Remembering Belva Lockwood, local presidential candidate

 

Much has been said and written by others about Kamala Harris possibly becoming our nation’s first woman president. But, politics and political coverage being what they are – that is, a focus on the now and the short-term – we tend to overlook both the future and the past. Little if anything has been said in recent weeks, even as a much-needed moment of reflection to get away from the immediate theater of presidential politics, about the modern role of women in government and the trailblazers who opened up the opportunities now present.

 

Among those who led the way is Belva Lockwood, someone who should be a household name in Western New York but is not for the most part outside of the communities she had called home in her formative years -- Royalton and Lockport.

 

Lockwood was historically significant. She was officially the first woman on a presidential ballot from any party, large or small. She ran for the office of the president in 1884 and 1888, both times via the National Equal Rights Party. In 1884 she received 4,100 votes, a fraction of those received by winner Grover Cleveland -- ironically, another candidate with a substantial Western New York background -- who garnered 4.87 million votes.

Limited numbers notwithstanding, Lockwood’s performance was a significant step in advancing women. Since Lockwood’s passing in 1917, women have had a long history of holding federal office dating back to that year in the House (when Jeanette Rankin was elected) and 1932 in the Senate (when Hattie Caraway was elected). Today, women make up 29% of the House of Representatives and a quarter of the Senate.

 

Back when Lockwood ran for president, women were looked at as second-class citizens; they couldn’t even vote. The common sentiment was that they belonged in the home and shouldn’t participate in more manly pursuits like governance and law. The majority of the “gentlemanly” press painted her as a joke when she campaigned, just as they did any other woman who counted herself as a suffragist fighting for women’s civic rights.

Lockwood was incredibly instrumental in changing those disgusting ways in which we viewed and treated women in the public arena. She overcame the negative coverage and showed that she was up to the task of debating and developing a platform, a deep 15-position masterpiece that was arguably more substantial than that of Cleveland or his Republican foe, James Blaine. Had women possessed the right to vote, she would have been a formidable opponent and definitely a game changer (the 1884 election was ridiculously close: Cleveland had 48.5 percent of the vote while Blaine had 48.02 percent). The 19^th Amendment, guaranteeing the right of woman to vote, wasn’t ratified until 1920.

Outside of politics, she was just as impressive.

 

As a teacher – a career she started at just 14 years of age -- she developed new curricula in schools in Lockport, Gainesville, and Owego whereby she expanded the knowledge base afforded young women, exposing them to studies that only men once took.

 

She also became one of the first female lawyers to practice in the U.S. – something she did for 43 years -- and ultimately became the first one allowed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. She was a successful lawyer at that: She fought the case of the Eastern Cherokee Indians against the federal government, winning them a settlement of $5 million (which in today’s dollars is $154 million).

 

Somehow, she managed all this while running boarding houses and tirelessly fighting for women’s rights.

She was an entirely self-made woman. Her achievements were not the result of privilege. Lockwood empowered herself and gave women the hope that they could do the same. In her time she ranked with Susan B. Anthony (who was immortalized on a dollar coin) as one of the most powerful and well-known women in the country.

 

There have been attempts to highlight her legacy, such as a World War II merchant marine ship in her name, a postage stamp in 1986, and a historical marker that stands in front of her childhood home in Royalton. But modern America – and even modern Western New York -- has all but forgotten about who she was and what she did.

 

It’s time Belva Lockwood got her due, especially when Kamala Harris and Donald Trump seem neck-and-neck in the polls. Not only was she the first woman to appear on a presidential ballot she was also, as made evident by everything she accomplished and inspired, truly presidential material in the traditional sense of the office -- a leader and a doer, someone to believe in and emulate.

 

 

From the 11 October 2024 Greater Niagara Newspapers and Wellsville Sun    

The economic impact of volunteerism

 

Last week, Boy Scout Troop 82 of Lockport disbanded after 42 years of service to the community. Over the course of its history, the troop produced 69 Eagle Scouts.

 

If you are unfamiliar with what an Eagle Scout is, the award is the pinnacle of scouting, a culmination of years of fun and hard work that saw the teen amass merit badges, take part in outdoors experiences, and develop leadership traits. The piece de résistance is his Eagle project, a task undertaken by that scout to address a specific community need that has him overseeing design and development, the acquisition of resources needed to complete it, and the scouts and adults who are building or distributing whatever that final outcome may be. Examples of such projects are building food pantries and clothing closets, upgrading town parks, constructing kayak launches, and preserving cemeteries. 

 

Those of us in scouting, and many people in the community, see the social value of becoming an Eagle Scout. We know he did something great for the world, at a young age, which sets him on the path of continuing to be a great citizen while one day becoming a great spouse, parent, worker, leader, and doer.

 

On the other hand, we never talk about the economic impact of that Eagle project. I’ve been involved with the Boy Scouts of America since 1986 and that’s always been the case at the national, local, unit, and individual levels.

 

It’s almost like it’s taboo.

 

This isn’t just a scouting thing. When it comes to other community organizations and non-profits – from fire companies to churches to little leagues to Lions and Rotary  Clubs – participants always focus on the feel-good stuff, the human condition, because that’s what it’s all about, that’s why we do what we do. It’s about the people. And, we should never lose sight of that.

 

But, all volunteers, in whatever they may do for the world, need to augment their conversations and show the dollar value their organization or tasks bring. Everyone understands the value of money, especially so in this era of inflation and high interest rates, and it could be something that motivates others to give of themselves, which is sorely needed in this era of frighteningly declining volunteerism.

 

Because we don’t talk about it enough or ever, the financial impact of volunteerism will startle, always.

 

Consider what Troop 82 did for the community.

 

The average Eagle Scout project involves 170 man-hours of labor. If you were to have contractors or government workers provide that same service, assume a labor rate of $40 per hour (which is both wage and benefits). That means one project saved the affected taxpayers or non-profits $6,800 in labor alone. Across the Troop’s 69 Eagle projects that’s a total savings of $469,200. There are also savings had in donations of materials, equipment, and expertise, which would certainly push the final number well past a half million dollars.

 

What a gift for Troop 82’s Eagles to have given Western New Yorkers!

 

Scouts, leaders, and parents across the country need to brag about that sort of thing.

 

Firefighters should do the same about what they do.

 

Volunteer firefighting and medical services are one of the greatest callings one can pursue. Those souls answer their pager at all hours of the day and night, leaving family picnics, Sunday football games, and their comfortable beds to save people and property, tackling everything from structure fires to car accidents to medical events.

 

If it wasn’t for what they do – and there are far fewer people doing it today, by the way – every community would need a paid service. With that comes payrolls from always having the halls staffed, benefits like health insurance, and the legacy costs of pensions. According to a detailed study commissioned by the Firefighters Association of NYS, if New York went all-in with paid services for firefighting, 31,000 career employees would be needed at an annual cost of $4.7 billion. That would increase property taxes across the state by 28.4%...to start. 

 

Fire companies do a bang-up job of showing calls-responded-to tallies on their signs and marketing materials. They should add a little nuance to that, saying “we’ve saved X lives and we also saved you X dollars on your property taxes.”

 

That sort of thing could serve as a wake-up call to the community. No one likes to part with money. When ultimately faced with the consequences of fewer helpers, people might just change their outlook about getting involved. A few hours a week is better than a few hundred dollars every year.

 

Sometimes, for some people, greenbacks tell stories that are just as impactful as the stories about the lives changed and saved. Dollars saved are something we need to talk about more often. 

 

 

From the 23 August 2024 Greater Niagara Newspapers and Wellsville Sun   

Exploring the Western NY Wilds: Dining on wild grapes

 

With summer coming up on its final weeks, many assume Mother Nature’s wild bounty has already done the same. The blackcaps, mulberries, and wild cherries that we enjoyed in June and July are things of the past.

But, that doesn’t mean that we can’t find some berries again soon. The wild version of one of the most well-known and most-beloved berries – the grape – will soon be ripe for the picking.

Identifying the wild grape

There are two dozen species of wild grapes in North America, many of which are difficult to tell from one another save for some nuances in leaf shape and the flavor of the fruit. For the sake of simplicity in this column, we will address them collectively as the wild grape.

All wild grape species have similar traits that allow for easy determination of whether it’s a grape or a Virginia creeper berry that you might be picking. You definitely do not want to confuse grapes with creeper berries because the latter are bad. Creepers contain oxalic acid and will irritate the stomach and kidneys, making for some serious pain and temporary shutdown of those organs (Native Americans had used the berries as a cure for diarrhea). There have actually been a few deaths from over-consumption of Virginia creeper berries.

The Virginia creeper is a vine that you will see climbing up larger trees, fences, and houses. Its berry is round and purplish, becoming ripe during September and October. The easiest way to identify a Virginia creeper is by its leaves: They have longish leaflets typically in groups of five.

The wild grapes are also vine plants and tend to grow on trees and shrubs. Their leaves are not in clusters like the creepers. Instead they have single leaves along their vines and these leaves are best compared to a maple leaf in appearance.

Later in autumn, when the leaves fall off the plants yet the berries remain, look at the stems and vines – Virginia creeper’s will be red that time of year.

 Picking grapes

Wild grapes ripen and are available for picking in Western New York in September and October. They are much smaller than the grapes you would buy in a store and they are round in shape (while many store bought varieties are more egg-shaped). They will be dark red to a deep purple that is almost black in color.

If you’ve never tasted a wild grape, brace yourself. The flavor is intense and deeply sweet, so much so that it borders on sour. It’s quite unlike the more-subdued flavors of the green and purple cultivated varieties that have European roots. It’s closer to the grape flavors you might experience when you drink red wine. Some varieties of wild grapes are tastier than others, so dabble in a few of them to find the one you like.

Beyond just plucking and eating, wild grapes can be made into an excellent jelly (some folks suggest using slightly under-ripe berries) and many people swear by wild grape pies. You can also make a grape juice out of them and there are countless recipes for juices available on the internet, depending on how much work you want to put into brewing it (some recipes even suggest letting it sit in a cool, dark place for 10 weeks before drinking).

 

You can consume more than the berries

The wild grape is a fairly versatile plant when it comes to edibles. In the spring, you can tap the vine and drink the watery sap which has an acidic kick to it. In the later portion of the spring, you can nibble on the curly, light-green shoots that come off the vine while they are still tender. Although the shoots don’t look very inviting, they are actually tasty – they taste just like grapes.

You can also eat the leaves when they are young and tender (from May till the Fourth of July). My wife is of Lebanese descent and her family loves stuffed grape leaves, a food they brought from the Old Country. Her late grandmother prepared them for most every family gathering. It’s a surprisingly good treat that you should give a try … the slightly bitter taste of the leaves gives it a bite, a special flavor of its own.

Here’s the recipe for Grandma Kitty’s Lebanese grape leaves:

• ~50 Grape Leaves, rinsed
• 1 lb uncooked ground beef
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• Cumin- 1 tsp
• Allspice- 1 tsp
• Mint (fresh is best) – 1 tsp, or about 10 leaves chopped if fresh 
• Lemon juice- ¼ cu plus more for adding to water 
• Tomato paste- ½ can, mixed with water 
• Salt & Pepper to taste, or about ¾ tsp each 
• ~3 garlic cloves, cut in half
• 1 Potato (for lining saucepan)

Combine all ingredients except for potato. Do not cook beef or rice. Place just under 1 Tablespoon (more or less depending on size of leaf) of mixture towards one end of a leaf and roll tightly, tucking in the ends so that the mixture cannot fall out. Repeat until all of the leaves are used. Place sliced potatoes at the bottom of a large saucepan then layer the rolled grape leaves on top, stacking them in rows. Add water until it just reaches top layer of rolled leaves, and add a little lemon juice, salt and garlic cloves.

Cover and bring to a rapid boil, then cook for 45 minutes on low heat. Enjoy with hummus, plain yogurt or by themselves.

A deadly plant for our trees

While the wild grape might be welcome to many, I am often on the warpath against them. It is a deadly plant as it will climb its way up and over young trees and its primary vine and numerous sub-vines will create a dome of leaves that will overtake the tree’s leaves in the quest for sunlight. Many a tree has withered away and died because of that stolen sunlight.

Grape vines will spread like wildfire and take over nearby trees. It is not uncommon for some grape plants to live for more than a half-century and the vine’s stalk to become so thick that a grown man’s hand cannot wrap around it. If as a kid, or even as an adult for that matter, you pretended you were Tarzan and swung on a vine in the forest, that vine you used was a grape.

If you value the trees in your yard, hedge, or woodlot, do them a favor and clip grape vines and tear them down whenever you can. The vines will start to grow back the following growing season unless you blast the vine with a chemical immediately upon cutting it (so that the killing agent travels into the plant’s circulatory system).

But, it’s a crapshoot. If you’d rather enjoy the flavor of wild grapes and stuffed grape leaves, let them grow to your heart’s content and take over a couple of trees that you don’t mind losing. It’s a plant that despite its drawbacks is yet another of the many bounties that Mother Nature has graced us with in the Western New York Wilds.


From the 09 August 2024 Wellsville Sun