One hundred and ten years ago, two suffragists drove this car across the nation in support of the 19th Amendment. It was one of the many creative ways women brought attention to their effort to win the right to vote.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, a restored 1916 Saxon is on the road again to raise awareness about the ratified — yet to be published — Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). It left New York City in early March and made its way to North Carolina where it stopped in Henderson and Raleigh, original tour stops in 1916, as well as in Greensboro, Charlotte and Asheville before continuing on its merry way.
At each stop, members of ERA NOW shared stories from the original tour and the current effort to recognize the ERA as the 28th Amendment. They urged those in attendance to sign their petition for Congressional recognition of the ERA. Members of the ERA-NC Alliance described our efforts here in our state for both state ratification and the ongoing implementation of the ERA by updating NC’s laws to be more gender neutral. Mayors from many cities attended and issued Women’s History Month proclamations, and were awarded certificates for their strong support of the ERA.
To see photos and read more about each stop through North Carolina, visit www.drivingthevote.org, and specifically the daily dairy from these days:
March 9: Henderson and Raleigh
March 10: Greensboro and Charlotte
March 11: Charlotte
March 12: Asheville
Jeryl Schriever, owner of the car on the 2026 tour (she’s the one in the wonderful hat!), wrote an excellent book about the suffragists’ tour called Driving the Vote for Women. It’s absolutely worth checking out! There’s also a children’s book.
There has also been some great media coverage of the tour:
New York Times – https://www.nytimes.com/
We’ve had some great Sip-n-Paint fundraisers for the ERA-NC Alliance this summer in Wilmington, Chapel Hill and Greensboro!
“I am proud to be the primary House sponsor of this bill for the fourth consecutive session,” said Rep. von Haefen. “Some people may ask why our state still needs to pass a bill regarding the ERA after Virginia became the final state necessary for ratification in 2020.