Category Archives: Polygamy

At a hearing before the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee, lawmakers voted to clarify that sexual battery committed in a plural household is a felony. The amendment, if approved by the full House, would mean SB102 will have to return to the Senate, where it passed earlier this month.

Under the measure, polygamy would be an infraction an offense less than some traffic tickets if the polygamists were otherwise law abiding. That created a debate Monday among former members of polygamous groups about whether the bill will protect consenting adults or abusers.

Hildale Mayor Donia Jessop, a former member of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, testified in favor of the bill. She told legislators that criminal penalties for polygamists taught people in plural families to fear law enforcement and not to report crimes.

I am not in any way advocating for polygamy, Jessop said. I am making a stand against abuse, and I am standing for my people.

The FLDS is led by Warren Jeffs, who is serving a prison sentence of life plus 20 years in Texas for sexually abusing two girls he married as plural wives. There was discussion in the hearing of how FLDS members have secluded themselves in remote locations.

A Jeffs nephew, Ian Jeffs, testified against SB102. He said the FLDS has not secluded itself because its afraid of law enforcement but so that people can practice polygamy without scrutiny.

Decriminalizing polygamy will only embolden the practice, Ian Jeffs said.

Melissa Ellis left the polygamous Davis County Cooperative Society, also known as the Kingston Group or The Order. She testified against the bill and said her 5- and 6-year-old daughters came to her saying they would marry the same man when they turn 14 and 15 like their grandma and her sister did.

Ellis encouraged the Utah Legislature not to pass a new bill and to give anti-polygamy laws passed in 2017 and 2019 more time to work.

Those bills," she said, have helped the victims.

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Polygamy bill passes House panel after hearing that asks whether bill will help victims or perpetrators - Salt Lake Tribune

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may think they know all about Nauvoo, the Illinois city on the banks of the Mississippi River that blossomed into their faiths headquarters from 1839 to 1846.

There, Mormons built a fast-growing city-state that rivaled Chicago. There, they established a militia. There, they built their second temple. And there, they buried their beloved prophet.

But few know that during those Nauvoo years, church leaders worked to rewrite the U.S. Constitution even as Mormon founder Joseph Smith ran for U.S. president. Few know how polygamy emerged even as Smith worked to conceal and control it and how he struggled even mightier to win converts to these unorthodox unions, especially in his own household. His brother Hyrum, who was slain with him at Carthage, for instance, went from a vehement opponent of plural marriage to a zealous proponent almost overnight, while Josephs first wife, Emma, only occasionally veered from her disdain for the practice.

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'Mormon Land': Theocracy, secret polygamy, female dissent, and Nauvoo's place in the nation's past and a religion's present - Salt Lake Tribune

MeriBrown of TLCs Sister Wives has been estranged from the rest of the polygamistBrown family in recent years. Troubles with her husband KodyBrown left Meri at a standstill with her sister wives as well, as Meri and Kodyconsidered divorce and stopped spending the night together.

On the Feb. 23 episode of Sister Wives, Doubting Polygamy, the division between Meri and the rest of the Brown family became all the more apparent. Meris sister wives, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn Brown, seemed to subtly reject her offer to host family gatherings at her house. Fans spoke out about the awkward moment on Twitter as the episode aired.

On the latest episode, Kodysfourth wife Robyn broke the bad news that she would have to move yet againto a new rental home in the Browns new hometown of Flagstaff, Arizona. Theowners of her rental decided to sell the house. Since their move from Las Vegasto Flagstaff, Kodys wives had had to move several times, leaving themphysically and emotionally exhausted.

This is super, super bad news, Robyn lamented.I am beside myself, and I dont really know what to do here.

One of the most frustrating aspects of the news,Kodys third wife Christine pointed out, was that the Browns often used Robynsrental for family gatherings (including their many children), like holidays andspecial occasions.

Wait a minute, can we just sit here for aminute? Christine said, distraught. Thats a serious family place for usright now.

I know, Robyn agreed. I just need prayers,and I need space for all the kids. Of course Im gonna be looking for placeswhere the family can gather, just cause thats a big deal.

Meri offered to have the family gather at herown very large rental. I need you to know, you are welcome to gather at myhouse, the SisterWives star told her family.

Your place is great, Robyn replied noncommittally.In an interview with producers, Kodys second wife Janelle said carefully, Maybewell use Meris. I dont know.

Ive got a lot of space that goes unused,Meri continued. So if anybody is ever interested, Im just saying.

Kody and his other three wives were silent inresponse, until Robyn cleared her throat and seemed to move on with an awkward anyway.

TLC producers picked up on the family dynamic and questioned Meri about her offer. Do you want to comment any more on that? a Sister Wives producer asked Meri in a one-on-one interview. She looked sad as she answered simply, No.

This wasnt the first time that Meri has seemedto feel left out of the Brown family.

While Meri and Kody have said their maritalissues began long ago, their struggles were exacerbated when Meri became anempty nester. Due to infertility issues, Meri only had one child, her daughter MariahBrown, with Kody. When Mariah went off to college at Westminster College inUtah, Kodys first wife began to feel isolated from her sister wives, who allhave at least five biological children.

Whats more, Merilegally divorced Kody around the same time in order to allow him to adoptRobyns three children from a previous marriage. While the Browns religiondoesnt recognize legal divorce as legitimate, Meri still struggled with losingthe states recognition of her marriage to Kody.

Meri was also tempted by an emotional affair with a catfish in 2015. Jackie Overton, a well-known alleged internet scammer, reportedly posed as a man in order to flirt with Meri. When the online fling was exposed, Meri and Kodys marriage seemed to fall apart. Meri has also spoken about feeling rejected by her sister wives in the wake of her problems with Kody.

As the episode aired, some SisterWives fans took to Twitter toexpress their frustration with Meris familys lackluster response to her offerof hosting family gatherings at her rental home.

Many viewers were confused about why no one seemed to respondpositively, or at all, to Meris offer. I cant understand why everyone was sorude when @MeriBrown1 offered herhouse, oneTwitter user wrote. I felt really bad for her.

Another Sister Wives viewer agreed, writing inresponse, Me either and it honestly irked me. That was terribly rude ofall of them IMO. She was offering at the least a temporary solution so theydhave a roof over their heads in the event they didnt have a home by the timeRobyn had to vacate. Not very plural family at all.

One Twitter user wrote to Kodydirectly to ask why Meri appeared to have been so soundly rejected by thefamily. Meri made a VERY generous offer and not one of you acknowledged it!Why? they asked.

What is really going on with them treating Meri like this,anotherbaffled fan wondered.

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'Sister Wives': Fans Wonder Why the Brown Wives Seemed To Reject Meri Brown's Offer - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

The Brown family of TLCs Sister Wiveshas never shied away from talking about the difficulties of practicingpolygamy, or plural marriage. But over the years, KodyBrowns marital issues with hisfour wives (Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn Brown) and the wivesproblems with one another have seemed to make the family dynamic all the more challengingto navigate.

On the Feb. 23 episode of Sister Wives, DoubtingPolygamy, Kody dropped two bombshell revelations about his experience withplural marriage.

The fundamentalist Mormon said he didnt see polygamy in the same light as he once did, to the point that he didnt even enjoy seeing his wives have fun together. He also shared that only one of his wives had a personality that truly fit (in his opinion) with plural marriage, leading fans to speculate about which one he was referring to.

While Kody and his wives, especially first wifeMeri Brown and third wife Christine Brown, ave struggled with theirrelationships for years, the newseason of Sister Wives has revealed an even more jaded and cynicalKody than ever before.

The Sister Wives star admitted he tookit personally that his wives (except secondwife Janelle) turned down his idea for them to move back in together in alarge shared home in Flagstaff, Arizona. Christine was particularly against theidea.

While watching his wives joke around, make snowangels, and have a snowball fight on CoyotePass, their new Arizona land, Kody confessed that he didnt even find itenjoyable to see them get along anymore.

I just dont see plural marriage in the samelight that I used to, Kody said.

He added that his wives unhappiness and his maritalstrife were leaving him somewhat at a loss about how to move forward.

Im struggling with plural marriage, and Im struggling with my wives, and Im struggling with their conflict, the Sister Wives star told producers. Im sitting here, and Im happy with my life, and Im happy where Im at. But every time I hear their side of the struggle in plural marriage, it contradicts everything in me. And thats not something you can just blow off with optimism.

On DoubtingPolygamy, Kody also revealed that he thinks only one of his four wives wasmeant to practice plural marriage. He even shared that he thought his manychildren were worth the challenges of polygamy, but building his family had brokenfour womens hearts along the way.

I think plural marriage fits well with thepersonality of one of my wives, Kody told Sister Wives producers.

But Kody wasnt about to reveal which one he was talking about or engage in any kind of comparison. Im not gonna tell you which wives do better and which wives dont do well with plural marriage, he said, because I dont want the world judging them.

Naturally,though, Kodys remarks sparked a lot of controversy and debate among SisterWives fans.

Mostviewers seemed to think he was referring to Janelle in his comments, while afew thought he might have meant his fourth wife, Robyn.

Janellewas the only one of Kodys wives to fully support his idea to moveinto one home together, and she has always seemed more independent and lessprone to jealousy than Kodys other wives. Meanwhile, Robyn has long beenspeculated to be Kodysfavorite wife, and many viewers think he dotes on her.

Bycontrast, Kody and Meri have struggled with their marriage for years and reportedlyno longer spend the night together. Christine was adamantly opposed to movingback in with her sister wives and has admitted to struggling with jealousyin polygamy.

DidKody just say I have one wife that does well with plural marriage like wewouldnt figure out who he meant?!?! one fan wrote onTwitter, with most commenters replying that they thought he was referringto Janelle.

AnotherTwitteruser agreed, writing, He has to have meant Janelle. Meri isnt evenconsidered and Robyn & Christine are too jealous. Yetanother Sister Wives viewer argued that Kody obviously meant Janelle: Janelleis the wife who deals best with plural marriage. Just say it, Kody! We alreadyknow, theywrote.

Buta few fans thought Kody might have been praising his fourthand youngest wife with his remark. Robyn is the one & only wife, oneviewer wroteon Twitter. Kody is at a minimum simply friends with the other 2 and Meriis part of the show they are portraying. I dont think Kody even likes Merianymore. Anotheragreed, arguing, Well Robyn is his favorite, even though she acts like shehates him now. She still gets what she wants.

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'Sister Wives': Kody Brown Says Polygamy Fits With Only One of His Wives' Personalities; Fans Guess Which One - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Owner of McDan Group of Companies, Daniel McKorley has admitted that it is very expensive to be polygamous.

The business mogul is himself currently practicing polygamy, having traditionally wedded two women.

Speaking on Metro TV's Good Evening Ghana, Mr. McKorley opened up on his marriage life.

READ ALSO: I'm a card bearing member of NPP and Nana Addo gave me my first contract McDan CEO

He said he sees nothing wrong with having two wives, insisting there is nowhere in the Bible that God forbids polygamy.

I have two beautiful wives, he said, further stating: Show me the Bible where [it is written that] you have to marry one.

Mr. McKorley was, however, quick to point out that it is very expensive to practice polygamy.

According to him, men who wish to marry two wives must ensure that they are well-prepared and have made a lot of money.

Its expensive, its very expensive to have two wives. Dont try it if you dont have money. You must be prepared. At times you have to do triple payment because you have to make sure both of them [are okay. Keep them sweet, the McDan CEO admitted.

Touching on how to keep a polygamous home together, he said: Make sure they (wives) are happy, make sure you are a responsible man. Dont touch what you can manage.

He added: Women are not to be understood, they are supposed to be cared for. Women are the sweetest thing that ever happened to us [men].

McKorley is currently the Board Chairman of the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited (GTFC).

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'I have two wives; you need to be rich to be polygamous' McDan CEO - Pulse Ghana

Christine Brown of TLCs Sister Wives is Kody Browns third wife, a mother of six, and a fierce advocate for the legalization of polygamy. Sometimes jokingly called polygamy royalty by her husband, Christine grew up in the Apostolic United Brethren (the Browns fundamentalist Mormon sect) in a well-known polygamous family in Utah.

Although Christine is a strong supporter of the right to practice polygamy, especially for religious reasons, shes had her own issues with it over the years. On the Jan. 12 Sister Wives episode, Lonely in Flagstaff, Christine revealed her problems with jealousy during her many years as Kodys plural wife.

On Lonely in Flagstaff, Meri Brown, the first of Kodys four wives, admitted she was still struggling with her marriage. Meri and Kody have particularly struggled since Meris legal divorce from Kody in 2015. Although the couple still considers themselves married, as does their religion, they divorced so Kody could adopt fourth wife Robyn Browns three children from a previous marriage.

Although Meri said she still wanted to participate in family activities, she confessed that it was sometimes difficult to have Kodys relationship with his other three wives in her face. Because the Sister Wives patriarch still has a positive relationship with Christine, Robyn, and second wife Janelle Brown, she said it was challenging not to feel jealousy when she was around them.

It looks like Meri isnt the only Sister Wives star who has shied away from family activities due to loneliness and jealousy. On the episode, Christine opened up about her own experiences with jealousy towards her three sister wives. I get that, Christine said of Meris emotions around the tender subject.

Theres been so many times where Kody and I are just at it with each other, just in a fight, and we go to a family function, and I get to sit there and watch him have a good relationship with his other wives, Kodys third wife revealed.

Christine shared that watching her husband interact sweetly with his other wives when her own marriage is struggling is one of the hardest aspects of plural marriage (polygamy) for her.

Its a constant reminder that he does have good relationships with other people. And then maybe its all you, the Sister Wives star said. And I cant tell you the mind games that it does. Its terrible.

While Christine and Kody are in a good place now, they struggled quite a bit with their relationship in the earliest seasons of Sister Wives. At the time, Christine was pregnant with her youngest child, daughter Truely Brown. Meanwhile, Kody was courting his youngest and last wife, Robyn.

Because Christine was the last wife for so many years, she admitted to struggling with extreme jealousy over Robyn. Additionally, the Sister Wives star sometimes felt abandoned by Kody at a vulnerable time in her life, when she was pregnant. However, Robyn and Christine eventually worked out their differences and are now very close as sister wives.

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'Sister Wives': Christine Brown Reveals This 1 Aspect of Polygamy That Can Feel Like 'Mind Games' - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Mexicos president appeared to cry when listening to the Mormon history of La Mora and seemed sincere in wanting to capture the gunmen who killed three mothers and six children with Utah ties, two of the victims relatives said Monday.

President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador visited La Mora, in the Mexican state of Sonora, on Sunday to discuss the Nov. 4 deaths. Before public remarks later in the day, Lpez Obrador met in the home of Kenny Miller, whose daughter-in-law and four grandchildren were among the dead.

The meeting included an introduction by one of La Moras founders, Paul Langford, known as Don Pablo, who told the president how the community can trace its lineage to when members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints fled violence in Missouri in the 1830s and then how some Mormons left Utah at the start of the 20th century to continue practicing polygamy.

The president appeared to tear up, Miller said in a text message. Lpez Obrador definitely looked emotionally affected, but then so was I.

The Salt Lake City-based faith abandoned polygamy more than a century ago, and now excommunicates members found practicing it. Only a handful of La Moras residents still practice polygamy.

Lafe Langford Jr., whose aunt and cousins were among the dead, said Lpez Obrador met with all three husbands of the murdered women as well as some of the victims parents. He also met with one of the survivors, Devin Langford, who was 13 when he helped hide his siblings and then walked miles back to La Mora to find help. Lpez Obrador said he planned to bestow an award on the boy, Lafe Langford said.

Lpez Obrador asked the families what he could do for them. Lafe Langford said they asked only for a monument to be erected to the victims and those who saved the survivors.

We recognize the incredible effort the government is making on our behalf, said Lafe Langford, who grew up in La Mora and still has a cattle ranch there but resides in Louisiana. Its very special, touched a lot of hearts, and I think a lot of people were moved and given some brief hopes that justice will be served.

It was an amazing confirmation that Mexico stands with us, and they are determined to bring these criminal killers to justice.

Lafe Langford, who was not allowed into the private meeting but heard the public remarks, said those in attendance were impressed with how Lpez Obrador arrived. La Mora is about 1,300 miles from Mexico City roughly the distance between Washington, D.C., and central Nebraska.

Rather than arrive by helicopter, Lpez Obrador flew to Agua Prieta and took the same transportation La Mora residents do. His caravan drove four hours down bumpy, winding dirt roads. Lafe Langford said he was told Lpez Obradors vehicle even had a flat tire along the way.

Mexicos director of security also traveled with Lpez Obrador. Lafe Langford said the families were allowed to watch a previously disclosed video taken by a captured suspect. It shows the moments between the shooting that killed Maria Rhonita Miller and four of her children and when the killers set her SUV ablaze.

Lpez Obrador said he would give the families another briefing in two months and would return to dedicate the monument in four to six months. Lafe Langford said the monument is expected to be at one of the two massacre sites or there may be a monument at both locations.

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Mexican president visits La Mora and learns of the Mormon history there - Salt Lake Tribune

Sister Wives featuring Kody Brown and his four wives returned last week for its fourteenth season on TLC. Fans were anxiously awaiting to see how the Browns big move to Flagstaff played out. Especially since season 13 ended with a cliffhanger last April. So, TLC aired the first episode of Sister Wives in its usual 8 pm time slot. However another more popular TLC series, 90 Day Fiance will now be taking over the 8:00 time slot.

The network preempted90 Day Fiance last week for the Sister Wives premiere. But this week, SW will move to its new later time slot of 10 pm. Does losing the coveted time slots indicate TLCs plan to cancel Kody Browns long-running series? Lets take a look at what this move could spell for the future of Sister Wives.

In the past, both 90 Day Fiance and Sister Wives were able to run in the lucrative Sunday night 8:00 position. This was possible because each shows seasons aired at a different time of the year. But with all the 90 Day Fiance spinoff shows, they are starting to overlap. And it appears that TLC executives want 90 Day Fiance to show instead of SW. The decision was made to not run 90 Day Fiance last week and instead run the premiere of Sister Wives at 8:00, then the rest of the episodes at 10:00pm.

90 Day Fiance fans were quick to voice their displeasure that Sister Wives preempted their beloved Sunday night show. And now, SW viewers are not happy that their show was moved to such a late hour.

Ratings have been steadily declining since season 11 of Sister Wives. So much so the show was in jeopardy of cancellation until Kody Brown made a deal to slash his familys salaries to keep his show on the air. However, that may not be enough to keep the series running. Fans are tiring of the redundancy of the storylines and the move to a later air time may finally cause the network to part ways with the Kody Brown reality show.

Although moving Sister Wives back two hours seems like a certain death sentence ratings-wise for the long-running series, it might have the opposite effect. Recall 90 Day Fiance and its many spinoffs are rating gold for TLC. So, with that highly rated show as the lead in, SW might pick up lots of new viewers that stay on the channel after 90 Day Fiance ends.

Sister Wives new season already is off to a tense start. The tension between Kody Brown and his four wives seems off the charts. From the clips we have seen, we know Kody blows up at Robyn Brown over Meri Brown. Additionally last week, we saw the divide between the wives was quite clear when Meris original rental fell through. Not one of her co-wives offered up their houses for her to stay in while looking for a new home. In fact, they seemed relieved to have one less spouse around. Then in the next breath, they question Meris loyalty and dedication to the family. Can you blame Meri for distancing herself?

Watch future episodes of Sister Wives on Sundays now starting a 10 pm on the TLC network.

Visit Soap Dirt dailyand find the latest Sister Wives updates.

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'Sister Wives': Kody Brown's Polygamy Show Moved to 10:00pm - Is TLC Series Headed for Cancellation? - Soap Dirt

Editor's note: This article is a part of a series reviewing Utah history for KSL.com's Historic section.

SALT LAKE CITY On Jan. 13, 1870, a group of 5,000 women or so packed the old Salt Lake Tabernacle for what was called the Great Indignation Meeting. By this point, the Utah Territory continued to clash with the federal government over issues such as polygamy.

It was in this meeting one attended by close to one-fifth of the state at the time that they opposed antipolygamy legislation brought up in the U.S. House of Representatives, The Church Historians Press noted. As Neylan McBaine, CEO of Utah womens history nonprofit Better Days 2020 points out, the women at this meeting wanted it known they were independent agents.

They wanted to be able to speak for themselves, that they were not being oppressed under polygamy. They wanted to be respected for being independent women, McBaine said.

The following month, Utah became the second U.S. territory to allow women the right to vote. And two days after it became law, Seraph Young became the first woman in U.S. history to cast a ballot in an election.

Now, 150 years later, you can find an illustration of Young casting a ballot on the fourth floor of the Utah Capitol. Shes flanked by dozens of similar illustrations depicting trailblazers who have shaped the state for the better. The illustrations are a part of a new art exhibition at the Capitol to celebrate 150 years of womens suffrage in Utah and 100 years since a constitutional amendment gave women the right to vote nationwide.

The exhibit is comprised of about 50 paintings of women and men who either fought for womens suffrage or carried the torch of making a difference in Utah since that first ballot was cast.

The purpose of these (photos) is to bring some of the women from Utah history to life and highlight some of the untold stories of Utah women from the past, McBaine said.

Each illustration, designed by Utah artist Brooke Smart, is coupled with a brief synopsis of that person and the role they played in history.

A big goal for us, with these illustrations, was to make them relatable and to tell the story of each and every one of these women and men we illustrated, Smart explained. The designs were created with the help of research or after interviewing people who knew that person.

As I created each illustration, I just fell in love with these women and men," Smart said. "Each one felt very much like my friend by the end of the process its really a shame each and every one of them is dead because I would love to actually meet them. It would have been so nice to connect with them.

They include people from all different backgrounds, time periods and regions of the state, such as Young. Then theres Martha Hughes Cannon, who in 1896 became the first woman in U.S. history to serve as a state senator. Later this year, her statue will be moved to the U.S. Capitol.

One painting honors an entire Kanab Town Council, which was comprised of Tamar Hamblin, Luella McAllister, Blanche Hamblin, Vinnie Jepson and Mary Chamberlain. Those five won election in 1911 after some people placed their names on the ballot as a joke, according to Better Days 2020 research. The women accepted the position anyway and became Utahs first all-female town council and just the third such council in American history.

A big goal for us, with these illustrations, was to make them relatable and to tell the story of each and every one of these women and men we illustrated.

Then theres Lucille Bankhead, whom Utah Department of Heritage and Arts executive director Jill Love pointed out as a personal favorite of hers. Bankhead organized a protest against a Utah legislative proposal that would have forced African-American residents in Salt Lake City to move out of their current homes into segregated designated areas given the title black districts in 1939, Love explained.

Bankhead had never been to the Utah State Capitol and it was later recounted that she and her group stayed until we knew the legislature realized what they had to do and then we went home, and I guess the people of the legislature were glad to see us go, Love said. Recounting the perseverance and conviction, she held so many decades before, Bankhead said, If I dont like what youre doing, if I think Im right, Im going to speak up. Im going to talk about it and somebodys going to hear.

Another painting honors Olene Walker, who became the first woman to serve as Utahs governor in 2003. Maude Adams found success in two fields: She was the highest-paid actress at a point during her career, including while playing Peter Pan when it first hit Broadway in 1905, and he also helped invent technology that revolutionized theater and cinema, according to Better Days 2020.

Edith Melendez, who served on the Governors Hispanic Council under Utah Gov. Scott Matheson, was known as a tireless leader in the states Latino community until her death in 1990. During her life, Melendez fought for social justice and reform and advocated for womens rights and other issues, Better Days 2020 noted.

Only one of the faces on the walls, Susan B. Anthony, is of someone who wasnt from Utah or didn't reside in the state at some point. However, the famous women's suffrage crusader did have several ties to the state, including befriending leading Utah suffragist Emmeline Wells.

(Anthony) loved the women of Utah, McBaine said. She was really one of the only national suffrage leaders who was willing to take the Utah women in all of their crazy plural marriage stuff. A lot of the other national leaders didnt want to have anything to do with Utah, even though they were first. She was a great advocate for us and a great friend to us, so we wanted to honor her.

Its hard to list them all. In addition to the paintings on display at the Utah Capitol, the organization launched an online gallery for people to read biographies of all the individuals featured. The organization also printed trading cards, posters and books to help reach Utahs younger generation in different ways and educate them on the people who shaped the state they live in.

In addition to the illustrations, there are a few artifacts on the fourth floor of the Capitol. They include the original 1870 legislation allowing women to vote in the state and Utahs ratification document of the 19th Amendment.

The exhibit will remain on display throughout the year.

I think its really important for us to know there are people from our own backyards, from our own communities, who see problems, who see challenges and who band together sometimes they work against each other, but they do something about those problems and they make their voices heard, said Katherine Kitterman, the research director for Better Days 2020. We can recognize that our voice does matter, and we can take courage and inspiration from these women and men to make our voices heard in our communities in whatever way we feel like that should happen.

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Meet the individuals who shaped Utah as state celebrates 150 years of women's suffrage - KSL.com

Sister Wives star Meri Brown got a special treat on her birthday. Fans know she really enjoys the company of Mariahs fiance, Audrey Kriss. And, she loves getting together with her daughter Mariah. So, when she celebrated her birthday this year the 49-year-old TLC star told her fans about it.

TV Shows Ace reported that Meri Brown keeps herself very busy these days. Her LuLaRoe business involves a lot of her time, and sometimes she heads off on cruises to enjoy herself. Plus, her Lizzies Heritage Inn keeps her on her toes. Often, she wakes up really early and then gets her workout done. On occasion, by 7.00 a.m shes well into her day. So, on her birthday, hopefully, she got some downtime.

Meri took to her Instagram to talk about her birthday. Sitting in a diner with Mariah and Audrey, they certainly looked like they enjoyed themselves. She captioned her post with, Perfect birthday day with my girls! Living in Chicago, they miss@caferio and Im a super fan of it, so its a win win!! . Plus, she used the hashtag #MyGirls. Naturally, many Sister Wives fans sent in their congratulations. One said, Happy Birthday Meri!!!! Wishing you the best today and always.

Meri actually looks very happy on her social media, a far cry from the TLC version in the TV show. On her Instagram, InTouch Weekly noted that on January 11, she reaffirmed that shes a wife for life. Actually, while many fans think Meri should get out of polygamy life, she seems determined thats not going to happen. Fans often suggest with Mariah out the nest, and her own business to run, she should just leave Kody.

In the current season, fans see Meri unhappy. Actually many people who watch Sister Wives complain because the other wives wouldnt help Meri with a place to stay. Then, they saw her return from Vegas to Flagstaff and they got reluctant to even help her move in. Once more in the current season, fans urge her to leave. But, Meri loves the kids in the large family. Mariah might be her blood daughter, but she loves hanging out with Robyns kids as well.

Audrey and Mariah get along so well with Meri. Its really nice to see them hang together on Meris birthday. After all, when Mariah came out, Meri got a bit shocked. Now well over it, they moved on. And, Sister Wives fans also saw Mariah upset about her mom getting catfished. But, once again, they moved on and seem in a really good place.

Whatever Meri decides to do with the family, really is her business, some loyal fans think. Maybe people shouldnt take everything they see on the TV screen as reality. What do you think? Are you happy for Meri that she made her decision to be a wife for life? Are you pleased that these days, she and Mariah get along so well? It looked like a fun-filled birthday meetup. Sound off your thoughts in the comments below.

Remember to check back withTV Shows Aceoften for more news about TLCsSister Wives.

Woryn is a writer who started a small book publishing company. She wrote three books, one of them published by Domhan. Woryn also writes as Jane Flowers for The Destination Seeker and Blasting News.

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'Sister Wives' Star Meri Brown Spends Her Birthday With Mariah And Audrey - TV Shows Ace