Women’s Suffrage Movement Symposium
50th Anniversary
“Commemorating the Past, Reflecting on the Present,
Envisioning the Future: 1962 and Beyond”
In commemoration of the Women’s Suffrage Movement of the Bahamas on its 50th anniversary in 2012, the College of the Bahamas and the Bureau of Women’s Affairs in the Ministry of Labour and Social Development collaborated to host the Women’s Suffrage Movement Symposium.
Excerpts from the symposium which took place from March 6th – 9th, 2012 will be presented here on this website beginning March 10th, 2014. We invite you to tune in each week for a different event.
We begin with the Opening Ceremony and a portion of Dr. Christopher Curry’s speech entitled “The Deep Roots of the Movement”. This excerpt is approximately 45 minutes.
Session 1 of the symposium will be uploaded on Monday March 17th. 2014. This session features the Honorable Janet Bostwick presenting on “The Legacy of the Women’s Suffrage Movement”. After her presentation Mrs. Bostwick was presented with an award in recognition of her continued commitment to the advancement of the rights of women in the Bahamas by Mr. John Dinklemen, U.S. Chargé D’Affaires. Additionally, this session includes reflections from the children and siblings of the suffragettes including Mrs. Alice Musgrove-Rolle- daughter of Mary Ingraham, Ms. Juliette Barnwell- daughter of Mable Walker, Mrs. Wallis Carey- daughter of Eugenia Lockhart, Mr. Andrew Maynard- son of Georgianna Symonette, and Mrs. Shirley Cooper- sister of Dame Doris Johnson. This excerpt is approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Beginning Monday, March 24th we will feature Session 4: A Panel discussion on “Gender Equality in the Bahamas”. You will hear E’thegra Symonette from the School of Social Sciences. Her discussion is on “Domestic Violence”. Also Ms. Margo Blackwell from the School of Education speaks on “Gender Equality in Education”, Dr. Nicolette Bethel from the School of Social Sciences on “Gender and National Identity”, and Dr. Ian Strachan from the School of English Studies on “Gender and Masculinity in the Bahamas”. This excerpt is approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Monday, March 31st we will upload Session 5- A panel discussion entitled “Envisioning the Future: Tools for Transformations”. In this discussion presentations are presented by Mr. Michael Stevenson of COB/UWI Law Programme on “A Way of Thinking about the Relationship between Law and Gender Inequality in Bahamian Society”; by Ms Aneesah Abdullah from the School of Social Sciences on “Dispelling Misconceptions about Muslim Women in the Bahamas”; and finally by Dr. Ian Bethel-Bennett from the School of English Studies on “Gender Discourses”. This excerpt is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
On Monday, April 7th, 2014 you will be able to view Session 6, featuring a panel discussion on “Public Spaces, Performance Paradigms, and the Black Female Body”. First you will hear from Jennifer Thorington-Springer from Indiana University, USA on “Exploring Struggles for Caribbean Citizenship: Black Masculinity in Austin Clarke’s The Polished Hoe“. After which, Dr. Michael Bucknor from the University of the West Indies, Mona Jamaica, discusses “Conceptualizing the Discursive Performance of Afro-Caribbean Masculinities in Austin Clarke’s The Origin of Waves“. This excerpt is about 52 minutes.
Finally, on Monday, 14th April 2012 in part 2 of Session 6 we will feature a panel discussion on “Intimacy and Representations of Black Masculinities: Film, Story and Memoir”. Dr. Craig Smith, School of English Studies, discusses “Black, White, the Silence in Between and the Anxiety of Black Male Intimacy in Kareem Mortimer’s Children of God“. Mr. Jarrett Brown, College of the Holy Cross, USA, speaks about “The Shadow of Intimacy: Male Bonding and Improvised Masculinity in Claude McKay’s Banjo: A Story Without a Plot“. Mr. Darius Bost from the University of Maryland, USA, ends this panel discussion with “Traumatizing Black Masculinities: Bearing Witness to Sexual Abuse in the African Diaspora”. This excerpt is 1 hour and 20 minutes long.
The symposium features international and local scholars to engage educational discussions on contemporary issues while deepening the awareness of the significance of the Women’s Suffrage Movement in the Bahamas. We hope you enjoy.