Recognizing the Importance of Women's Suffrage Everywhere Upper Peninsula (riseUP) is the acronym we are using for several projects. riseUP is working with organizations and the public to organize events and other celebrations of the suffrage anniversary and educating on the importance of suffrage for all populations.
Project mission is to:
- Commemorate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in the United States,
- Commemorate the suffrage and acquisition of full citizenship rights by all populations,
- Highlight the civic and cultural contributions of women,
- Encourage everyone to exercise their right to vote.
The Parade of Nations is a Michigan Technological parade that strives to promote worldwide culture and national awareness in Michigan's Upper Peninsula through a community-wide annual event that includes a parade and a multicultural festival. Parade of Nations 2019, "30 Years Bridging Cultures," will be held on Saturday, September 21, 2019.
US suffragettes wore white clothing in the 1913 parade, and we will have a white float with 5 women and a child on the float dressed in different clothing styles across the generations up to today-- all of them wearing white. The women will hold signs giving "Fun Facts" e.g. New Zealand was the first country to grant women the right to vote nationally--1893; Michigan granted women the right to vote in state and local elections in 1918; Tennessee's vote on Aug 18, 1920 ratified women's right to vote nationally; The USA was the 28th country to grant women the right to vote etc. Tall metal sunflowers will also grace our float. The sunflower was used to symbolic represent suffrage by the original suffragettes. Finally, we plan to have a group of walkers.
