The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Veronica Chambers on "Finish the Fight!" and American Suffrage

Episode Date: March 12, 2021

New York Times editor Veronica Chambers talks about her book about the American suffrage movement "Finish the Fight!" and the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote in the U.S. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 utes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. Veronica Chambers, welcome to the daily social distancing show. Thank you. It's nice to be socially distancing from you. I really appreciate having

you on the show because you've done something that I honestly think is one of the most crucial things ever, and that is writing a book that teaches people about history, and although you've written it predominantly for middle schoolers, I feel like everyone should read this book because it's about the suffrage movement in America. It's about women fighting for the right to vote, but what I find interesting is that it tells t of history that is oftentimes overlooked. Why did you think this

book was so crucial? Well, about a year and a half ago, maybe a little more, we were thinking, we knew the anniversary of the 19th Amendment was coming up, and we kind of gathered in a room the New York Times and we said, what do we know? And it turned out not a lot. And so the idea of writing the middle grade book was really from that thing that journalists do, which is like explain it to me like I was a 10 year old. And if you can explain it to someone like you're a 10 year old, you really actually have to learn a lot to distill it. And that's what we did.

And it kind of shaped that kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind kind of that kind of that kind of that kind. I won't lie, one thing that I really found interesting in the way you wrote about the stories is they seem pretty badass. You know, like normally when you read about the suffrage movement, it gets, it sometimes can be portrayed as like, and they asked for the right to vote and they asked again and they asked again and they asked of historians and one of them, Kate LeMay from the Smithsonian, she was like, suffrage needs a rewrite. This is not a boring history. These are badass political strategists who worked for 90 years to get the job done.

And that's stuck in my head. So I really tried to let that infuse the writing in it. I really fell in love with these women these women these women these women these women these women th these th these the the the women. I the women. I the women. I the women. I the women I the women I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I thoomom. I though. I though. I really the. I thusususus. I thus. I thus. I th. I th. I thus. I th. I though. I though. I though. I though. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I the. I the. I the. I thea. I thea. I thea. I thea. I thean to thean thean thean thean thean thea. I'm thea. I ththese women. I have to tell you they just became like my heroes and I couldn't believe that I didn't grow up knowing about them. This book is about the women who fought for their right to vote. It's also the story which is really difficult of how women fought for the right to vote but not all of those women were treated equally when the vote was given to women. Tell me a little bit more about that. Well, you know, the Suffer's movement really has its history and abolition, the movement to end slavery. And then the Civil War comes and the 15th Amendment is up.

And they decide to push for black men to get the vote before white women. And quite frankly, we have a sort of cultural moment of Karen's. The Karen's of the 19th century were not having it. They were just basically like, how dare these men who are just off plantations get the right to vote before us? And it really sets up a pecking order that we see today, which is, you know, white men, black women, and there's this clash and it really breaks apart the movement and it's difficult and it sets the tone for a lot. But I will say that I think that what Kimberly Crenshaw said about black women showing up and showing out, you see it so much in

the history. As early as 1810s, 1820, years before Seneca Falls, black women are giving speeches about women rights and the motto lifting as we climb is really about opening the doors wide as you can get it for as many people as you can get it. You know, Susan B. Anthony is somebody that so many people look up to and they go like, man, if it weren't for her, women wouldn't have the right to vote and this was wonderful, but she does have a complicated history. As a journalist, to, to, to, to to to to to th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi... And, thi. And, thi. And, thi. And, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. And, theeean, thean, thean, thean, thean, thean, thean, thean, the the the the the the their, their to vote, and this was wonderful, but she does have a complicated history. As a journalist and as a writer, how did you try and navigate that story of somebody who has done something amazing, but also has extremely problematic views and try to hold other people back?

Well, that was definitely, you've hit the nail on the head in terms of one of the challenges, but one of the things that I fought really thoomom......... I fought, I fought, I fought, I fought, I fought, I fought, I fought, I fought, I fought, I fought, I fought, I fought, I fought, I fought, I fought really strongly for, I remember sitting in a meeting and someone said, we should do a chapter called Susan B. Anthony is canceled. And I was like, we are not canceling people from history. I'm sorry. I'm like, we're just not. Like, it's so flip and so whatever. I mean, the fact is, is that she dedicated her whole life to it. You know, the movement took, you know, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and took, and took, and took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, the movement, took, the movement, took, the movement, the movement, the movement, took, took, took, took, long, only one woman who signed at Seneca Falls lived to vote in 1920. That's how long this movement took. So I think that, you know, we just have to say

some people had problems and I think we can hold a more complicated view now, appreciate them for what they did and know that they had problems and hopefully teach our kids to learn from that, you know. I really think this would be great for kids to see themselves because yes you have white women who are fighting for the right to vote but they're joined by black women who also fighting for the right to vote who as you said inspired much of the movement. You also have Asian women who are fighting for the right to vote. You have Latinx women who are fighting for the right to vote and it really does paint a more. not just diverse, but really like superhero picture of this band of people who fought in different ways for this right.

Do you think it's important for us to reframe the story and tell it with all of the color, excuse the pun, that it truly deserves? You know, we think about diversity as ticking boxes, but really when you get into the story of these women of color and suffrage, they are really futurist. They are thinking about not just themselves, but other generations. 16-year-old Mabel Pinguali led one of the largest suffrage parades in history, knowing that the Chinese Exclusion Act meant that she herself would not be able to vote in 1920. These suffragists who were futurists were thinking not just about themselves, not just about

the Graham, and that's what I try to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to, and that's what I try to teach my daughter and her friends, is You know, you don't have to have like likes to be a badass You just have to do the right thing be focused and like listen to your heart and try to help people, you know? When kids are reading your book, what would you like them to take and apply to to today? What would you hope that they try and inspire themselves to think about for tomorrow? Because many of them will go like, well everyone can vote so I guess the job is done. What would you hope that they garner from this that they may not necessarily immediately you know jump to? Well I think it's funny because you saying that I remember being in school and thin the the the the rights movement is done, I'm never going to have to fight that battle again. I think the one thing I would love for kids to know is that there's never just one thing

going on at one time. And that's why it's actually hard to make a movement, because white stuff are just like, we have to focus on women. And Ida B. Wells, Barnett comes in and says, we have to talk about child labor laws and safe and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, and, and, is, is, and, is, and, is, is, and, is, is their, is their, and, their, their, their, tops.a, together, together, together, their.a.a. Wea. Wea, their. And, their. Wea, their. Wea, their. talk about lynching. And then, you know, Rose Snyderman and Margaret Hinchy come in and they say, we have to talk about child labor laws and safe factory conditions for poor women. And the fact is, that's the complicated thing about making a difference, is knowing that nothing is happening in isolation.

And really, the trick of working through coalition and building a movement, it's being able to hear the voices around you and gathering together to do the work of many issues. That is the challenge of leadership. And I hope the book gives a little bit of a glimpse of how these amazing women did that. I hope someone gets books like these to the White House, because I think they're not just fantastic for kids, but they're fantastic for adults who may read at a child's level. So thank you so much for joining us on the show and congratulations on creating a wonderful,

wonderful book that everybody should know about. Thank you so much. It's been an honor. The Daily Show with Trevor Noa, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show Week nights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show. to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes.

It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look. Starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.