51%, a film shines a light on a suffragist and we hear different views about coming to the States, from a refugee girl now a teen poet and an immigrant girl now an adult author. I’m Allison Dunne and this is 51%.

We begin the show with a look at a suffragist whose name does not readily come to mind for many. Yes she was one of the best regarded suffragists of the early 20th Century and is the only woman known to have died while pursuing the cause. A new documentary called Forward Into Light looks at Inez Milholland, who is buried in the Adirondacks region of New York. Writer and Producer Martha Wheelock visited Lewis, in Essex County, recently and talked about her film with 51%’s Pat Bradley. 

The documentary, Forward Into Light, is being distributed free of charge.

Meanwhile, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announced the kick-off of the New York State Women's Suffrage 100th Anniversary Commemoration Commission. The 14-member commission will work to promote the anniversary of women's suffrage between 2017, marking 100 years from when women won the right to vote in New York State, and 2020, a century after the 19th Amendment was ratified. The New York State Women's Suffrage 100th Anniversary Commemoration Commission was signed into law by Governor Cuomo in November. During its inaugural meeting, members of the Commission outlined plans for commemoration events to take place over the next three years that highlight historic achievements for women. That meeting took place in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the women’s rights movement.

TORONTO (AP) — Canada's national police force recently permitted its women officers to wear the hijab. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale's spokesman said the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police recently approved the addition to the uniform to allow Muslim women to wear the hijab. Scott Bardsley says it is intended to better reflect the diversity of Canada and to encourage more Muslim women to consider a career with the force. The Mounties faced a public backlash more than 25 years ago when a Sikh man took the government to court and won the right to wear his traditional turban instead of the usual Mountie headgear.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Coyotes have hired Dawn Braid as skating coach and say she is believed to be the first full-time female coach in NHL history. Braid has a long association with the NHL. She worked part-time for the Coyotes last year and has served as a skating consultant with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames. Braid also spent seven years with the Athletes Training Center as director of skating development.

Haneen Amer came to the United States with her family after fleeing Iraq through Syria when she was 11. In 2015, at the age of 14, Amer published a poem called “To The Sun: A Refugee's Journey Through the Eyes of a Young Girl.” It’s the story of a 15-year old girl who recalls what life was like before her family was forced to leave their homeland for the U.S. Amer describes the fear and uncertainty that her own family endured before coming to the U.S. She spoke with youth-produced Generation Justice about this and her experience thus far in the States. 

And now we turn to an adult’s immigrant experience and her take on motherhood. Sandip Roy for KALW has more.  

And that's our show this week. Thanks to Patrick Garrett for production assistance. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock. Our theme music is Glow in the Dark by Kevin Bartlett. This show is a national production of Northeast Public Radio. If you’d like to hear this show again, sign up for our podcast, or visit the 51% archives on our web site at wamc.org. And follow us on Twitter @51PercentRadio 

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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