Wasn’t she amazing? Elizabeth Boynton Harbert. Right here in Elizabeth Boynton Harbert Park we stand on ground that remembers a woman who fought tirelessly for women’s suffrage. This park isn’t just a green space. It’s a monument to a remarkable life.
Elizabeth Boynton Harbert was a force of nature a true pioneer. Born in 1843 she graduated college in 1862. Imagine her audacity! She then applied to Wabash College an all-male institution. Rejected she didn’t give up. She wrote about her experience for the New York Independent launching her career as a writer and activist.
Her activism took her across state lines. She served as vice president of the Indiana Woman Suffrage Association. Then she moved to Iowa holding the same position there. She was president of the Iowa Woman Suffrage Association too. In 1874 she moved to Evanston Illinois. She became president of the Illinois Woman Suffrage Association. She held that position for twelve years. That’s dedication.
Harbert wasn’t just a leader. She was a writer too. She penned a column called “Woman’s Kingdom” for the Chicago Inter Ocean newspaper. She even had her own monthly newsletter “The New Era”. These publications gave voice to her expansive views on women’s rights. She connected women’s suffrage to workers’ rights. She argued that women’s votes were essential for labor reforms.
Harbert was involved in so many organizations. The Woman’s Club of Evanston the Illinois Social Science Association the National Household Economic Association. She received an honorary doctorate from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1891. What an achievement. She championed justice and equality for women until she moved to California in 1906. She died in 1925 at 81.
This park dedicated in her honor in 1983 is a testament to her legacy. As you sit here on a bench or walk along the paths remember her fight. Her struggle helped pave the way for the rights we enjoy today. Elizabeth Boynton Harbert Park isn’t just a place to relax it’s a place to remember a powerful woman who changed history.