August 26, 2020 marks the 100th Anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote.
This simply stated Amendment -- The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex -- required a lengthy and difficult struggle; victory took decades of agitation and protest. 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 of the Constitution. Few early supporters lived to see final victory in 1920.
Between 1878, when the amendment was first introduced in Congress, and August 18, 1920, when it was ratified, champions of voting rights for women worked tirelessly, using a variety of strategies. Some pursued a strategy of passing suffrage acts in each state — Colorado was the first state to ratify votes for women in 1893. Coloradoans then turned their activism towards a national referendum. They persisted and 100 years later we celebrate their sacrifices.
Celebrating Madam C.J. Walker (1867-1919), an African American suffragist and the first female self-made millionaire in the United States. Born Sarah Breedlove to parents who had been slaves, she was inspired to create her hair products after an experience with hair loss, which led to the creation of the “Walker system” of hair care. A talented entrepreneur with a knack for self-promotion, Walker built a business empire, at first selling products directly to black women, then employing “beauty culturalists” to hand-sell her wares. She used her fortune to fund scholarships for women at the Tuskegee Institute and donated large parts of her wealth to the NAACP, the black YMCA and other charities.
Madam Walker moved with her daughter to Denver, CO in 1905. After only a few years here she moved back east. There were many black women active in the suffrage movement, and there are records of Madame C.J. Walker, hosting meetings for black suffragists in her home in Indiana. Sadly, she would die just one month short of witnessing the passage on the 19th Amendment in June, 1919. “She not only knew people who were suffragists and who were participating, she also was supporting it,” said A’Lelia Bundles, Walker’s great-great-granddaughter and biographer.
In 2020, actress Octavia Spencer portrayed Walker in a TV series based on the biography of Walker by A'Lelia Bundles. The series is called Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker.
Now, to find the location of the final. Use the information at the posted coordinates to locate the final coordinates. Using the familiar conversion code where a = 1; b = 2; c = 3, etc. where
A = In 1910 the 2nd letter of the 3rd word of the name of the organization she contributed to.
B = In 1912 the 4th letter of the 2nd word of the organization she spearheaded a fund-raising campaign for.
C = In 1916 the 3rd letter of the 1st word.
Check sum = 15
and
D = In 1917 the 2nd letter of the 1st word.
E = In 1917 the last letter of the 3rd word
F = In 1919 the 3rd letter in the type of Bonds she purchased for $4000.
Check sum = 16
Final is located at: N 39 45.ABC W 104 57.DEF
Enter the above coordinates into the checker below for a bonus hint:
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.
Update: Helen Reddy, who popularized the song, "I Am Woman," that this series was based on died on 29 September 2020. RIP Helen.
