海角大神

When Woodstock turned out for a Black Lives Matter rally in June, Jane Curtis and her daughter were the first in a long line of cars.

Ms. Curtis, now 102, has spent a lifetime fighting for justice. She has championed women鈥檚 rights, environmental causes, and getting out the vote. The centenarian was a toddler when women won the right to vote 100 years ago in August.

鈥淵ou just have to,鈥� she says in a July interview at her home about her lifetime of activism. 鈥淏eing a citizen is a big responsibility. You don鈥檛 just sit here and eat food and drive a car. You have to try to make this country work.鈥�

The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis has ushered in the largest wave of protests since the civil rights movement, and Ms. Curtis says she鈥檚 been inspired to see the younger generations protesting both in Vermont and across the U.S.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a big kettle of fire that鈥檚 steaming up, and people are getting anxious to act,鈥� she says.

Taking responsibility for her country is something Ms. Curtis learned early in life. She would go hiking with her mother on the Appalachian Trail in the mountains of New Hampshire as a teen, soaking up the smell of the pines and the beauty surrounding them. She remembers her mother saying, 鈥淚t鈥檚 absolutely wonderful, but it鈥檚 up to you to take care of it.鈥�

Her mother walked the talk. Ms. Curtis recalled she protested tree removals by the town of Scituate, Massachusetts, where Ms. Curtis was born and raised, and was a dedicated activist for environmental causes.

For Ms. Curtis, two summers she spent in Germany with her family in the early 1930s were formative. She recalls observing from afar when she returned home as Nazis grew their power and dictators took over in Spain and Italy.

鈥淭hey let themselves be walked over by somebody who鈥檚 going to 鈥榮olve everything,鈥欌�� Ms. Curtis says.

Before World War II, Ms. Curtis attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and graduated in 1939 with a degree in art history. After marrying Will Curtis, whom she鈥檇 known since childhood, the couple raised sheep in Massachusetts, while Mr. Curtis worked for his family鈥檚 shoe business. They headed to Vermont in 1953 where they eventually bought a farm in the town of Hartland. In 1962, Mr. Curtis was elected to a term as a representative in the state Legislature.

The Curtises also bought the Yankee Bookshop in Woodstock in the early 1960s and ran it until 1973; it is still operating as Vermont鈥檚 longest-running independent bookstore. Both Curtises were writers who collaborated often, including on many of Will Curtis鈥� famous 鈥淭he Nature of Things鈥� commentaries on Vermont Public Radio.

After the Vietnam War began, Ms. Curtis became a staunch anti-war activist. She joined activists in nearby Woodstock, and they would march every Sunday afternoon, as some passing motorists screamed at them.

鈥淚 just could not sit down and watch this stupidity without protesting,鈥� Ms. Curtis says.

The war鈥檚 impact was also personal. Her husband鈥檚 nephew was killed in the war, and Ms. Curtis says the gulf deepened between her and her husband鈥檚 very conservative family.

鈥淚t got to the point where we could not visit each other,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was a dreadful time, just dreadful.鈥�

On May 6, 1979, Ms. Curtis was one of 125,000 people protesting nuclear proliferation in Washington, just over a month after the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster in Pennsylvania. Tensions were high, and she could feel it.

鈥淚 remember standing there in the park really scared, because there were so many people who were angry,鈥� she recalls. But Ms. Curtis, at her first major protest, faced her fear and stood her ground.

She remained vocal back in Vermont as well, joining marches in the state capital of Montpelier and other locations.

U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, a Democrat and Vermont鈥檚 lone congressman, got to know Jane and Will Curtis as neighbors in Hartland, when he was a young public defender in the mid-1970s. From the start, Mr. Welch admired Jane Curtis鈥� activism and says she was a strong voice for women to stand up for justice.

鈥淪he knew her power,鈥� he says. 鈥淪he just plunged in and moved ahead. She didn鈥檛 ask for permission, she acted.鈥�

The centenarian says that determination to act was heightened after the election of Donald Trump. She joined the Women鈥檚 March in Montpelier, in solidarity with the Washington, D.C., march and many worldwide, the day after Mr. Trump鈥檚 inauguration in 2017. Some 15,000 to 20,000 people showed up that day, she says, drawing such crowds that authorities had to close several highway exits near Vermont鈥檚 capital, home to just under 8,000.

鈥淚 think they鈥檙e realizing, finally, what power they have,鈥� Ms. Curtis says about her fellow women.

鈥淭hey should be told that they鈥檙e powerful,鈥� Ms. Curtis says. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not just a wife and a mother, you have a duty. Be a citizen and act.鈥�

In 2018, Ms. Curtis founded a local Woodstock group called Women For A Change, which is 鈥渃ommitted to protecting, supporting, and promoting the basic democratic values of liberty and justice for all.鈥� The group organized a protest in Woodstock against the Trump administration鈥檚 detentions of immigrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border.聽

Kate Curtis Donahue says that to see her mother continue her activism into her 100s is no surprise.

鈥淪he鈥檚 been this role model in Woodstock, and she鈥檚 inspired many people,鈥� Ms. Donahue says.

One of those people is Democratic state Sen. Alison Clarkson, who has joined Ms. Curtis at multiple protests and rallies.

鈥淗er passion for supporting women in politics, for supporting all just causes, is contagious, it鈥檚 inspiring,鈥� Ms. Clarkson says. 鈥淪he鈥檚 a model for us all, to never stop caring.鈥�

Ms. Curtis has long encouraged women to run for public office. She has been a steadfast supporter for the Vermont chapter of Emerge, an organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to be candidates. In 2019, the Vermont Democratic Party recognized her years of civic contributions with their annual Curtis-Hoff Leadership Award, presented to her by Ms. Clarkson. A year earlier, Mr. Welch honored Ms. Curtis鈥� legacy in an extension of remarks in the congressional record just before her 100th birthday. Among decades of accomplishments, he noted her years of dedication to protecting the Connecticut River watershed.

Ms. Curtis appreciates the accolades and kind words, but it鈥檚 far more important to her to keep working for justice. She worries about the division in the U.S., saying she has the same 鈥渦neasy feeling鈥� she had when observing 1930s Europe, with dictators making big promises and millions believing them.

鈥淭hings are breaking apart, and now we have to act,鈥� Ms. Curtis says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great idea,鈥� she says of the United States, 鈥渂ut it takes goodwill.鈥�

For Ms. Curtis that includes making sure women vote this year despite the ongoing pandemic. Ensuring people know about voting by mail is also important, she adds.

鈥淭he vote, that鈥檚 got to be the big thing,鈥� she says, before turning to her daughter. 鈥淚 think we really have to do some work on that, Kate.鈥�