OPINION: A handkerchief, a legacy, and the work still ahead

March is Women’s History Month, a time to reflect on the women who helped shape our country — often quietly, without recognition and almost always through persistence.

On Tuesday, I was at the Idaho Capitol and had the chance to see something small but powerful: a framed suffrage-era handkerchief embroidered with the words “Votes for Women” that was a gift from North Idaho resident Donna Montgomery and North Idaho Republican Women.

It’s not a grand monument. It’s not carved in stone or cast in bronze. But it represents something enormous. That simple piece of cloth dates back to the time when women were still fighting for the right to vote. Women carried banners, stitched handkerchiefs, wrote letters, hosted meetings in living rooms and church basements, and convinced neighbors that women deserved a voice in government.

Their work paid off here earlier than in most places. Idaho became the fourth state in the nation to grant women the right to vote in 1896, nearly a quarter-century before the 19th Amendment made it the law of the land.

Standing there looking at that handkerchief, I couldn’t help but think about the women who carried it. They weren’t celebrities or political professionals. They were teachers, librarians, ranch wives, mothers and volunteers. But they understood something fundamental about citizenship: participation matters.

That legacy continues today in ways that don’t always make headlines.

For generations, women have carried a tremendous share of the grassroots work that keeps our civic life functioning. Long before social media and cable news turned politics into spectacle, women were organizing precinct meetings, registering voters, hosting candidate forums, raising funds and building the community relationships that make politics work at the local level.

In many cases, they still are. Across Idaho, Republican women’s clubs have spent decades encouraging civic participation, training candidates and helping voters stay informed. Many future officeholders first learn the nuts and bolts of public service in these organizations.

It isn’t glamorous work. But it’s essential. Behind every campaign sign or ballot measure are volunteers giving their time, neighbors talking to neighbors and citizens deciding they care enough about their community to get involved. That spirit of participation is exactly what the suffrage movement was about.

The women who embroidered those handkerchiefs and banners weren’t asking for special recognition. They were asking for the opportunity to participate in the decisions shaping their communities. They believed citizenship carried both rights and responsibilities. That belief still matters today.

In Idaho, particularly in North Idaho, the most consequential elections often happen in the Republican primary. In most races, the May primary effectively determines who will represent our communities in office, long before the November election. That means participation in the Republican Primary matters more than many people realize.

The women who fought for the vote more than a century ago understood something we sometimes forget: democracy was never meant to be a spectator sport. It requires citizens who are willing to pay attention, get involved, and show up.

The suffrage handkerchief displayed in the Capitol is a reminder that participation in democracy didn’t come easily. Women organized, marched, wrote letters and refused to sit on the sidelines until their voices were heard. More than a century later, that responsibility hasn’t changed.

The right to vote was hard-won. The least we can do is show up. It’s the Idaho Way. 

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Becky Funk is a member of North Idaho Republicans and is former Legislative District 4 Republican Chair.