Yesterday on Election Day, according to the Democrat and Chonicle, over seven thousand people gathered at the gravesite of Susan B. Anthony in Mt. Hope Cemetery for a day long tribute on the 96th anniversary on the first election in 1920 when woman could cast their vote nationwide. People came early, lined up all day, and stayed well past the scheduled 9 p.m. closing time.
The event was covered by multiple media outlets. Channel 8 News and a RIT student group live-streamed all day. The New York Times ran “Voters Gather at Susan B. Anthony’s Grave in Rochester.” Newsweek wrote, “How the Susan B. Anthony Tombstone Became a Monument of Hope for Hillary Clinton Supporters.” National Susan B. Anthony House & Museum Executive Director Deborah Hughes was interviewed by the BBC.
On the 65 degree day, the normally placid cemetery felt buoyant and life affirming as person after person left “I Voted” stickers and other tributes at Anthony’s gravesite.
I met Ashley Edlund covering the event for News 8. For Ashley, the day was very emotional. As Ashley said, women of her generation (she is 27) grew up in a world of equal rights. Ashley was thrilled to see so many of her peers come to Mt. Hope to pay homage to the previous generations who have advanced the cause.
This drizzly and damp morning a few people were back at the gravesite, including Susan B. Anthony House Executive Director Deborah Hughes. The mood was somber. The large majority of the 7,000 who had gathered the day before had voted for Hillary Clinton to be the first woman president of the United States.
No doubt Susan would have been there voting if she could. From Passing the torch at the Susan B. Anthony House
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