Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells Descendants to Ride on Rose Parade Float

Harriet Tubman and Ida B Wells

The 131st Rose Parade will mark the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, with a float honoring early pioneers of women’s suffrage and civil rights.

As part of the commemoration, descendants of several historic figures will ride on the “Years of Hope, Years of Courage” float as it makes the five-mile trek down Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, California on New Year’s Day.

Participants on the float include descendants of abolitionist Harriet Tubman; journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells; suffragist and social activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton; women’s rights advocate Susan B. Anthony; and abolitionist and social reformer Frederick Douglass.

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Years of Hope, Years of Courage Float
Years of Hope, Years of Courage Float (Courtesy of Tournament of Roses)

The float will feature a 30-foot Statue of Liberty symbolizing the role all women have played in the nation’s history. It will be followed by 100 people walking behind it, known as “Out-Walkers,” in period attire.

100 years ago, women in the United States won the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment in June 1919. It was enacted in 1920, however, large groups of people including African Americans, still were not allowed to vote until years later.

The “Years of Hope, Years of Courage” float was created by retired University Rochester professor and Pasadena resident Nan Johnson and several others who formed a committee to support the creation, according to the Tournament of Roses website. With the 2020 election nearing, the float is meant to remind the public about the responsibility to vote, organizers say.

Below are details on the people who will be riding on the float.
Coline Jenkins (Descendant of Elizabeth Cady Stanton)
Ernestine Wyatt (Descendant of Harriet Tubman)
Michelle Duster (Descendant of Ida B. Wells)
Marci Magnatta (Descendant of Susan B. Anthony)
Kenneth B. Morris Jr. (Descendant of Frederick Douglass)

The 2020 Rose Parade gets underway on Wednesday, January 1, at 8:00 AM PST.