Week 4

I am in week four of my internship, and I finally feel like I am starting to accomplish some satisfactory research. I was looking for addresses of where some of my leading ladies, like Bettiola Fortson and Fannie Barrier Williams, did the majority of their suffrage work. There seemed to be more information on Fannie Barrier Williams, which allowed me to have an easier time finding some locations for her. Most of her work was done at local churches and clubs on the south side of Chicago. However, I struggled finding a decent amount of information for Bettiola Fortson. I tried becoming more creative with my searches, which pushed me to search local newspaper files. I was able to find African American newspapers during the early 20th century, which is where I hit the mother load. I was able to find the location of the first anniversary meeting of the Alpha Suffrage Club, which is where Bettiola Fortson performed her poem “Brothers”. I was also able to find the location where she participated in political recruitment for the progressive party. Even though Bettiola was not one of the main African American suffrage leaders, she contributed in many ways and was very passionate about her beliefs through her literature. I look forward to next week! Lori told us that we are going to start the map process because we have been finding such good information! It will be nice to have a break from researching and actually be able to apply my findings.