JANUARY 2015
THIS MONTH IN PR/MARKETING HISTORY BY JEFF RODRIGUEZ
An irreverent look at the people and events that keep us up at night
Word on the Street
Before Women Could Win the Right to Vote,
They Had to Win the Right to Protest for It
In real estate, location is everything. But that’s true in public relations, too, where being seen can be just as important as
being heard. On Jan. 10, 1917, a group of women gathered in front of the White
House to be seen and heard. Their objective was to protest for women’s suffrage, and they’re credited with being the first picketers at the nation’s Capitol.
Led by activist Alice Paul, the action was the latest step in a campaign to pressure President Woodrow Wilson and Congress to support the 19th Amendment, which would give women the right to
vote. The women’s tactic was bold and brilliant, so of course it was met with fierce opposition.
The “Silent Sentinels” protested peacefully, but even so, they were often harassed and even beaten.
Fortunately, the police were usually close at hand to make an arrest — of the men trying to protect the women.
Wilson initially ignored the women, but they appeared to be making headway. Then
in April of that year, the United States entered World War I; now the
protesters were considered unpatriotic, sometimes defined as “anything that questions U.S. foreign policy.” Their signs calling the president “Kaiser Wilson” probably didn’t help their cause.
In June, police began arresting the Sentinels. The women were charged with
obstructing traffic — no small feat, as they had been standing on the sidewalk. In July, 16 women
were arrested, convicted and sentenced to a hefty $25 fine or 60 days in
prison. The absurdity of the punishment stunned the public and created a new PR
headache for Wilson, who solved the problem by reluctantly pardoning the
protesters.
But it was a short-lived victory for the suffragists, and before things got
better, they got much worse. The beatings and arrests continued, and in
October, Alice Paul was arrested and sentenced to seven months in jail. The
conditions were appalling, prompting her to begin a hunger strike; prison
authorities responded by moving her to the psychiatric ward and force-feeding
her. In November, prison guards attacked and brutally beat a group of women
coming to the prison to protest. It proved to be something of a misogyny peak.
The atrocities abated, and by the end of the month, all of the protesters were
released.
Between the hunger strike, the violence and the continuing White House protests,
the newspapers had plenty of targets (all of whom could use a little PR!).
Finally, in January 1918, Wilson announced his support for the amendment.
Shrewdly, he described it as a “war measure” (though the suffragists might have had a different war in mind).
The House passed the amendment, but the Senate, then as now a murky chamber of
questionable intent, did not. It rejected the amendment in 1918 and again in
1919. In 1920, the amendment finally passed, but by a narrow margin. A critical
supporting vote was cast by a senator who reportedly changed his mind after
receiving a telegram from his mother.
Today, women’s suffrage is a given, and so are White House picketers. But the Silent
Sentinels must not be forgotten. Over 2 1/2 years, more than 1,000 women
peacefully protested, enduring verbal abuse, arrest and assault, picketing
every day and night except for Sundays (and during airings of “Orange is the New Black”).
They also added a critical piece to the public relations portfolio and,
significantly, scored a major victory for human rights. A small group of
dedicated individuals really can change the world. And if they have a good PR
strategy, they can change it even faster.
(Noted and quoted: Ever been asked, “What does a good PR person do?” Here’s one answer. In her congressional farewell speech, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann thanked her press director, who, she said, “keeps me from making the mistakes I am all too prone to make.” Yep, that sounds about right.)
