she went on the road with the suffragist, never stopped traveling, writing, speaking.own as the dearest old lady in america. she refused to be stuck in the 19th century. under 91st birthday she told an interviewer that are advised to american was be up-to-date. she took -- up-to-date herself. she took readily to the telephone, typewriter, phonograph. including one that children and installed her house so that she could send a violent to the upper story. she entertained oscar wilde to the horror of the boston concert actually wrote about in the newspaper, i will have to dinner anyone i like. two walks a day until she was 91 way what she damn pleased including fried foods, minced pie, champagne, and two weeks before she died she would have to did not honorary degree. of course there is everywhere they sang the battle hymn of the republic. never achieved the level of unity of relentless cheerfulness, unselfishness, piety, and austerity the society still demands from its female. she remained in unsettling mixture of stateliness and fastidious but she did not mind.mind. as

she said she studied, she got the other suffragist to teach her how to talk.roughnecks, insulting them and throwing things at them, all of this kind of stuff. she really studied how to do it she got very good at it as a speaker. that was very fulfilling for her. so for her. so the end of her life i think she felt she had found her vocation in doing that. she never stopped. the poetry really trailed off. she continued to write, poetry and i think some of it is really very funny, but funny, but none of those were published during her lifetime. >> there is not the suspicion that she was the author of people just did not know. >> oh the book came out, it was published anonymously, boston was a small town, everybody knew within a week what was. she told shiv and there is no record and her letters are hers of that conversation which must have been really something. but everybody in boston new. they created an incredible sensation. some people were very shocked, hawthorne who was in england at the time, he was a council in liverpool, he got the book from his publishe

graduates, class of 2016, you are the heir to the vision of the founders, to the courage of those suffragists, to the persistence of the students, and to the determination of those women. each of them sought to improve their own circumstances, but they also expanded the sphere of opportunity, not just for themselves, but also for generations to come. but know this all, as you think about their example, as you think about the legacy they leave, and sometimes the burden that can place on you, they all, every one of them, at one time sat exactly where you sit today, on the brink of moving into a world that they were still learning how to navigate, that they were not sure what open its arms to them and their talents, and they all wondered, as you do, how will i find that way? what will be my task? and they moved into the world not knowing what impact they would have. in many instances not even living to see the fruition of their effort. but they sought not a title, but a task. they stepped out on faith and wanted to be known for their works. and as you all prepare to leave here today, i urge you

once she got into the suffrage movement, one of the reasons she took to it so much was the suffragistsly. one moved to rome, the other moved to new jersey and california and they were her closest companions, not until the suffrage movement did she have intimate women friends in particular mary livermore who was very warm and motherly and talks about how they traveled together, how wonderful and how enriching and enabling, how much fun and how terrific no matter how bad the weather or rude the audience, traveling with mary livermore. >> we have time for one more question and if there are no takers i will ask it but i am happy to have someone from the audience raise their hand. i feel like an auctioneer. my question i don't want to give away too much, so many new uncensored intricacies in this book, but the relationship between her and this repressed sexuality and romance you feel is part of the source of tension, and i wonder if you would dare regulate, if they lived in a more tolerant time where they could be who they really were, who would they have been? >> the ideal model would've b

drafting hundreds of pieces of legislation and working with congressional leaders before she and other suffragists helped win women the vote. [applause] each stage along the way required compromise. sometimes you took half. you forged allies. sometimes you lost on an issue and came back to fight another day. that is how democracy works. you have got to be committed to participating not just to get immediate gratification, you have to be of citizen full-time, all the time. if participation means voting and compromise and organizing and advocacy, it also means listening to those who do not agree with you. i know a couple of years ago, folks on this campus got upset that condoleezza was supposed to speak at commencement. i don't think it's a secret that i disagree with dr. rice and many policies from that administration. the notion that this community or country would not be served by hearing her or shutting out what she had to say, i believe that is misguided. i don't think that's how democracy works best, when we not even willing to listen to each other. [applause] i believe that is misguided. if y

unger nancy unger is the author of "belle la follette," which tells the story of this journalist, suffragistand pacifist. she campaigned alongside her husband and son in their own bids for office. the humanist association of the greater sacramento area hosted this event. it is about an hour.

drafting hundreds of pieces of legislation and working with congressional leaders before she and other suffragists helped win women the vote. [applause] president obama: each stage along the way required compromise. sometimes you took half. you forged allies. sometimes you lost on an issue and then you came back to fight another day. that is how democracy works. you have got to be committed to participating not just to get immediate gratification, you have to be a citizen full-time, all the time. if participation means voting and compromise and organizing and advocacy, it also means listening to those who do not agree with you. i know a couple of years ago, folks on this campus got upset that condoleezza was supposed to speak at commencement. i don't think it's a secret that i disagree with many of the ies of dr. rice and many policies from that administration. the notion that this community or country would not be served by hearing her or shutting out what she had to say, i believe that is misguided. i don't think that's how democracy works best, when we are not even willing to listen to each oth

nancy unger is the author of " belle la follette" which tells the story of this journalist, suffragistand pacifist. the humanist association of the greater sacramento area hosted this event. it is about our. -- it is about an hour. speaker asked me if i could give her only a brief introduction. is belle la follette

she wrote a newspaper column and was a strong suffragist. two is very well known across state. governor appointed her he made history by putting the first woman into the senate views was also hoping he would help with histo election. when he appoints sir, the senate was out of session. it was expected that she would never be sworn into office. that she would never be served, it was a purely symbolic move. votenow have the right to and most of them were opposed to him because he had been a very strong opponent of women suffrage. seat andointer to the her service begins in october. she doesn't have a chance to be sworn in but over the next few weeks, women across the u.s. began to position a special session of congress and they call for her to be sworn in so she can really serve as a u.s. senator and eventually that is what happened. .he special session was called felton comes to the senate. the governor of george's plan does not work out. butoes not win that seat walter george kindly steps aside and allows her to be sworn in november 22 of 1922. she served for 24 hours and gave

nancy unger is the author of " belle la follette" which tells the story of this journalist, suffragist, and pacifist. the humanist association of the greater sacramento area hosted this event. it is about our. -- it is about an hour. speaker asked me if i could give her only a brief introduction. is belle la follette who lived a very full life from 1859-1931. in doing the research for her new book, nancy discovered the haveof previous historians drastically underestimated this great humanist. she discovered the surprising truths about the radical reformer who was announced by some as disgraceful -- denounced by some as disgraceful to the white race. what? disgraceful? women,ght for votes for she fought for peace, she fought for civil rights. the new york times hailed her as the least known but the most influential american women who had to do with book affairs in this country. professor nancy unger will help fourth belle la follette issue really is. -- four who she really is. nancy? [applause] hello.er: thank you for that lovely introduction. i have given a talks to the humanist commun

unger is the author of "belle la follette," which tells the story of this journalist, suffragist, and pacifist. she campaigned alongside her husband and son. the humanist association of the greater sacramento area hosted this event. it is about an hour. >> today's speaker asked me if i could give her only a brief introduction. her subject is belle la follet

nancy unger is the author of "belle la follette," which tells the story of this journalist, suffragist, and pacifist. who campaigned along

she wrote a newspaper column and was a strong suffragist. and so she was very well known across the state. when the governor appointed her 1922, he made history by putting the first woman into the senate, but he was also hoping he was doing something that would help his own election come november. when he appointed her, the senate was not in session. it was october, the senate was out of session until november. it was expected that she would never be sworn into office. that she would never really serve as a real senator. it was purely a symbolic move on his part. it was an attempt to get the vote of the women in georgia. they now had the right to vote and most of them were opposed to him because he had been a very strong opponent of women's suffrage. he appointed her to the seat and her service began in october. she did not have a chance to be sworn in, but of the next few weeks, women across the united states began to petition the president to create a special session of congress and they started to call for her to be sworn in so she could

she went on the road with the suffragist.writing, speaking and working for women's rights. in her pretty lace designed by one of her son-in-law's, she became known as the dearest old lady in america. but, that is not how she saw herself at all. she refused to be stuck in the 19th century. on her 91st birthday, she told an interviewer that her advice to american women was, the up-to-date. [laughter] >> that's on the m&ms, i think, maybe. readily, she was up to date herself and took very readily to the telephone, the typewriter, the phonograph, the automobile and especially the elevator including when the children had installed in her house so she could send divinely to the upper story. she entertained to the horror of the boston brahmin's who wrote about in newspaper she wrote back i will as to dinner anyone i like. she took two walks a day until she was 91. she ate what she damn please, including fried food, mince pie and champagne and two weeks before she died she would have to get an honorary degree from smith. of course, t

drafting hundreds of pieces of legislation and working with congressional leaders before she and other suffragists helped win women the vote. [applause] each phase along the way required compromise. sometimes you took half. you forged allies. sometimes he lost on an issue and came back to fight another day. that is how democracy works. you have got to he committed to participating not just to get immediate gratification, you have to be of citizen full-time, all the time. if participation means voting and compromise and organizing and advocacy, it also means listening to those who do not agree with you. i know a couple of years ago, folks on this campus got upset that condoleezza was supposed to speak at commencement. at a think it's a secret that i disagree with her. the notion that this community or country would not be served by hearing her or shutting out what she had to say, i believe that is misguided. i don't think that's how democracy works best, when we not even willing to listen to each other. [applause] i believe that is misguided. if you disagree with somebody, them toughin and ask ques