From the mid-nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries, scholars, doctors, religious leaders, and politicians were vexed by the “The Woman Question.” Inspired by the democratic revolutions of the late eighteenth century, fueled by market capitalism, and later fostered by the reform efforts of the Victorian bourgeoisie, the woman question actually posed the inquiry: What are women good for?

Please join us for a much needed discussion on the history of women’s suffrage in America. Let’s look squarely at the achievements of the past generations without shying away from the explicit racism and classism imbedded within the movement. Let’s learn from their successes and their failures, too. And, finally, let’s gather together and consider the psychic and social ramifications of being a question.

Nina Simone covers by South African jazz vocalist, Vuyo (Vuyolwethu) Sotashe and the exquisite jazz pianist Fima Chupakhin will follow this Olio.