Tennessee women fight for their right to vote, compulsory education for children, racial justice, and equal opportunities. Their pioneering spirit, vision, and courage enable them to overcome hardship and adversity to blaze a trail for other women. Ranging from pioneers to twentieth century activists, their stories inspire women and girls of today. A one-act play of a woman suffrage rally in 1913 resounds with the voices of women in winning the right to vote and highlights the important place of Tennessee women in that battle. Historical accounts from across the state reflect the achievements of twenty-two remarkable women. Brenda Vineyard Runyon opens the nation's first woman's bank in Clarksville. Elizabeth Rona of Oak Ridge is a pioneer in nuclear chemistry and physics. Julia Britton Hooks, talented African American musician, founds a music school and elementary school for African American children in Memphis. These accounts of historic Tennessee women, written by contemporary Tennessee women, vividly reflect events in Tennessee history.
About the Author: Charlotte Crawford is an award-winning advocate for promoting educational opportunities for women and girls and furthering the professional advancement of women. In an eclectic educational career, she has taught mathematics for teens and violin lessons for pre-school children, developed standardized science achievement tests, and led workshops for parents and teachers. She spent nine years as an elected school board member, six as the first female board president. As president of one of two nonprofit foundations she cofounded, she directed statewide programs for girls, coordinated a statewide speaker's bureau, and coauthored journal articles, newsletters, and the sexual harassment prevention curricula, Expect Respect. She has coauthored/coedited six books on women or girls including Fairness: A Guide to Gender Equity in Illinois Schools as well as the historical books Folk Crosses and A Year in the West: A Kansas Family's Expedition. She lives in Farragut, Tennessee, with her husband. Ruth Johnson Smiley, PhD, conducted her doctoral research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and later headed a research project at Oak Ridge Associated Universities. She has written technical reports and published papers in professional journals. In addition, Ruth taught economics at Pellissippi State Community College. She served as state president of AAUW and coeditor of the AAUW Tennessean. Honors include an E Award (for Excellence, Equity, and Equality) from the Tennessee Economic Council on Women in 2011, finalist in Knoxville YWCA's Tribute to Women in 2012, and recognition as a civil rights advocate by the Tennessee Human Rights Commission in 2013. A native Tennessean, she has a personal interest in Tennessee history. She researched and documented her family lineage for First Families of Tennessee, a project of the East Tennessee Historical Society. She and her husband, Doug Smiley, live in Oak Ridge. They enjoy gardening, hiking, kayaking, and photography.