Take the Kids: Dive into women's history at NC Museum of History's 'You Have to Start a Thing'

March is Women's History Month, and that makes it the perfect time to check out the N.C. Museum of History's exhibit "You Have to Start a Thing."

The exhibit opened last year during the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which allowed women to vote. It runs through August 2021. "You Have to Start a Thing" stretches across a small footprint on the museum's first floor. It tells the story of how North Carolinians fought for and against the amendment and the continued struggles of ensuring voting rights for everybody in the state, especially people of color.

The name comes from a quote from Lillian Exum Clement, the first woman to serve in the North Carolina General Assembly, that's displayed prominently at the start of the exhibit. "I want to blaze a trail for other women," she said in 1921. "I know that years from now there will be many other women in politics, but you have to start a thing."

From there, the exhibit provides lots of discussion and history about the suffragette movement in North Carolina. There were no large-scale parades or protests here, for example. So one display features a desk because most of the work was behind one as women wrote letters or drafted petitions. It covers the importance of the nascent women's club movement, where women learned the skills required to become public figures.

And there are several prompts for visitors to think more about what they're learning about. One display asks visitors to contemplate what issues they will fight for, which could be the start of a great conversation between parents and kids. And an interactive display lets you spin a wheel to determine if you would have been able to vote during a particular year. Kids may especially enjoy the video displays where characters pop up to explain their reasons why they were for or against women voting.

“One of my favorite aspects has been ‘rediscovering’ North Carolina 'Suffs' and 'Antis' who fought on both sides of the suffrage debate," says exhibit curator RaeLana Poteat on the museum's website. "So many of these women and their contributions have faded from our collective memory. Having the opportunity to tell their stories has been very rewarding."

The downtown Raleigh museum is open for visitors and has COVID safety measures in place, including a limit on visitors, requirements for face masks and extra hand sanitizer stations. When I was there on a weekday, there weren't many people inside. I was the only person in the women's history exhibit. Admission is free to the museum.

The museum also has a big slate of virtual programs in March on women's history and more, including several for kids. Check the museum's website for details.