Rosario Dawson & Retta Team For Women’s Suffrage Podcast Series

Peter White
·4 min read

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EXCLUSIVE: Rosario Dawson, stars of USA Network’s Briarpatch, and Good Girls’ Retta have teamed up on a podcast series telling stories of the women’s suffrage movement.

The pair are to co-host And Nothing Less: The Untold Stories of Women’s Fight for the Vote, which is one of two podcasts being launched in honor of the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment and women’s right to vote.

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The other is The Magic Sash, hosted by gold medal gymnast and advocate Aly Raisman.

The two series, which will both launch on August 5, come from the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission, the National Park Service, and public media organization PRX.

And Nothing Less: The Untold Stories of Women’s Fight for the Vote will explore the array of diverse voices beyond Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, telling stories of generations of activists fought for full access to the ballot. Guests will include historian Dr. Martha S. Jones, author of Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All, journalist Elaine Weiss, who wrote The Woman’s Hour, and Michelle Duster, the great-granddaughter of suffragist and civil rights icon Ida B. Wells.

The Magic Sash is a historical fiction adventure for tweens, following an 11-year-old girl and boy journey back in time to meet iconic heroes of the movement, including Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman, and experience key moments in women’s suffrage history, such as the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls in 1848 and the 1913 Women’s Suffrage Parade in Washington, D.C.

The podcast is co-produced by TRAX from PRX––a podcast network for 9 to 13 year olds–– and Gen-Z Media.

The Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission (WSCC) was created by Congress to coordinate the nationwide commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment in 2020. The WSCC will celebrate this milestone of American democracy through a series of campaigns and initiatives throughout the year, ranging from the building of a national suffrage memorial in Virginia to the donation of 18,000 children’s suffrage history books to public libraries across the U.S.

“For generations, the suffragists demanded equality at the ballot box, and these podcasts will tell their stories and educate a new generation about this critical chapter in the history of American democracy,” said Anna Laymon, executive director of the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission. “We are proud to work alongside Aly, Retta, Rosario, PRX, and the National Park Service to bring listeners the captivating, complex, and inspiring stories from the longest social movement in American history.”

“The full history of the women’s suffrage movement, the work of so many heroes who fought for and secured women’s right to vote, resonates profoundly today,” said Dawson. “It’s an honor to bring such powerful stories from our nation’s history to audiences everywhere.”

“It’s a joy to bring the history of the women’s suffrage movement in America (and around the world) to life,” added Retta. “Especially with Rosario, who I’ve been a fan of and whose sense of civic duty I admire. U.S. women’s history is rich with iconic voices and perspectives, many of which I hadn’t even heard of until this project. It really sheds light on what it means to be a citizen, even today. I’m excited to be a part of it, and for listeners to tune in.”

“I believe that voting is one of the most important rights anyone can have,” said Raisman. “I vote because it is an opportunity for change. Just like in The Magic Sash, people today are using their voices to better the world. I hope the story of Lotty, Isaiah, and Florence, and everyone they met on their journey, inspires people and reminds them that their voice and story matters.”

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