Above photo: Claire Paulsen, daughter of Comcaster Julie Paulsen, at Susan B. Anthony’s home in Rochester, NY.
By Miranda Belanger, Social Media Specialist, Comcast Oregon/SW Washington
In 1872, Susan B. Anthony was a criminal on the lam. Her offense? Voting.
She cast a ballot in the presidential election, though women at the time were prohibited from doing so. She was arrested soon after. August 26th marks 100 years of women (legally) following in her footsteps, with the anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment, allowing women to vote.
Four years ago, Julie Paulsen, an event specialist for Comcast Oregon/SW Washington, visited Rochester, New York for a college tour with her daughter, Claire. Delirious from a red-eye flight and with hours to kill before they could check in to their hotel, they decided to visit the Susan B. Anthony Museum.
You could chalk it up to fatigue, but Julie was overwhelmed with emotion during their tour of Susan B. Anthony’s house. She stood in the very foyer where Susan was taken into police custody.
“To see my daughter, days before her 18th birthday, a month before she could vote for a woman in the 2016 election—I had electrical tingles running through my body,” said Paulsen. “It really made me live in that moment and feel the significance of it.”
As the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment approaches, the suffragette movement still resonates. The reality is that not all women were able to immediately exercise their right to vote as racial discrimination kept Black women, and Black people in general, from the polls. Even today, we see forms of voter suppression.
“I still see so many battles to fight,” explained Julie. “I feel like my daughter’s generation has a force behind them. I think they’ll push significant change, just like Susan B Anthony’s generation did.”
So how did Julie become Comcast’s very own civic superstar? She wasn’t always as passionate as she is today.
“I voted in the big elections, for the major candidates,” said Julie. “I’d flip through the voter’s pamphlet.”
Everything changed when there were two female candidates running for mayor of Oregon City. Julie was inspired, and the candidate she voted for—Alice Norris—won. Later that year while attending a leadership summit, Julie learned that over half of the population hadn’t voted in the election at all. Now she serves as an informal resource for neighbors and friends to learn about the various candidates.
Julie seems to have passed down her passion to her daughter, Claire. “It means a great deal to me to be a young woman able to vote, and to help promote progress and equality for all.” said Claire Paulsen, “Being politically active and aware is a large facet of my life, and I strive to be informed on issues so that I can make my voice and vote count.”
Julie and Claire were inspired by Susan B. Anthony to remember their privilege, continue to educate themselves, and work to gain easier access to voting for the disenfranchised.
“Susan B. Anthony and her peers fought for me to have a say in my government,” said Julie. “Elections, especially local ones, are important. It’s an opportunity to guide city officials, choose my local school board, and solve county issues. I will not take that for granted.”
President Trump posthumously pardoned Susan B. Anthony in recognition of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. Susan B. Anthony’s legacy remains relevant today — as America reckons with racial injustice and a global pandemic, exercising the right to vote has never been more important.
