ENCINITAS — Students from The Grauer School, an independent, private school in Encinitas, went to see the Broadway musical “Suffs” at the San Diego Civic Theatre last month in honor of the 105th anniversary of the United States Constitution’s 19th Amendment.
The musical tells the story of the American women’s suffrage movement in the early 1900s, focusing on activists like Alice Paul and Ida B. Wells as they fight for the right to vote. The show explores the internal conflicts, sacrifices and intersectional challenges within the movement leading up to the passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote in the United States in 1920.
“It was really exciting to see these trailblazers honored through a Tony award-winning musical,” said Alicia Tembi, principal, history teacher, and Girl Rising Club mentor at The Grauer School.
“The show highlighted the various obstacles women had to face daily due to a lack of political rights, including the inability to hire a lawyer, get a divorce or own any financial resources once they got married,” Tembi continued. “The ways in which black women were also marginalized from the suffrage movement highlighted the additional challenges women of color faced at the turn of the century. It was a powerful performance that moved us all.”
The group of students who attended included students in U.S. history and theatre classes as well as members of the Girl Rising Club. History class students recently learned about Paul and Wells in their current curriculum.
The Grauer School’s Girl Rising Club’s mission is to help promote and support education for girls around the world. For the club’s members, the show was an important reminder of how much still needs to be done to promote women’s equality.
“‘Suffs’ was an amazing show, and even more so, it was inspirational,” said Lucy Bachrack. “After visiting the site of the national women’s suffrage conferences this past summer in Newport, Rhode Island, it was awesome to see the movement brought to life on stage.”
“This was a very inspiring show, and I would definitely go see it again,” added Anna Ring.
Learn more about The Grauer School by visiting www.grauerschool.com.
