The historic women’s suffrage march on Washington - Michelle Mehrtens

Reviewer: Karina Prabowo

On March 3, 1913,

Tanggal 3 Maret 1913,

protesters parted for the woman in white:

para pengunjuk rasa membuka jalan bagi wanita berbaju putih:

dressed in a flowing cape and sitting astride a white horse,

mengenakan jubah menjuntai dan menaiki kuda putih,

the activist Inez Milholland was hard to miss.

aktivis Inez Milholland sulit dilewatkan.

She was riding at the helm of the Women’s Suffrage Parade-

Dia memimpin Parade Hak Pilih Wanita-

the first mass protest for a woman’s right to vote on a national scale.

demonstrasi besar-besaran pertama agar wanita bisa memilih di skala nasional.

After months of strategic planning and controversy,

Setelah perencanaan strategis dan perdebatan berbulan-bulan,

thousands of women gathered in Washington D.C.

ribuan wanita berkumpul di Washington D.C.

Here, they called for a constitutional amendment granting them the right to vote.

Mereka menuntut amendemen konstitusional memberikan mereka hak pilih.

By 1913, women’s rights activists had been campaigning for decades.

Hingga 1913, aktivis wanita telah berkampanye selama puluhan tahun.

As a disenfranchised group,

Sebagai kelompok tanpa hak pilih,

women had no voice in the laws that affected their– or anyone else’s– lives.

wanita tak punya suara dalam hukum yang memengaruhi hidupnya atau orang lain.

However, they were struggling to secure broader support for political equality.

Namun, mereka berjuang mendapat dukungan luas untuk kesetaraan politik.

They’d achieved no major victories since 1896,

Mereka tak pernah mencetak kemenangan besar sejak 1896,

when Utah and Idaho enfranchised women.

saat Utah dan Idaho mencabut hak pilih wanita.

That brought the total number of states which recognized a women’s right to vote

Dengan demikian, jumlah negara bagian yang mengakui hak pilih wanita

to four.

tinggal empat.

A new, media-savvy spirit arrived in the form of Alice Paul.

Datanglah sosok baru yang memahami media, bernama Alice Paul.

She was inspired by the British suffragettes,

Ia terinspirasi pejuang hak pilih wanita Inggris,

who went on hunger strikes and endured imprisonment in the early 1900s.

yang melakukan aksi mogok makan dan dipenjara pada awal 1900-an.

Rather than conduct costly campaigns on a state-by-state basis,

Daripada mengadakan kampanye mahal di tiap negara bagian,

Paul sought the long-lasting impact of a constitutional amendment,

Paul membidik dampak jangka panjang dari amendemen konstitusional,

which would protect women’s voting rights nationwide.

yang akan melindungi hak pilih wanita di seluruh negeri.

As a member of the National American Women Suffrage Association,

Sebagai anggota Asosiasi Hak Pilh Wanita Amerika,

Paul proposed a massive pageant to whip up support and rejuvenate the movement.

Paul mengusulkan pawai untuk menggalang dukungan dan membarui gerakan.

Washington authorities initially rejected her plan-

Pihak berwajib Washington menolak idenya-

and then tried to relegate the march to side streets.

dan mencoba memindahkan pawai ke jalan-jalan kecil.

But Paul got those decisions overturned

Namun Paul membalikkan putusan itu

and confirmed a parade for the day before the presidential inauguration

dan memastikan parade sehari sebelum pelantikan presiden Woodrow Wilson.

of Woodrow Wilson.

This would maximize media coverage

Ini akan memaksimalkan pemberitaan media

and grab the attention of the crowds who would be in town.

dan menarik perhatian publik yang akan hadir di kota.

However, in planning the parade,

Namun, dalam merencanakan parade,

Paul mainly focused on appealing to white women from all backgrounds,

Paul lebih berfokus pada wanita kulit putih dari berbagai latar belakang

including those who were racist.

termasuk mereka yang rasis.

She actively discouraged African American activists

Dia menghalang-halangi para aktivis Amerika Afrika

and organizations from participating-

dan organisasi agar tidak ikut serta -

and stated that those who did so should march in the back.

dan menyatakan mereka yang ikut harus berbaris di belakang.

But black women would not be made invisible in a national movement

Namun wanita kulit hitam yang berperan dalam gerakan nasional itu

they helped shape.

tidak bisa diabaikan.

On the day of the march,

Pada hari parade,

Ida B. Wells-Barnett,

Ida B. Wells-Barnett,

seorang jurnalis investigasi revolusioner dan advokat anti hukuman mati ilegal,

a ground-breaking investigative journalist and anti-lynching advocate,

refused to move to the back and proudly marched under the Illinois banner.

menolak dipindah ke belakang dan dengan bangga berbaris membawa bendera Illinois.

The co-founder of the NAACP, Mary Church Terrell,

Salah satu pendiri NAACP, Mary Church Terrell,

joined the parade with the 22 founders of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,

bergabung bersama 22 pendiri Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,

an organization created by female students from Howard University.

organisasi yang didirikan para mahasiswi Universitas Howard.

In these ways and more,

Dengan demikian,

para wanita kulit hitam tetap bertahan walau dikecam

black women persevered despite deep hostility

from white women in the movement,

oleh para wanita kulit putih,

and at great political and physical risk.

dan terancam secara politis dan fisik.

On the day of the parade,

Pada hari parade,

suffragists assembled to create a powerful exhibition.

Para aktivis berkumpul membentuk sebuah peragaan yang kuat.

The surging sections of the procession included international suffragists,

Arak-arakannya termasuk para aktivis hak pilih internasional,

artists, performers and business-owners.

artis, penampil, dan pemilik bisnis.

Floats came in the form of golden chariots;

Tampil pula sebuah kereta kencana berwarna emas;

an enormous Liberty Bell; and a map of enfranchised countries.

Liberty Bell raksasa; dan peta negara yang memiliki hak pilih.

On the steps of the Treasury Building,

Di anak tangga Treasury Building,

performers acted out the historical achievements of women to a live orchestra.

para penampil memerankan pencapaian historis wanita diiringi orkestra.

The marchers carried on even as a mob blocked the route,

Mereka terus berjalan walau dicegat massa,

hurling insults and spitting at women,

yang mencemooh dan meludahi mereka,

tossing cigars, and physically assaulting participants.

melempari rokok, dan menyerang para peserta.

The police did not intervene,

Polisi tidak menghentikan mereka,

and in the end, over 100 women were hospitalized.

akibatnya, lebih dari 100 wanita dirawat di rumah sakit.

Their mistreatment, widely reported throughout the country,

Penganiayaan ini dilaporkan besar- besaran di seluruh negeri,

catapulted the parade into the public eye—

sehingga diketahui masyarakat luas—

and garnered suffragists greater sympathy.

dan para aktivis pun mendapat banyak simpati.

National newspapers lambasted the police,

Surat kabar nasional mencerca polisi,

and Congressional hearings investigated their actions during the parade.

dengar pendapat Kongres turut menyelidiki aksi mereka selama pawai.

After the protest, the "Women’s Journal" declared,

Setelah demo, “Women’s Journal” menyatakan,

“Washington has been disgraced. Equal suffrage has scored a great victory."

“Washington telah dipermalukan. Kesetaraan hak pilih berjaya.”

In this way,

Dengan ini,

the march initiated a surge of support for women’s voting rights

gerakan tersebut menginisiasi dukungan untuk hak pilih wanita

that endured in the coming years.

yang bertahan bertahun-tahun berikutnya.

Suffragists kept up steady pressure on their representatives,

Aktivis hak pilih tetap menekan pada para perwakilan mereka,

attended rallies, and petitioned the White House.

mengikuti aksi unjuk rasa, dan mengajukan petisi ke Gedung Putih.

Inez Milholland, the woman on the white horse,

Inez Milholland, wanita di atas kuda putih,

campaigned constantly throughout the United States,

terus berkampanye ke seluruh Amerika Serikat,

despite suffering from chronic health problems.

meskipun mengidap sakit kronis.

She did not live to see her efforts come to fruition.

Ia meninggal sebelum menyaksikan buah dari usahanya.

In 1916,

Tahun 1916,

she collapsed while giving a suffrage speech and died soon after.

Ia pingsan saat berpidato tentang hak pilih dan meninggal tak lama kemudian.

According to popular reports,

Menurut laporan,

her last words were,

kata-kata terakhirnya adalah,

“Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?”

“Pak Presiden, sampai kapan wanita harus menanti kebebasan?”

Though full voting inclusion would take decades,

Walau penyertaan voting penuh perlu puluhan tahun,

in 1920, Congress ratified the 19th amendment,

pada tahun 1920, Kongres meratifikasi amendemen ke-19,

finally granting women the right to vote.

yang akhirnya memberikan wanita hak untuk memilih.