Community Corner
Relatives Work to Spotlight RVC Suffragist in Film
Campaign launched to fund movie on RVC resident Edna Buckman Kearns.
As New York gets closer to the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in the state in 1917, the relatives of prominent suffragist Edna Buckman Kearns are working tirelessly to edit a film about her life and work. Buckman, who lived and worked in Rockville Centre, lobbied for women on both state and national levels.
“Edna barnstormed Long Island in a wagon called the ‘Spirit of 1776,’” said her granddaughter, Marguerite Kearns, who is leading the fundraising efforts for the film. “She gave speeches, marched in parades, participated in demonstrations, picketed the White House and organized many events.” Today, the wagon is on display at the New York State museum.
Having been interested in her grandmother’s work for her entire life, Kearns dedicated the past year to compiling photos, letters, memorabilia and news clippings from her grandmother’s archives. Now, she is organizing a Kickstarter campaign to fundraise to edit a film based on her findings.
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“Raising the money through the campaign will enable me to take the story of my grandmother and the Long Island suffrage movement to more people nationwide,” said Kearns, who already has a rough cut of the film. “It would be a turning point to have the support of people on Long Island.”
According to Kearns, her grandmother also served as the suffrage editor for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and the suffrage press contact for Long Island newspapers. “She was well known as someone who wouldn't leave a stone unturned when it came to lobbying for the right of women to vote,” Kearns said.
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Tara Bloyd, Marguerite’s niece and Edna’s great-granddaughter, is helping to promote the Kickstarter campaign through word of mouth and on her company’s Facebook page.
“It's my responsibility and my privilege as Edna's descendant to carry on her legacy,” Bloyd said. “I'm so proud of who she was and what she did.”
For more information on the Kearns family’s campaign, visit www.kickstarter.com and type suffrage wagon into the search field.
