Happy 200th Birthday to Susan B Anthony by Michelle Styles

Today 15 February 2020 is the 200^th anniversary of Susan B Anthony’s birth. This amazing woman was a tireless campaigner for women’s suffrage and abolition in the US. Although she died before women achieved the vote in the US, she and her tireless energy  was a major reason why the movement succeeded in 1920 in securing the right for women to vote in the US when the 19^th amendment was ratified.

Susan B Anthony from Wikipedia

As she said just before she died in 1913  – failure is impossible. And so it proved.  It meant women had the right to say how they would be governed. Lawmakers had to take women’s concerns into account.

Susan B Anthony was a tireless organiser and a woman who was not afraid to make enemies in the pursuit of a cause which she knew in her heart was right. Her skill at organisation is one of the main reasons that women’s suffrage grew as a  cause and an unstoppable force.

 Too often as women, we are taught to play nice and to be subservient or risk being labelled difficult. Difficult is why Susan B Anthony and others like her achieved the vote. They became stubborn and stuck to their principles. They were not afraid to make enemies.

Hester C Jeffery from Wikipedia

Interestingly the one layperson to speak at her  funeral was Hester C Jeffery, a noted African-American activist and a good friend of Anthony’s. Jeffery also arranged for the first memorial to Anthony. It can sometimes be overlooked that African-American women worked just as hard (if not harder) for women’s suffrage.  This is slightly surprising as the women’s suffrage movement grew out of the abolition movement.

Today, it can be tempting to take the right to vote for granted. It can seem like a chore or a nuisance. There can be better things to do with your life. In the US, unlike in Britain, people are not entitled to take time off from work to vote. But voting is the one thing you can do to hold your law makers to account. It is a chance to make your voice heard.  Voting is a privilege rather than an onerous duty.

Now is the time to make sure you are registered and ready to vote in the coming US presidential election (for example as a US citizen who lives overseas I am allowed to vote in federal elections as an absentee but I always have to request my ballot at the right time). It doesn’t matter how you vote, it just matters that you do and that when you do,  take pride in doing something that people worked for many years to ensure your right.

In other news:

The Sons of Sigurd continuity is about to kick off with Michelle Willingham’s Stolen by the Viking. There is also a free online read by Michelle Willingham starting on 16 March on harlequin.com.

Sons of Sigurd

Driven by revenge, redeemed by love

When Sigurd, King of Maerr on Norway’s west coast, was assassinated and his lands stolen, his five sons, Alarr, Rurik, Sandulf, Danr and Brandt, were forced to flee for their lives.

The brothers swore to avenge their father’s death, and now the time has come to fulfill their oath. They will endure battles, uncover secrets and find unexpected love in their quest to reclaim their lands and restore their family’s honor!

Join the brothers on their quest in

Stolen by the Viking by Michelle Willingham

Falling for Her Viking Captive by Harper St. George

Conveniently Wed to the Viking by Michelle Styles

And the story continues with

Redeeming Her Viking Warrior by Jenni Fletcher

Tempted by Her Viking Enemy by Terri Brisbin

Coming soon!

Michelle Styles writes warm witty and intimate historical romance in a wide range of time periods for Harlequin Historical, most recently Viking. Her next book Conveniently Wed to the Viking will be published in July 2020. You can learn more about Michel and her books on www.michellestyles.co.uk