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Tuesday marks 2015's Equal Pay Day the day of the year that symbolizes how far into the year women have to work to make the equivalent of wages made by men the previous year. It's a sentiment that 1930s Utah politician Reva Beck Bosone may have appreciated, but she was too busy fighting for things that came before equal pay like minimum wage and maximum work hours for women in the Beehive State and in the country.
To celebrate Equal Pay Day, and women in general, we've gathered a handful of the coolest items that tell the story of Utah's women. The collection was selected with the help of archivists at the University of Utah's Aileen H. Clyde 20th Century Women's Legacy Archive, a collection of all things Utah women that includes thousands of items available to the public.
1. 'Yes! A Woman!': campaign material from Reva Beck Bosone
Campaign paraphernalia for Reva Beck Bosone, a Utah politician in the 1930s and one of the Beehive State's first female judges. A rare but fierce non-LDS Italian, Bosone battled a lot of prejudices, with her campaign slogan: "Yes! A Woman!"
2. The first woman's newspaper west of the Mississippi, edited by Emmeline B. Wells
Original copies of the Woman's Exponent, of which Emmeline B. Wells was the editor. The women's newspaper was the first of its kind west of the Mississippi. The Clyde archive has nearly half of the papers dating back to 1872 a rare feat in newspaper collecting. The goal of Woman's Exponent was to uplift LDS women, although not officially owned by the LDS church. Wells tried to keep the newspaper going until 1914, when the LDS women's group, the Relief Society, rejected her request to adopt the paper.
3. Japanese American activist Alice Kasai
A photo of Alice Kasai with Utah Gov. Cal Rampton, signing an anti-miscegenation bill into Utah law. Kasai wasn't too happy when, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, her American-born husband was interned by the federal government at Topaz Interment Camp near Delta, Utah. She was mad, so she became the president of the Utah chapter of the Japanese American Citizens' League in the 1960s and 1970s.
4. The legacy of NAACP activist Alberta Henry
Newsletters from the NAACP during the time of Alberta Henry's presidency. Born to a family of Louisiana sharecroppers, Alberta Henry moved to Utah in her 20s because of an "impression" she had. She worked her whole life to help Black children and other minorities access education. She was president of the NAACP in Utah from 1980 to 1992 and served on the state school board and aimed to speak for Utah children of color.
5. A giant scrapbook from the Story Princess, Alene Dalton
A scrapbook made by Alene Dalton, made up of her awards, programs and notes from her time as the Story Princess. Dalton told stories in her own TV program, donned in giant ball gowns and perfectly rosy cheeks. She became such an icon that a Madame Alexander doll was designed after her. "She puts on this persona of princess who reads books to children and lives in Fantasyland," archivist Alison Conner said. "But she was actually this really successful businesswoman who can create her own television program"
6. The ledgers of an ordinary housewife, Luretta Young
The meticulous household ledgers of Luretta Young, a Utah housewife in the 1950s and 1960s. Of her, the U. Marriott Library archivists said, "She isn't a politician or a businesswoman. She was just living her life and raising her children, organizing her finances the way a housewife would do in that time period. ... People think 'nobody wants to see my household ledgers,' but it tells about an every day woman's experience living in Salt Lake City. You don't need to be changing the world to be a part of history."
7. Mementos of the U.'s first female professor, Maud May Babcock
A scrapbook of mementos and photo of the U.'s first female professor, Maud May Babcock. After being trained as a dancer in New York and teaching at Harvard, Babcock was recruited by the U. to teach P.E. and speech.
8. Environmental activism via poetry from Emma Lou Thayne
A book of poetry by Emma Lou Thayne, renowned peace activist who worked her magic through poetry. She grew up on a nuclear testing site in Southern Utah and came out fighting for a cleaner environment in books like her "How Much for the Earth?" Thayne was writing poetry until the week she died.
9. Book art made by Marie C. Dern
A book made by Utah-raised Marie C. Dern. Dern makes art out of books by printing poetry, prose and visual art in her letterpress publication, Jungle Garden Press. "Maybe she didn't change the world or anything, but here is a woman from Utah who produces beautiful artwork," said Alison Conner, the U.'s rare books archivist.