PBS SUFFRAGE DOCUMENTARY CITIZEN’S AT LAST: TEXAS WOMEN FIGHT FOR THE VOTE
Produced by Ellen Temple and Nancy Schiesari
Directed by Nancy Schiesari
The PBS released documentary Citizens At Last: Texas Women Fight For the Vote is largely based on published work and a forthcoming book by Jessica Brannon-Wranosky.
Jessica served as a consultant for much of the content and interviews with her appear throughout the film.
Citizens At Last aired on PBS stations worldwide beginning in 2021 and is available to live stream through the project’s website at https://www.citizensatlastfilm.com/, soon to be released through BlueRay and DVD.
BIOGRAPHICAL SUFFRAGE FILMS
Produced by Jessica Brannon-Wranosky, Ellen Temple and Nancy Schiesari
Directed by Nancy Schiesari
Five short biographical films Produced by Jessica Brannon-Wranosky, Ellen Temple, Nancy Schiesari, and Directed by Nancy Schiesari released in 2024. Each tells the story of a Texas woman and her connections and reasons for supporting woman suffrage and/or the long voting rights movement. As a set, they build on each other and the full length film Citizens At Last: Texas Women Fight for the Vote, to show the wide range of Texas women and their different life experiences which led them to advocate for a variety of voting rights reform.
The short film focused on Galvestonian, Delta Sigma Theta national founder, suffragist, NAACP leader and educator, Jessie McGuire Dent can be accessed openly and without cost to viewers at https://www.citizensatlastfilm.com/jessie-dent.
The short film focused on Austin resident, internationally acclaimed sculptor, and suffragist, Elisabet Ney can be accessed openly and without cost to viewers at https://www.citizensatlastfilm.com/elisabet-ney.
The short film focused on Texarkana resident, head of the Black Division of the Woman Christian Temperance Union, and suffragist, Eliza Eubanks Peterson can be accessed openly and without cost to viewers at https://www.citizensatlastfilm.com/eliza-peterson.
The short film focused on Laredo native and later San Antonio resident, Mexican Revolutionary, journalist, educator, community leader, and suffragist, Jovita Idar can be accessed openly and without cost to viewers at https://www.citizensatlastfilm.com/jovita-idar.
The short film focused on Houston resident, Texas and national NAACP leader, and voting rights activist, Lulu Belle Madison White can be accessed openly and without cost to viewers at https://www.citizensatlastfilm.com/lulu-white.
SUFFRAGE TRAVELLING EXHIBIT
Jessica Brannon-Wranosky served as exhibit author for the fully revised (2021) Humanities Texas travelling exhibit, Citizens At Last. The exhibition is based on Jessica’s forthcoming book and portions align with the film Citizens At Last: Texas Women Fight For the Vote.
Exhibit Panel Topics Include:
Texas Beginnings
Reconstruction
The Public Crusade
A State Association
Suffrage Society Plan
Transnational Networks
Anti-Suffrage Sentiment
The Winning Plan
Primary Suffrage
Segregated Suffrage
The Nineteenth Amendment
The Long Voting Rights Movement
The travelling exhibit can be reserved for exhibition by contacting Humanities Texas: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/exhibitions/list/by-title/citizens-last-woman-suffrage-movement-texas.
SUFFRAGE CURRICULUM PROGRAMMING
Jessica Brannon-Wranosky serves as Project Director for Votes for Texas Women Curriculum, a partnership project between Humanities Texas and Texas A&M University-Commerce partially funded by TEA that will create a series of lesson plans and learning modules that will provide secondary educators with the tools and content to bring the documentary Citizens At Last: Texas Women Fight For the Vote, content from the Humanities Texas exhibit, and Jessica’s forthcoming book into the classroom in a variety of ways depending on each individual teacher’s and class’s needs. The secondary education curriculum created by this project will be available free and open to educators through the Humanities Texas site starting sometime in 2024.
Jessica Brannon-Wranosky • Historian 