The arts and humanities have been hit hard by the current political climate. Funding cuts and staff reductions have impacted many programs, including the South Dakota Humanities Council’s “Speakers Bureau.”
My topic, “Women Tamed the Frontier,” told stories of how women homesteaders changed the culture and the communities on the frontier. Starting with the Homestead Act of 1862, women were finally able to own land – if they were not married. The ability to own land drew women to the “wild and woolly frontier,” as one homesteading woman wrote to her friends back east. And, even when women didn’t own the claim, they were changing the culture in this new world.
In my talk, I discussed the ways in which women tamed the frontier: by establishing churches and schools, running shops, owning businesses, and eventually gaining the vote. Western territories and states led the way in the fight for women’s suffrage.
I’m very disappointed that the SD Humanities Council’s Speakers Bureau was one of the programs sacrificed. I enjoyed telling stories about women of the 1800s and early 1900s. They were trailblazers, and we stand on their shoulders today.
Although the Speakers Bureau has been discontinued, I remain available to speak with your group or organization. And I’ll donate a portion of the speaking fee to the SD Humanities Council. Contact me at ckayvandam@gmail.com