We Did It For You! Women's Journey Through History - The Suffrage Story Cast

"As a young person, it’s my responsibility to be as active in social justice as possible and to educated myself. Learning about women’s journey and all the amazing feminists that came before me gives me the inspiration to keep working towards an equal future. We’ve come a long way, but there’s still much more to do. I feel like I can related to Melanie in a lot of ways. She’s living in such a modern time period and the way she’s able to learn about all these women and make connections to her own life is something I can do myself. I really love her passion and how inspired she’s become by all these women. I can see myself in her character. I’m very passionate about all the social justice issues modern feminism speaks on. Climate change, reproductive freedoms, education, social inequality, poverty, police brutality, the wage gap, LGBTQ rights, public health, and the list goes on. If I want to live in a world that I’m proud to call home, I need to be as involved as possible."

"When I auditioned for the show, I knew I had found what I was looking for: an opportunity to educate, excite and inspire people, especially the young, to become active in their communities; to be part of a group of talented, passionate and dedicated women; and to accomplish all that through theater and song! I have learned so much myself, and my character’s courage and commitment. I am impressed by all the women in our history who were not afraid to stand up for what they believed in, regardless of the consequences."

“I have loved all the characters I played. In reading about them to prepare, I usually found something that I could identify with. I like Virginia Woolf because she is outspoken and goes after what she wants. I remember being in that position when, with four kids, a house and a husband, deciding to go back to school full-time. I didn't receive a lot of encouragement, but I did it anyway. My book, "If Not Now When?" was written to encourage people to keep 'going for it' in their senior years. I call it looking for your 'what's next.' This is an incredibly important year for women; 100 years of having the Right to Vote. Too many women take this right for granted."

“I am participating in this because working with such dedicated caring women is so very empowering and purposeful. There is so much inequality still in our society. We need to continue to bring awareness to the problem. This play reminds and informs us how so many women put their lives in the line to make it possible for us to have a voice in this country and voting is our voice!”

"I grew up being called Mustang Sally and my mother said I was never to be put in a corral, for I was a free spirited one. I wanted to know what brought out the best in people, and what humans need most. I landed on LOVE as the primary food for our soul mission. On my journey through traumatic experiences, my biggest battle was with fear. Aligned with love, anything is possible! I still teach messages of cultivating peace. It’s a life practice, and I am privileged to be standing on the shoulders of women who made it possible for me to shine."

"Life is an amazing journey for which I am grateful. I have always been passionate about social justice, but growing up in my household during the 50’s and 60’s, I did not have a voice. My parents both left home when they were 13. My mom would take care of her cousins who went on to Ivy League colleges while my mother stayed with a 9th grade education. Being part of this amazing play constantly ignites the fire in my belly — to stand up and speak for all those who are still struggling for social justice. "

"My great-grandmother was a suffragist and she marched in the parade to gain the right to vote in Boston in 1913. She inspired me to speak up for my rights as a woman and to not just settle. I’ve been an educator for 44 years, from elementary school teacher all the way up to superintendent of schools. I love being part of We Did It For You. It has provided meaning and a sense of pride. I love playing the part of Eleanor Roosevelt. She was someone my mother admired and someone my mother spoke of often. The We Did It For You finale song always brings tears of pride to my eyes."

Adrienne Williams is a retired principal. She is a founding member of women's a Capella singing group UMOJA. Annual performances include International Women's Day, AIDS Awareness Day, MLK birthday and Black History Month programs. Adrienne provided backup singing and drumming for Esaye Barnwell at Bill Sinkford’s final GA of his UUA presidency. She has acted in various shows, readings, recitations, church services, colleges, coffee houses, folk festivals. She has been a teacher, private school principal, and national consultant.

I have always wanted women in business to have the same opportunities as their male counterparts. One of the characters that I play is Mary Kay Ash. Early in her career she was routinely passed over for promotion in favor of men she’d trained! Frustrated she founded Mary Kay Cosmetics eventually worth $200 million! Early In my own career I worked for a furniture and wall manufacturer. Though one man told me "women don't sell walls" I won a prize for selling the most furniture and walls, opened two new offices and helped create an environment where women were valued and respected. I am delighted to be part of We Did It For You and to promote the rights of women through this venue.

"I was of the generation that went to college to find a college-educated husband and maybe learn some skills in case I needed to go to work. Our chemistry professor said we shouldn’t be worried because the grade we got on our chemistry test wouldn’t matter when we were washing dishes and changing diapers. After that, I started reading Betty Friedan’s book The Feminine Mystique and Ms Magazine. I have a strong commitment to social justice which is what prompted me into joining the cast of We Did It For You!"

"During my work at a fortune 500 company, I became familiar with the repeated, common struggles that we still face as a gender in America. I found the healing arts as a way to assist others. I wrote Wake Up, American Women, a book that invites the most blessed women in the world to wake up to the unconscious messages our daughters are sending us as the at-risk statistics for women sky rocket in our country of abundant freedom."

"I'm passionate about peace, compassion, and love for all of humanity. Many of us do not fit into the narrow-minded boxes that have been designed for us. Equality for all and respect for mother nature are extremely important issues for me. I believe that everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and valued! So often within our world individuals are undervalued, and feel as if they are not worthy, especially women. I'm passionate about helping others to realize that they do have a voice that can and should be heard."

"I was teased when I was a child and it shut my voice down. It wasn’t until I met someone who believed in me and guided me that I was put me back on the correct path and I became a singer/songwriter. I now do healing voice work with people who have had similar experiences. I’ve realized how vitally important this play is for the next generation of young women. I see the difference this play makes when I step on the stage. I see it in the tears of older women, the inspiration and pride of women who are currently fighting the fight and the excitement/awakening of the young faces in the audience. It has become part of the difference I want to make in this world."

"I was active in the Medfield Huddle and when the idea about performing the play came up, I said, ‘Why not?’ I joined the Huddle because I wanted to keep the momentum going after the Women’s March in January 2017. I’m concerned how much effort it takes to make democracy work and it goes for all levels."

"I have been involved in the play since its inception, and I have never been bored. I find it appalling that so many women don’t know about the History of the Women’s Movement. How sacred the right to vote is, and what hardships our foremothers went through to secure us this right. When I read Betty Friedan’s book as a teenager, I didn’t understand why women felt that way. I could never understand why I couldn’t be a truck driver, or a newscaster because women couldn’t do those jobs. In my 20s, I marched in the first Women’s March in 1970. I didn’t understand the laws and intimidation some women felt about pursuing their goals."

I love channeling Bella Abzug. I have always admired her hats, and her feisty, forthright delivery of the facts. Her hard work for justice and climate makes her an inspiring role model. Bella said, “All issues are “women’s issues’. We must all wear the hat of an advocate.” I say,”We all need to step out and be part of the solution in whatever way we can”. Bella is just one of the characters that I have had the privilege to portray in this cavalcade of inspiring women. Lucky me who gets to part of this theatrical journey.

You may have noticed that my name and the name of the person I play - Pauli Murray – are similar and the similarity doesn’t end there. She was the first African American Episcopal female priest and I am, as they say, a cradle Episcopalian, born in the church and happily remain associated with it, if not on a weekly basis, but certainly emotionally and financially through my association with Camp Stevens, in Julian, CA, the Episcopal Camp of the Dioceses of Los Angeles. From the cover jacket of Pauli Murray’s 1987 posthumously published autobiography, Song in a Weary Throat, is this statement: “Throughout her years as a lawyer, teacher, poet, feminist (one of the founding members of the National Organization of Women), and Episcopalian priest, Pauli Murray continued to bridge the gap between the races with passion, dedication, but without bitterness”. I want to be like her when I grow up.

"Growing up, my mother was an English professor and she taught me to appreciate and love reading. I truly feel connected to the other women in the show as well as the lives of the women we are depicting. My passion for women’s rights issues and desire to fight against a rigid patriarchal system didn’t emerge until my mid-20s and it still developing today. The issues I am most passionate and involved in are: criminal justice reform, equal rights, violence against women, LGBTQ+ rights, and gun control."