‘Women Take the Stage” in free concert on Centennial of the 19th Amendment
On August 26 at 9 PM ET, top musicians, changemakers and activist icons gather for a virtual broadcast with one vital call to action: women must focus on voting.
Women Take the Stage is a free, multi-ethnic concert and rally to increase voting by and for women before the November election, airing on YouTube Live, Facebook Live and WomenTaketheStage.org .
Along with great music, the night will be interspersed with rousing stories about heroes of the past whose work and sacrifices advanced women’s equality, and important voting actions to take from today’s heroes in the making. On the centennial of the 19th Amendment, 1@1 Productions, Women March in Seneca Falls and WILL, along with partners When We All Vote and the National LGBTQ Task Force, present an event that acknowledges we have yet to achieve free, fair and safe elections for all.
Fans will be inspired by performances and stories from Gloria Steinem, Dolores Huerta, Vanessa Williams, Idina Menzel, Lily Tomlin, Billie Jean King, Alicia Garza, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Indigo Girls, BETTY, Skip the Needle, Dance Brigade, Pura Fé, teen quartet DGLS, the B-52s’ Kate Pierson, founder of The Representation Project Jennifer Siebel Newsom, HBCU president Ruth Simmons, 3rd CTO of the U.S . Megan Smith, Time’s Up CEO Tina Tchen, ERA Coalition CEO Carol Jenkins, disability activist Mia Ives-Rublee, anti-racism leader Rev. Jacqui Lewis, trailblazing transgender politician Andrea Jenkins, poet Staceyann Chin, Native activist Gail Small and more. Opening the show is New York’s groundbreaking Attorney General, Letitia James.
“The fascinating stories of the foremothers who fought so hard for us to have a more powerful voice are incredibly motivating,” says Aly Palmer of 1@1 Productions and member of the activist pop trio, BETTY. “Our event is an entertaining way to inspire voting action and build bold defenders of our democracy.”
In addition to the virtual event, Auburn Public Theater is helping put on a live pre-show at 7:30 PM ET at the Finger Lakes Drive-In in Auburn, NY — near Seneca Falls, the site of the first women’s rights convention. Socially distanced attendees will be treated in their cars to music and poetry from notable regional performers, followed by Women Take the Stage on the big screen.
These unprecedented times make business as usual utterly unusual. The massive changes we’ve seen this year mean we need to think and act differently about equality and suffrage. It’s time for women to take the stage.
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