Hazel the Suffragist

Hazel was a well-practiced and skilled musician. In her rather short but illustrious career, she managed to do things that most women of the age could not and dared not do. She worked under her own name while married, lived independently, and fought fiercely for suffrage and social rights, all while continuing to perform.

In the photo, Hazel wears a sunflower pin which was an emblem of the suffragist movement. The sunflower is the Kansas state flower and was part of a campaign for a state suffrage referendum in 1867. This simple symbol (and the yellow and black color combination) became an identifying mark of suffragists for decades. Suffragists also used banners of purple which symbolized loyalty, and of yellow or gold which symbolized light, life, and purpose.

The women wore white to symbolize purity and virtue, because the people who opposed their cause (most often the men who held power, but also women) frequently accused them of being unladylike when they protested, held parades, and demanded equal rights. The white dresses were a stark contrast to the crowds of men along parade routes dressed in suits of black and wearing black hats.

Opposing arguments were made that women didn’t need to fight for their own rights because their rights were protected by the men surrounding them. I spent a good deal of time writing the scene in Becoming Hazel where she confronts her friend Kathleen’s husband-to-be on the eve of their wedding, and they discuss this issue. It’s one that’s dear to my heart, and I hope I’ve done it justice. Spoiler alert: I’m glad Hazel stood up for herself and for her friend.

Hazel continued to attend meetings and was influenced by some of the important leaders of the suffrage movement. She agreed with many and steered away from the radical views of others. But she knew that it was a powerful social wave, and it made a difference in both her life and the lives of many other women.

By the time Hazel got her first job accompanying silent films in Texas in 1907, only a few states had begun allowing Women’s Suffrage. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution wasn’t passed by Congress until June 1919, and it took another year to be ratified. In August of 1920, women were finally granted the right to vote, sit on a jury and hold elected office. Unfortunately, there were a few exceptions: women of color were often excluded, and so-called “poll taxes”, which were eliminated by the 24^th Amendment nearly 45 years later in 1964, suppressed the vote.

I suppose we’re still working on getting things right. Hazel would tell us to keep fighting.

(Note: We have added the pin to the photo, because we do not have a photograph of Hazel wearing one. It is the only time we have edited a photograph).