Following the Road East: South Bend, Indiana

On September 13, 1916, Alice Burke and Nell Richardson made a brief overnight stop in South Bend, Indiana. As reported in the South Bend News-Times, the two suffragists were heading east, toward New York City, where their remarkable cross-country journey had begun five months and more than 10,000 miles earlier. They were entering the final stretch of the long road home — tired, road-worn, and still carrying their message.

One hundred and ten years later the Golden Flyer II arrived in South Bend following much the same path. We, too, were heading east. We, too, were nearing the end of a national tour. And we, too, were still carrying the message: that women’s equality belongs in the Constitution.

South Bend City Hall made a fitting backdrop — and Mayor James Mueller made the most of the moment.

Mayor Mueller welcomed the Tour with genuine enthusiasm — not just the ceremonial kind, but the kind that comes from having thought about what the ERA actually means for the people in his city. He signed the Sign4ERA petition, accepted the ERA Champions Award on behalf of his support for the U.S. Conference of Mayors ERA resolution, and then did what every mayor has done when given the chance: he climbed into the Golden Flyer II.

The mayor’s engagement — kneeling at the petition board to sign, posing with city staff, taking the Saxon for a wave-and-smile moment in front of his own City Hall — captured what this Tour has found again and again. Mayors are closest to the people they serve. They understand, in the most direct terms, what it means when rights depend on who holds power rather than what the Constitution says. That understanding tends to make the ERA feel less abstract and more urgent.

The League of Women Voters of South Bend co-hosted the stop and was a visible, energetic presence throughout the morning. The LWV has been a cornerstone of civic engagement in this city and a consistent voice for voting rights, women’s equality, and constitutional protections. Their partnership with the Tour reflects the same principle that has powered the LWV since its founding: that democracy works better when more people participate in it, and that the ERA is essential to making full participation possible.

As always, Tour mechanic and petition champion Peter Brown was at work between the official moments — approaching passersby, sharing the ERA’s story one conversation at a time, and gathering signatures from people who had never heard of Sign4ERA before they met him. That work, quiet and persistent, is as important as any speech from a podium.

South Bend understood what this stop was about — not just a historic car pulling up to a city hall, but a living connection between one generation’s fight and the next. Alice and Nell paused here in 1916 on their way home, their work nearly done but not finished. The Driving the Vote for Equality Tour paused here in 2026, its work nearly done but not finished.

Every signature strengthens the call. Every community expands the movement. And every elected leader who steps forward helps send the message that equality is not a partisan issue — it is a constitutional one.

From City Hall, the Golden Flyer II turned east once again — following the road toward New York City, honoring the women who traveled before us, and carrying their unfinished journey forward.