Austin — From Hyde Park to the Capitol to BookWoman, Progress Is a Continuum

Arriving in Austin, we knew the Driving the Vote for Equality Tour was rolling into a community where history had already bent toward equality and, given the political winds, the gains of the past may be at risk for the future.

At the Texas State Capitol in 1916, suffrage leaders worked together to make the visit by Alice and Nell a big one, knowing it could help secure voting rights for Texas women. And in 1918, they pushed the state to lead the South in ratifying the 19th Amendment.

But this stop by the Golden Flyer II wasn't just about history — it was about bringing it to life.

Our day began in Hyde Park at the Baker Center, a historic 1911 school building, where the Golden Flyer II drew people taking photos and conducting conversations. Parked in front of the building, the Saxon became a bridge across generations — linking the stalled suffrage movement of 1916 to today's unfinished fight for the Equal Rights Amendment.

We were greeted by the organizing committee led by Bonnie Artale of Zonta and Debbi Voss of the League of Women Voters. People were excited about helping to get Sign4ERA.org signatures at the Austin No Kings event. Debbi served as part of the planning for the No Kings Day event and was very proud that 81 different tables were scheduled with information and actions on diverse, intersectional issues — groups working together, standing up for democracy. She arranged a special table for Sign4ERA.org petitions along with Ms. Magazine, with a feature story, Driving the Vote for Equality Launches, written by author Jeryl Schriever with ERA NOW board member Kathy Bonk.

By late morning, the energy shifted to our motorcycle escorts leading the way for the Golden Flyer II past the University of Texas and around the State Capitol — history quite literally in motion — before arriving at the historic Old Bakery and Emporium.

Moira Zinn has been involved in women's rights issues for decades. She was one of the women motorcycle escorts who guided the Golden Flyer II on its route through Austin. During our stop at the Old Bakery she engaged with the people signing the Sign4ERA.org petition, and she took with her a stack of Sign4ERA.org petitions, pledging to collect signatures on the upcoming No Kings Day and at other events.

The Old Bakery & Artisan Emporium is a historic landmark located in downtown Austin. Local artists and craftspeople keep the artisan shop full of unique handmade items — many by women of Texas.

There, we marked Women's History Month with a giant Texas welcome by Herlinda Zamora, the Old Bakery cultural and arts program manager, who brought her passion for the arts and her rich culture as a descendant of Mexican immigrants to the event.

We stood before the first mural at the site entitled "Generational Ties" — a work that visually represents the locale's rich cultural history.

Bonnie gave a special certificate to Herlinda and introduced State Representative Vikki Goodwin with thanks for her strong support of women's equality — a reminder that leadership still matters in moving this work forward. As with other elected officials, Rep. Goodwin spoke about the importance of having women in state legislatures and statewide offices to take forward the issues that are too often ignored.

Miriam "Ma" Ferguson was elected Governor in 1925, soon after suffrage, when women started voting in more numbers, and became one of the first women elected as governor — although she and her husband had a bit of a checkered background. When she left office in 1935, there was a 50-year gap when no women were elected to statewide executive offices. That changed in 1983, a few years after the second wave of feminists organized the National Women's Conference in Houston focusing on broader social, economic, and cultural inequalities. Ann Richards was elected State Treasurer, followed by Kay Bailey Hutchison, with Richards moving up to be elected and serve as governor from 1991 to 1995.

Vikki is working to change this picture and bring women back into top leadership in Texas.

She came to the opening event in the morning and traveled to the Emporium in the Saxon, driving the streets of Austin in the Golden Flyer II with its driver Susan Nourse — aka Alice — as people along the route gave thumbs up and cheers.

In the afternoon, the story came full circle at BookWoman, an anchor in the Austin literary scene for 45 years. Jeryl signed her book, Driving the Vote for Women: An American Journey for Suffrage, and shared the story of the original 1916 suffrage journey — the very journey that inspired this tour — grounding our work in the courage and determination of those who came before us.

Throughout the day, conversations turned into connections, and connections into signatures.

Austin carries a powerful truth: Texas women gained the vote early, and the state passed its own Equal Rights Amendment in 1972. And yet, decades later, the nation has still not finished the job.

From Hyde Park to the Capitol to BookWoman on North Lamar, Austin reminded us that progress is not a single moment — it is a continuum. And like those who drove before us, we keep moving forward — one stop, one story, one signature at a time.