Join Women's Rights National Historical Park for Convention Days 2017! This year's theme is "We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For." Our Keynote Speaker will be Elizabeth Nyamayaro, executive director of the #HeForShe movement and the senior advisor to the Under-Secretary-General UN Women.

Convention Days commemorates the First U.S. Women's Rights Convention held in 1848. This three day event will be filled with exciting speakers, workshops, historical actors Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Frederick Douglass, theater performances, live music, film screenings, children's activities, art exhibits, and more!

Participating Organizations:
UN Women
Seward House Museum
FLX Pride Festival
We Exist Coalition of the Finger Lakes
Ganondagan State Historic Site
National Women's Hall of Fame
Seneca Museum of Waterways and Industry
Women March in Seneca Falls
WomenElect
It's A Wonderful Life Museum
Seneca Falls Historical Society
IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity
Elizabeth Cady Stanton Foundation

Women’s Rights National Historical Park

Convention Days 2017

Schedule

 

Friday July 14: Convention Days Community Family Day –Another Mother for Peace

9:00 am - 10:00 am: Convention Days Press Conference; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

10:00 am - 10:45 am: Historical Actress, Eleanor Stearns, performs Amelia Earhart; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center Guntzel Theater

10:00 am - 11:00 am:  “A Deep Yearning for Peace: Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Another Mother for Peace.”  Sponsored by the IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity in partnership with Women’s Rights National Historical Park; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

11:00 am - 12:00 pm: “Women in the World of Frederick Douglass” presentation by author Leigh Fought; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center Guntzel Theater

11:00 am - 12:30 pm: “Promoting and Preserving Perpetual Peace: Welcome Reception and Launch of a Petition for Department of Peace and a Secretary of Peace, featuring the words of Dr. Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence; The Gould Hotel

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm: Whaddaya Know? Women's Rights Trivia for All Ages; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center Guntzel Theater

1:00 - 2:00 pm: Norman K. Dann Talk: Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Gerrit Smith; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center Guntzel Theater

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Whaddaya Know? Women's Rights Trivia for All Ages; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center Guntzel Theater

1:00 pm - 4:00 pm: “Flock of Free Range Children” Live Music; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Declaration Park

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm: “Seneca Falls: Beginning of the Woman Suffrage Movement?” Talk by author of “The Road to Seneca Falls,” Judy Wellman - The Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention highlighted the importance of voting rights for women, promoted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Frederick Douglass. But was it the first call for women’s suffrage?; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center Guntzel Theater

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm: Live Music by Paige K; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Declaration Park

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm: “The Innocence of Experience: Fanny Seward in Her Own Words” Seward House Museum Play - Step back in time with Fanny Seward, the youngest daughter of Secretary of State William Seward, for a first-hand look at history. Interactive Q&A session with museum staff to follow. This original one woman show, written and performed by Maria Coleman, is made possible, in part, with public funds from NYSCA’s Decentralization Program, administered locally by Finger Lakes Community Arts Grants; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center Guntzel Theater

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm: “How, Why, and by Whom was the Women's Rights National Historical Park Created” Presentation by Judy Hart - Founding Superintendent; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center Guntzel Theater

5:30 - 9:30 pm:  “A Fine Agitation” – Thanksgiving Dinner & the World Premiere of “Independence:  Dr. Mary Walker - The Untold Story of an American Hero.” Dinner based on a 1916 Thanksgiving menu from The Hoag House in Seneca Falls will commemorate: The Centennial of Women Securing the Right to Vote in New York State; The Centennial of the First Woman Being Elected to Congress; and the 50th Anniversary of Another Mother for Peace.  “Independence” is a one-woman play about Dr. Mary Walker, the second female physician in the U.S., a Civil War veteran, and the only woman to EVER receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.  Written and directed by Lloyd J. Schwartz starring Kathie Barnes. Tickets:  $60.  Limited Seating.  Reservations required:  Call 315-568-5838.  Location:  New York Chiropractic College

6:00pm - 7:00 pm: Rob Okun author of “Voice Male: The Untold Story of the Pro-Feminist Men's Movement” Presentation; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Declaration Park

7:15 pm - 8:00 pm: Rob Okun author of Voice Male: The Untold Story of the Pro-Feminist Men's Movement Book-Signing; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

8:30 pm - 10:30 pm: The Lego Batman Movie outdoor screening in partnership with the Seneca Falls Library; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Declaration Park

All Day Events on Friday July 14

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: Sign the Petition for a Department of Peace and a Secretary of Peace; IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity & The Seneca Falls It’s A Wonderful Life Museum

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: Special Exhibits:  “The Possibility of Moving Mountains to the Side of Right:  Lucretia Mott and the Universal Peace Union”; IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity & The Seneca Falls It’s A Wonderful Life Museum

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: “Hope Springs Maternal”:  Donna Reed & Another Mother for Peace; IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity & The Seneca Falls It’s A Wonderful Life Museum

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: “Jacob Chamberlain:  Gentleman Signer of the Declaration of Sentiments” ; IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity & The Seneca Falls It’s A Wonderful Life Museum

9:00 am - Close: Women’s Rights National Historical Park Visitor Center Open

9:00 am - Close: Participate in the Junior Ranger kids program and receive a Junior Ranger Badge; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center

9:00 am - Close: Dream Rocket Art Exhibit “What Inequalities do People Face Today?”; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

9:00 am - Close: Sara Rosedahl & Meta Strick Art Exhibit; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center 2nd Floor Exhibit Room

9:00 am - Close: 40 Chances Poverty Exhibit; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center First Floor

9:00 am - Close: Organization Tables; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Around Declaration Park

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: Historical Actors Elizabeth Cady Stanton by Dr. Melinda Grube & Frederick Douglass by Nathan Richardson; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Various Locations

10:00 am - 5:00 pm: “Highlighting the Early Women’s Suffrage Movement: 100+ Years of Suffrage in New York State,” Information and artifacts about early suffragists. Scavenger hunt with prizes; National Women’s Hall of Fame

9:00 am: Seneca Falls Historical Society Opens

Saturday July 15: Indigenous Women’s Day

8:30 am - 9:00 am: A gathering at the Elizabeth Cady Stanton House with Elizabeth Cady Stanton (portrayed by Dr. Melinda Grube) and Coline Jenkins (great-great grand-daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton); Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Elizabeth Cady Stanton House

9:00 am - 10:00 am: Women’s Suffrage Procession from the Elizabeth Cady Stanton House to the Wesleyan Chapel. Participants are encouraged to dress in period attire from 1848 to 1920. Sponsored by Women March in Seneca Falls and the Friends of Women’s Rights National Historical Park; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Elizabeth Cady Stanton House to Declaration Park

10:00 am - 11:00 am: Welcoming words by Park Superintendent, Ami Ghazala, Proclamation of Indigenous Women’s Day including the Council of Chiefs and Clan Mothers from the Iroquois Confederacy, Reading of the Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton (portrayed by Dr. Melinda Grube); Declaration of Sentiments for Muslim Women read by Nadia Shahram and discussed by Etin Anwar, Welcome by the Friends of Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Participants will have the opportunity to sign the declarations after the talk; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Declaration Park

10:00 am - 5:00 PM: Visit with Ganondagan State Historic Site. Veronica “Ronnie” Reitter (Seneca, Wolf Clan) and Tonia Galban (Akwesasne Mohawk, Bear Clan) will demonstrating cornhusk work and basket-weaving; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

10:00 am - 11:00 am: Seneca Falls Library Program; Seneca Falls Library

11:00 pm - 12:00 pm: Keynote Speaker Elizabeth Nyamayaro presents “HeForShe Global Solidarity Movement” Senior Advisor to Under Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Women, and Global Head of the HeForShe Initiative; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Declaration Park

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm:  Convention Days Luncheon featuring Guest Speaker Mary Owen, Donna Reed’s Daughter:  “Donna Reed’s Efforts to Promote Women’s Rights and Peace.” Advance Reservations required:  Call 315-568-8412.  Community Center, 35 Water St.

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm: Indigenous Music: The Shenandoah Trio of Joanne, Leah and Diane Shenandoah celebrate the day with original music. Joanne Shenandoah, is one of America's most celebrated Indigenous musicians. She holds a Grammy and 40 plus music awards. She is also an Ambassador of peace, human and earth rights, capturing the hearts of audiences all over the world; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

12:30 pm - 2:30 pm: Come and Have Your Say! Share your passion, your ideas & thoughts. Be a voice for contemporary feminist issues during Convention Days 2017. A 'SOAP BOX' (and a microphone) will be for you to stand and have you say. Time slots will be approximately 5 minutes. Registration necessary at the site with Women March in Seneca Falls; In front of the Seneca Falls Visitors Center & Museum of Waterways and Industry

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Live Music by Keisha Slaughter; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Elizabeth Cady Stanton Property

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Contributions of the Iroquois Women’s Circle: Women's Circle. This discussion will provide contributions of Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) women from all territories across the state and include women's rights, leadership, social, spiritual welfare, agriculture and the arts of the community; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

2:00 pm - 3:30 pm: Islamic Fashion Show by Hobart & William Smith Colleges Professor, Etin Anwar; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center Guntzel Theater

2:00 pm - 3:30 pm: Equal Means Equal documentary screening offers an unflinching look at how women are treated in the United States today presenting a compelling and persuasive argument for the urgency of ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment; The First Presbyterian Church of Seneca Falls

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Docent-guided Tour by Reverend Leah Ntuala of the Site where Alice Paul called for the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923; The First Presbyterian Church of Seneca Falls

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm: “You Can’t Shave in a Minimart Bathroom” book talk by author Shauna Marie O’Toole, Director of the We Exist Coalition of the Finger Lakes; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center Guntzel Theater

5:00 pm - 6:30 pm:  “Independence:  Dr. Mary Walker - The Untold Story of an American Hero.”  One-woman play about the only woman to ever receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. Written and directed by Lloyd J. Schwartz, starring Kathie Barnes; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Book Signing and Visit with author Shauna Marie O’Toole; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center Guntzel Theater

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm: The Anti-Temperance Boat Tour. Enjoy a leisurely two hour cruise with a guided tour along the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, locking through Locks 2 & 3, and towards Cayuga Lake. [$50/person. For tickets and information contact the Seneca Museum of Waterways and Industry]

8:30 pm - 10:30 pm: Sing outdoor movie screening in partnership with the Seneca Falls Library; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Declaration Park

All Day Events on Saturday July 15

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: Sign the Petition for a Department of Peace and a Secretary of Peace; IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity & The Seneca Falls It’s A Wonderful Life Museum

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: Special Exhibits:  “The Possibility of Moving Mountains to the Side of Right:  Lucretia Mott and the Universal Peace Union” ; IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity & The Seneca Falls It’s A Wonderful Life Museum

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: “Hope Springs Maternal”:  Donna Reed & Another Mother for Peace; IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity & The Seneca Falls It’s A Wonderful Life Museum

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: “Jacob Chamberlain:  Gentleman Signer of the Declaration of Sentiments”; IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity & The Seneca Falls It’s A Wonderful Life Museum

9:00 am - Close: Women’s Rights National Historical Park Visitor Center Open

9:00 am - Close: Participate in the Junior Ranger kids program and receive a Junior Ranger Badge; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center

9:00 am - Close: Dream Rocket Art Exhibit “What Inequalities do People Face Today?”; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

9:00 am - Close: Sara Rosedahl & Meta Strick Art Exhibit; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center 2nd Floor Exhibit Room

9:00 am - Close: 40 Chances Poverty Exhibit; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center First Floor

9:00 am - Close: Organization Tables; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Around Declaration Park

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: Historical Actors Elizabeth Cady Stanton by Dr. Melinda Grube & Frederick Douglass by Nathan Richardson; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Various Locations

10:00 am - 5:00 pm: “Highlighting the Early Women’s Suffrage Movement: 100+ Years of Suffrage in New York State,” Information and artifacts about early suffragists. Scavenger hunt with prizes; National Women’s Hall of Fame

9:00 am: Seneca Falls Historical Society Opens

Sunday July 16 – We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For

9:00 am - 10:00 am: “From Bloomers to Voluntary Motherhood: Women’s Bodies and Women’s Rights in the 19th Century” Talk by Dr. Alison Parker; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center Guntzel Theater

9:00 am - 10:00 am: “Islamophobia and Cross-Cultural Dialogue” Workshop by Etin Anwar; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

10:00 am - 11:00 am: Suffrage Memorabilia from The New York Campaign Talk by Kenneth Florey; View Suffrage Artifacts in Person; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center Guntzel Theater

10:00 am - 11:00 am: WomenElect presentation by Diana Cihak; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

11:00 am - 12:00 pm: Megan Springate: The National Park Service LGBTQ Theme Study; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

11:00 am - 12:00 pm: Docent-Guided Tour of Where Alice Paul Called for The Equal Rights Amendment in 1923; The First Presbyterian Church

11:00 am - 12:00 pm: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: A Friendship that Changed the World Talk by author Penny Colman; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center Guntzel Theater

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm: Being Me Movement by Victoria Buda; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm: Live Music by Antara “Little Weird Girl”; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Elizabeth Cady Stanton House

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm: “Stuff You Missed in History Class” Live Podcast; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Interfaith Gathering; People’s Park

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Concinnity: Visions of Hope Choral Concert; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: “First Amendment/First Vote! High school girls invited to WRNHP for civic engagement roundtables in preparation for their first opportunity to vote at age 18” presentation by Melina Carnicelli from Women March in Seneca Falls; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center Guntzel Theater

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Strawberry Stroll for Harriet Tubman: A walk to the Tubman burial site and a strawberry shortcake social in Seward’s Garden; Seward house Museum - 33 South street, Auburn (approx. 15 miles east of Seneca Falls)

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Women in Business by WomenElect’s Diana Cihak; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm: “Seneca Falls in the 1840s” Presentation by Seneca County Historian Walter Gable to promote better understanding of why the first women’s rights convention took place in Seneca Falls in Jul of 1848. Preceding this will be a special welcome by the Convention Days, Inc. extended to participants in the VoteTilla which will be departing Seneca Falls the following morning; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

All Day Events on Sunday July 16

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: Sign the Petition for a Department of Peace and a Secretary of Peace; IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity & The Seneca Falls It’s A Wonderful Life Museum

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: Special Exhibits:  “The Possibility of Moving Mountains to the Side of Right:  Lucretia Mott and the Universal Peace Union” ; IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity & The Seneca Falls It’s A Wonderful Life Museum

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: “Hope Springs Maternal”:  Donna Reed & Another Mother for Peace; IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity & The Seneca Falls It’s A Wonderful Life Museum

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: “Jacob Chamberlain:  Gentleman Signer of the Declaration of Sentiments”; IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity & The Seneca Falls It’s A Wonderful Life Museum

9:00 am - Close: Women’s Rights National Historical Park Visitor Center Open

9:00 am - Close: Participate in the Junior Ranger kids program and receive a Junior Ranger Badge; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center

9:00 am - Close: Dream Rocket Art Exhibit “What Inequalities do People Face Today?”; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Wesleyan Chapel

9:00 am - Close: Sara Rosedahl & Meta Strick Art Exhibit; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center 2nd Floor Exhibit Room

9:00 am - Close: 40 Chances Poverty Exhibit; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Visitor Center First Floor

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: Organization Tables; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Around Declaration Park

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: Historical Actors Elizabeth Cady Stanton by Dr. Melinda Grube & Frederick Douglass by Nathan Richardson; Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Various Locations

10:00 am - 5:00 pm: “Highlighting the Early Women’s Suffrage Movement: 100+ Years of Suffrage in New York State,” Information and artifacts about early suffragists. Scavenger hunt with prizes; National Women’s Hall of Fame

9:00 am: Seneca Falls Historical Society Opens

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