During the celebration of Susan B. Anthony’s 206th birthday, the focus was on another inspirational Rochesterian.
Deborah Hughes officially retired as the President and CEO of the Susan B. Anthony House and Museum earlier this year.
Hughes was celebrated with honorific speeches, a plaque from the county, and a proclamation from the city declaring February 11, 2026 Deborah Hughes Day.
In her remarks, Hughes said that she didn't know anything about preserving history when she came in as the head of the museum.
"I learned that it's so critically important not to damage the history, not to damage the story that it contains, because in future generations, people will look at that space or those documents or what it reveals, a new truth will be learned, new, more relevant understandings of what happened in that space can be revealed," she said.
The Museum is celebrating its 80th year, and Hughes said she is confident in the leadership of her successor, Allison Hinman.
"We also have a leader who has a heart that aligns with the work that we want to get on with," Hughes said.
Hinman said she is coming into the role at an interesting time for museums and cultural organizations.
“Support of historical institutions is critical,” Hinman said.
“Places like the Anthony Museum are critical in sharing our nation's history.”
The event also featured a talk and performance with Danyel Fulton, who plays Ida B. Wells in the Tony Award-winning musical SUFFS.
Fulton sang the song, "Wait My Turn," from the show, in which Ida B. Wells confronts the organizer Alice Paul for suggesting she march in the back during the Women's Suffrage Parade in Washington, D.C. in 1913.
