Agents of Change

Southampton County native Nancy Bailey left her job as a high school teacher to enlist in the WAVES out of a sense of patriotic duty. She later recalled, “There is no way to tell you how I felt when I put on my first uniform and stood up to salute when the Star-Spangled Banner was played.” Gift of Nancy Bailey Bon Cogsdale.

As household managers, American women helped the war effort by rationing—a sacrifice deemed both necessary and patriotic. To ensure adequate supplies for defense needs, the government rationed commodities such as sugar, fuel, and food items, and issued booklets like these with stamps for obtaining the regulated quantity of rationed goods. 

This coin holder emblazoned with Walker’s portrait is a fitting tribute to her commitment to black empowerment in the face of rampant discrimination. “Let us put our moneys together,” she stated when she founded the Saint Luke Penny Savings Bank, “and reap the benefit ourselves … Let us have a bank that will take the nickels and turn them into dollars.” 

Perhaps the most iconic emblem of contemporary female activism is the pink Pussyhat worn in the Women’s March, held annually in cities around the world since 2017. Originally designed to signal opposition to President Donald Trump, this hat in the shape of cat’s ears symbolizes female empowerment. Stephanie Younger has been involved in both the D.C. and Richmond Women’s Marches. Gift of Alyssa Murray. 

This handcrafted sign bears a statement variously attributed to a Mexican proverb or a gay poet of the 1970s. The inscription on the back revises the famous Cyndi Lauper lyric to, “Girls just wanna have FUNdamental HUMAN rights!” Gift of Women’s March RVA Courtesy of Rachel Scott Everett. 

In 2014, a Chesterfield County couple helped overturn Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage as plaintiffs in Bostic v. Shaefer, a landmark case in the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. When they entered this legal fight, Carol Schall and Mary Townley had been together for decades and had a daughter, Emily. In 2008, they married in California—the first state to legalize same-sex marriage—but Virginia did not recognize their union. This meant, for instance, that Schall could not visit or get information about Townley when she was hospitalized during her pregnancy. As Emily’s non-biological parent, Schall was also denied full parental rights. This family’s battle for legal equality reflects ongoing activism for LGBTQ+ rights. The couple’s daughter, Emily Schall-Townley (b. 1998), was actively involved in the family’s fight for equality. She was wearing this necklace on the day that the federal court struck down Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage (see image on main panel). Gift of Carol Schall, Mary Townley, and Emily Schall-Townley. 

“Culture of this Country = Equality & Diversity” is one of the notes that Schall, Townley, and their daughter wrote to each other in the courtroom. Another comment, “So those celebrity 10 min marriages are good for children?” responds to the opposing side’s claim that children raised without a traditional mother-father unit are disadvantaged. 

This broadside makes the case for suffrage through the unfavorable comparison of the rights and privileges held by Virginia women to their sisters in states where women could vote. 

Younger uses creative expression—writing and art—to address the intersection of racism and sexism in her life. For instance, as a woman of color, she experiences different forms of discrimination than a white woman would. In this work, Younger juxtaposed a silhouette of a Black Power fist against a background of Post-It notes inscribed with statements people have said to her. On loan from Stephanie Younger. 

Several generations of Rappahannock leaders have used this drum in spiritual ceremonies. Under her tenure as chief, Richardson initiated programs to teach young people native language, dance, arts, foodways, and other traditions. On loan from Chief Anne Richardson, Rappahannock Tribe. 

Over the course of her career, Dr. Gilpin used this notebook to record information about a range of ailments. Some of her notes likely date from the summer of 1933, when she attended a post-graduate clinic held at St. Philip Hospital, Richmond’s black hospital, in conjunction with the Medical College of Virginia. MCV did not admit black students until 1948. Gift of Dorothy Radcliffe Chambers, 2006. 

Crater regularly wore this necklace of her hero and embraced Anthony’s famous directive “Educate all women to rebel”—inscribed on the underside. Crater founded and edited The Woman Activist newsletter and the annual Almanac of Virginia Politics to inspire women’s political engagement. On loan from Walt Crater and Vivian Gray. 

Copenhaver marketed Rosemont products through mail order catalogs—she had customers across the nation and abroad. The cover image here, dating from the 1920s, evokes the sense of tradition and craftsmanship she prized, of skills “handed down from mother to daughter since colonial times.” 

In traveling around the state, giving speeches, and wielding campaign signs such as this flag, suffrage activists bucked traditional conceptions of white southern femininity as genteel, demure, and confined to the domestic sphere.