Planned March To Commemorate Suffragette Centennial

It's hard to believe that it was less than 100 years ago that women in the United States didn't have the right to vote. The centennial anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment isn't until 2020, but a critical step in the women's suffrage movement will celebrate 100 years in February and has a surprising tie to the Overlea community.

In the winter of 1913, a group of suffragettes marched from New York City to Washington D.C. in the dead of winter to draw attention to the women's suffrage movement and on their path they stopped in Overlea, according to an article in the New York Times.

That's why Overlea Community Association board member Doris Poling is organizing an event to celebrate the milestone.

"When I heard about it I was just blown away that it was part of our history in Overlea," Poling said. "I think it’s just absolutely exciting and a wonderful thing. It’s amazing to me that my mother, when she was born, women did not have the right to vote. I think it’s so important—we take it for granted in some ways. The fact that these women ... it was a big march in Washington that they were walking to, of course, to bring notoriety to the suffrage movement."

Poling said that she's already gotten approval from the Baltimore County Police Department and the Maryland State Highway Administration to close Belair Road between Taylor Avenue and Northern Parkway on Feb. 23, when she hopes to hold the event.

But she needs help to make it happen, and that's why she's looking for volunteers—a committee meeting is scheduled for Jan. 9 at Poling's Overlea home. 

"I'm looking for people to not just participate but also for committee members to help," Poling said.

Poling asked anyone interested to contact her at dfpoling18@yahoo.com.