Citizens at Last
repost from Alice Embree's substack
Today, October 4, is the birthday of Glenn Scott, and an appropriate time to remember her role in documenting women’s history and making history as social justice organizer. Glenn founded People’s History in Texas (PHIT) in 1975, an organization that survives to this day with a mission of “bringing to life the stories of ordinary people and significant socio-economic movements.” The PHIT website carries this tribute to Glenn.
Glenn Scott originated People’s History in Texas. In 1975 she invited four other women, including a writer, an elementary school teacher, a librarian, and a graduate student, to a brainstorming session about how to get more information about women’s history into Texas schools. PHIT’s first project was the 1976 Women in Texas History Calendar, published for the Bicentennial. It was one of the first compilations of Texas women’s history facts.
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Their research uncovered stories of women workers and activists who organized labor unions in the 1930s and l940s. With funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities Youth Grants Program and the Texas Committee for the Humanities, they collected oral histories of Texas women labor organizers and produced “Talkin’ Union” (1979, 58 minutes, b/w film/video), about four women who led the pecan shellers and garment workers unions. In addition, PHIT published Women in the Texas Workforce: Yesterday and Today (1979), essays on women’s work for wages. In 2019, the New Journalism Press republished the book as Talkin’ Union.
After graduate school, Glenn went on to a career in labor organizing for unions that mostly represented women. She continued as the Chair of the PHIT Board for her entire life. She raised money, interviewed subjects, and offered ideas for projects. She passed away in September 2018 after a long battle with cancer. Glenn was a powerful voice for social change. She is missed.
Yesterday, I went to a presentation by the University of Texas Briscoe Center for American History with Melissa Hield, an early colleague of Glenn Scott’s. We saw five newly finished short films that are companions to the 2021 documentary, Citizens at Last, about the women’s suffrage movement in Texas.
The documentary and the short films are all directed by award-winning filmmaker Nancy Schiesari, produced by Ellen Temple and Nancy Schiesari, and scripted by Laura Furman. The short films feature five individuals -- Elizabet Ney, Eliza Peterson, Jovita Idar, Jessie Dent, and Lulu B. White. Only 10-minutes long, these shorts explore the suffrage advocacy of the five women, adding depth and nuance to the movement. They are intended for use with a classroom curriculum that is under development.
The films owe a great deal to the groundwork of women like Glenn Scott and Melissa Hield. Melissa continues to work as a public historian with People’s History in Texas, and is a founder along with Nancy Baker Jones, Teresa Paloma Acosta, and Cynthia Beeman of the Ruthe Winegarten Memorial Foundation for Texas Women’s History, that builds upon the legacy of another pioneer in the history of Texas women, Ruthe Winegarten. See Women in Texas History (WITH) for more information.
For decades, these women have gathered oral histories, explored archives, located photographic evidence, and found journals and news articles that document women’s history in Texas. In the film version, that history will become accessible to many.
The 19th amendment granting suffrage to women, was passed in 1920. Texas was the first state in the South to ratify the amendment. The story of the fight in Texas is revealing. The suffragists had to contend with Jim Crow laws including a poll tax, rural and urban divides, discrimination against Tejanos, class divisions, and an entrenched patriarchy to contend with. Although the story is over a century old, it seems quite relevant to current events.
Those who fought for the inclusion of women’s voices were pillars of perseverance and clever strategists. Most of these women continued their commitment to social justice for decades after they secured voting rights. Without their efforts, I wouldn’t be able to vote on November 5th.
Take a break from election coverage, to view Citizens at Last. You can stream the 57-minute broadcast version, or take a longer break and stream the extended version.
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