FRANK AND THE WHITE RIBBON OF SUFFRAGEFrank and the White Ribbon of SuffrageI am Frank, or Frances Elizabeth Willard as others may know me. I was born into a middle-class Christian family in Churchville, New York. My mother, Mary Thompson Hill Willard, and my father, Josiah Flint Willard, were both born into families that encouraged progression and morals based on the principles of Christianity. On my father's side, there is Reverend Samuel Willard. He was pastor of a church in Boston where he openly opposed hanging witches. My parents' education and ancestry allowed them to be raised in a more liberal, progressive manner than was expected of a Christian family. My parents encouraged me and taught me that “…we don’t need to be afraid of the step right in front of us any more than the step right behind us.” My mother encouraged my siblings and me to step outside the confines of societies and ideas of gender. Candor, the right to have a say in our country, has been a goal of mine since I was about sixteen. I saw my brother...