This weekend was Balticon 59 and I entered my second ever Masquerade. The field of competitors was fierceand I entered as a journeyman.
My entry was the Spite Ensemble I've been working on. I titled it "In Memory of Black Suffragettes".
The script I had for the moderator to read as I modeled:
On August 19, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified, stating “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
That should have meant that ALL women had the right to vote, but in reality, Black women, who had long been part of the suffrage movement, and Indigenous women, who inspired it, were once again left behind by their white peers.
Even now, protections once offered by enforcement of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 have been rolled back and we are hurtling backwards to a time where literacy tests and poll taxes kept all but “respectable” people from casting their ballots.
This ensemble was made with turn of the century patterns and an Ankara print the style of would have been available at the time. White was chosen to emulate the outfits worn by Suffragettes of all backgrounds.
After literal hours of deliberation the judges made their decision: I was named Best in Class Journeyman for Presentation and Best in Class _*Master*_ for Workmanship! Usually you have to win 3 awards as Journeyman to move up to Master
All in all, Balticon was a blast and I'm already planning next year's entry. Maybe a big fantasy ball gown...
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