This page is dedicated to celebrations and events during 2019-20 tied to the 100th Anniversary of women getting the right to vote. Links and resources are for everyone to use; new posts in Commentary.
♦♦NEW EVENT! AUGUST 21, 2021 LUNCHEON, HONORING VALIENT WOMEN OF THE VOTE♦♦
At The Hamilton, 600 14th St, NW, Washington D.C. Click HERE for more info
AUGUST 2020 UPDATE: Scroll down to the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial (TPSM) and WCVI sections for activities occurring in August to celebrate the August 26 Centennial of Women's Equality Day. See new online September Events in DC.
LWVUS Resources | Events in DC | More Resources | TPSM | Nationwide - WVCI | Annenberg Video about 19th Amendment | Suffrage Movement Started With a Tea Party
The 100th anniversary of the passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution is the centerpiece of the events and resources listed on this page. Many events are planned around the country during 2019 - 2020 to celebrate the Centennial. We are concentrating on events in the LWV of the National Capital Area, being held by Leagues and other organizations which may be of interest to everyone.
As we all know, the League of Women Voters is a direct descendant of the woman suffrage movement in America. The LWV began on February 14, 1920, when Carrie Chapman Catt created the LWV to become the successor to the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), so we are celebrating the League's Centennial also!
Scroll down this page to see the many events, resources and stories about the 100th Anniversary of Women Getting the Right to Vote in America!
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One Hundred Years of History-- the History of the League
For 100 years, we have been a nonpartisan, activist, grassroots organization that believes voters should play a critical role in democracy. See what we've been up to over the last century, and see where we're headed for the next.. Read the League's history through a graphic timeline here: https://www.lwv.org/about-us/history
LWVUS Resources for 100th Anniversary League Activities
LWVUS has created a landing page for the activities and opportunities LWVUS is hard at work planning in connection to the 19th Amendment anniversary as well as the League's 100th anniversary next year. LWVUS staff will update this page as new resources become available.
100th Anniversary Toolkit: The LWV 100th Anniversary Committee developed this 100th Anniversary Tool Kit which includes anniversary logos, social media graphics, messaging guidelines and more to help every League participate in our centennial campaign as we approach 2020. Not only is LWVUS providing a tool kit with its digital campaign, but we are also updating the existing 100th Anniversary toolkit in time for Council in June 2019. These upgrades are intended to supplement Leagues' existing plans and provide additional resources.
Additionally, Leagues may use any images on the LWVUS Flickr site for their celebrations and campaigns. The LWVUS Flickr site includes historical photos as well as contemporary photos, which Leagues may download and use without attribution or other requirements. For all graphic files, click 100th Centennial graphics .
Celebrating 100 Years of Women Powering the Vote
With Day of Action on February 14, 2020
See how Leagues around the country are celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the League of Women Voters on February 14, 1920 with a Day of Action! Click on Action Alert - League Day of Action
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Events and Resources in the D.C. Area
NEW EVENT! AUGUST 21, 2021 LUNCHEON, HONORING VALIENT WOMEN OF THE VOTE
The National Women’s History Alliance Presents: Valiant Women of the Vote, 2021 National Women's History Honorees
The Hamilton, 600 14th St, NW, Washington D.C, Click HERE for more info
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The US Capitol Historic Society (USCHS) Presents 100 Years of Women Voting,
August 27 to October 1, 2020
USCHS is proud to announce the program lineup for its 2020 Annual Symposium, 100 Years of Women Voting at noon on Thursdays, from August 27 to October 1 Check out schedule and how to register here: https://uschs.org/news-releases/100-years-of-women-voting-symposium/
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The National Women’s History Alliance Presents:
Valiant Women of the Vote, 2020 National Women's History Honorees
All Honorees will be recognized and celebrated at a luncheon and awards ceremony on Saturday, March 28, 2020 at the Hamilton Restaurant near Metro Center, 600 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005.
Each year the National Women’s History Alliance (NWHA, https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/) which is a 25-year old organization focused on women’s history, celebrates both contemporary women and deceased/historic ones. The honorees are always impressive. This year the honorees finally include the League's own Carrie Chapman Catt, as well as other suffragists Lucy Burns, and Anna Howard Shaw.
Living honorees this year include: Eleanor Holmes Norton, Civil Rights Leader and Organizer & Congressional Representative for the District of Columbia; Edith Mayo - Woman Suffrage Historian and Activist, Curator Emerita for Political History in the National Museum of American History; Terry Ao Minnis - Senior Director of the Census and Voting Programs, Asian Americans Advancing Justice; and Maria Teresa Kumar- CEO, Voto Latino
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Preservation Maryland and Gallagher Evellius & Jones celebrate
Maryland Women's History in a multi-media project called Ballot & Beyond.
To commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment that enfranchised American women with the right to vote, Gallagher Evelius & Jones and Preservation Maryland have partnered on a new multi-media public history project, called Ballot & Beyond.
Maryland’s story in the fight for women’s suffrage was far from perfect. In fact, Maryland was not one of the original 36 states to ratify the 19th Amendment which made it part of the US Constitution in 1920. Maryland waited until 1941 and did not certify that vote until 1958. Those facts do not in any way diminish the work of Maryland’s suffragists, instead, it makes their efforts and sacrifices that much more heroic in the face of strong opposition.
Due to Maryland’s proximity to the Capital, our suffragists often hosted rallies before heading south to the White House, protested at the State House in Annapolis, and even hosted Susan B. Anthony for her last public speech at Baltimore’s Lyric Theatre.
Because the women’s suffrage movement was largely racially segregated, Baltimore’s African American citizen activists organized parallel rallies and played important roles in leading citizenship training workshops focused on the next steps of enfranchisement for Maryland’s women of all colors and creeds. Notably, Maryland’s own Frederick Douglass was also a vocal suffragist and ally to the movement.
To tell these stories, this Ballot & Beyond partnership project highlights the remarkable lives of Maryland’s women past and present in audio segments, essays, and historic images – available free and to the public online. Select biographies will be released as part of Preservation Maryland's award-winning podcast, PreserveCast.
Learn more about this project and view the episodes here
https://presmd.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=58dd1a27dc5ae45a1ab2fd...
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The National Museum of African American History & Culture Presents:
5 You Should Know: African American Suffragists
The women's suffrage movement had many heroines who bravely fought for the rights of women in the United States. Here are five African American suffragists who you may not have known about.
MARY-ANN SHADD CARY (1823-1893), FRANCES ELLEN WATKINS HARPER (1825-1911), MARY CHURCH TERRELL (1863-1954), NANNIE HELEN BURROUGHS (1879-1961), DAISY ELIZABETH ADAMS LAMPKIN (1884-1965)
Read about them here and visit the NMAAHC in Washington, D.C.
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The National Women's History Museum (NWHM)
Read about the history of women that has been left out of the history books! Peruse articles such as "The Path to Women's Suffrage" (https://www.womenshistory.org/resources/lesson-plan/path-womens-suffrage); biographies: In honor of Black History Month, our February Fab Five celebrates Five Powerful Women from the African American community! (https://www.womenshistory.org/womens-history/fab-five )
AND MORE, go to www.womenshistory.org/ to learn!
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The National Archives
celebrates the centennial of women's suffrage with a new exhibit, Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote. The exhibit is free and open to the public, and will be at the National Archives Museum in the Lawrence F. O'Brien Gallery in Washington, D.C, through January 3, 2021.
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The National Portrait Gallery presents: "Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence" March 29, 2019, through January 5, 2020.
From the March 29 Washington Post article entitled, “How a new exhibit corrects our skewed understanding of women's suffrage”…
The National Portrait Gallery will celebrate the centennial of U.S. women winning the right to vote with the exhibit "Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence." This exhibit makes history not for its commemoration of suffrage, but for the recognition it finally gives to African American women such as Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Julia A. Foote, Ida B. Wells Barnett, Mary Church Terrell and Alice Dunbar-Nelson. It is about time.
The exhibit outlines the more than 80-year movement for women to obtain the right to vote as part of the larger struggle for equality that continued through the 1965 Civil Rights Act and arguably lingers today. The presentation is divided chronologically and thematically to address "Radical Women: 1832-1869," "Women Activists: 1870-1892," "The New Woman: 1893-1912," "Compelling Tactics: 1913-1916," "Militancy in the American Suffragist Movement: 1917-1919" and "The Nineteenth Amendment and Its Legacy."
These thematic explorations are complemented by a chronological narrative of visual biographies of some of the movement's most influential leaders. "Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence" also sheds light on the racial struggles of the suffrage movement and how African American women, often excluded by white women from the main suffrage organizations, organized for citizenship rights (including the right to vote).
Portraits of African American contributors to the movement include Sarah Remond, who filed one of the earliest lawsuits protesting race segregation; Ida B. Wells, who advocated for federal laws against lynching; and Mary Church Terrell, who established the National Association of Colored Women. The exhibition is part of the Smithsonian's American Women's History Initiative. Featured also is: How the Daughters and Granddaughters of Former Slaves Secured Voting Rights for All.
Click Here for more information about the exhibits
https://www.npg.si.edu/about-us/press-release/national-portrait-gallery-...
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Library of Congress Exhibit - "Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote"
New Exhibition 'Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote' Features Original Manuscripts, Images of Suffrage Movement. Collections of Leading Suffragists from Seneca Falls to 19th Amendment. Opens on June 4, 2019 and is on view through September 2020.
From the Library of Congress Exhibition press release:
Drawing from the personal collections of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, Mary Church Terrell, Carrie Chapman Catt, Harriet Stanton Blatch and others, along with the records of the National American Woman Suffrage Association and National Woman's Party + all donated to the national library years ago + the exhibition will explore women's long struggle for equality. "Shall Not Be Denied" will trace the movement from before the first women's rights convention at Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848, through the divergent political strategies and internal divisions the suffragists overcame, the parades and pickets they orchestrated for voting rights, and the legacy of the 19th Amendment that was finally ratified in 1920.
For more information, go to the Library of Congress press page.
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Lucy Burns Museum in Lorton, Virginia
As we celebrate
100 years of women’s suffrage, the Lucy Burns Museum reminds us what it took to get there. The Lucy Burns Museum, which has reopened in Lorton, recounts the brutal treatment suffragists received after protesting for the right to vote.
Read this August 7, 2020 article in The Washington Post, Going Out Guide, by Fritz Hahn about the Museum and the history of the suffragist movement in the area.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/08/07/we-celebrate-100-year...
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MORE RESOURCES
FROM LWV of Virginia - Centennial Facebook Group. If you are a Facebook user, you can check out the latest posts from LWV-VA members. You will have to be approved by the Administrator to view and post to the Group.
LWV-VA Centennial Facebook Group includes latest posts pertinent to Centennial resources and events.
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FROM LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA - We Demand: Women’s Suffrage in Virginia
Denied a voice, they refused to be silent. January 13, 2020–December 5, 2020 (Read about exhibit)
To commemorate the centennial of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution granting women the right to vote, the traveling exhibition, We Demand: Women’s Suffrage in Virginia uses text and images to trace the history of the woman suffrage movement in Virginia from 1909 until 1920. For more information, please contact Barbara C. Batson, exhibitions coordinator, at barbara.batson [at] lva.virginia.gov or 804.692.3518.
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TURNING POINT SUFFRAGE MEMORIAL in Lorton, VA. The Turning Point Suffragist Memorial Association (TPSM), is a nonprofit group working to fund a suffrage memorial in Occoquan Regional Park, Lorton, VA, dedicated to the suffragists who were incarcerated at the Occoquan Workhouse in 1917. Click the link to learn about the latest events.
Turning Point Suffragist Memorial Association will be celebrating the 100th Anniversary of passage of the 19th Amendment with a webinar, "Marching from Suffrage toward Equality".
Mark your calendar and join us for a free live webinar, August 26, 2020, 8:00 p.m.(ET) “Marching from Suffrage toward Equality” Webinar Register here
- Read about the Groundbreaking for the Memorial on November 14, 2019.
- Read the Washington Post's description of the "Night of Terror" that occurred in 1917 at the Occoquan Workhouse inTerence McArdle’s Retropolis article published November 17, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/11/10/night-of-terror-the-suffragists-who-were-beaten-and-tortured-for-seeking-the-vote/
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NATIONWIDE RESOURCE: THE 2020 WOMEN'S VOTE CENTENNIAL INITIATIVE (WVCI)
THE 2020 WOMEN'S VOTE CENTENNIAL INITIATIVE (WCVI) is a League-supported Clearinghouse of centennial events nationwide. WVCI HOME PAGE
WAYS TO COMMEMORATE THE 2020 CENTENNIAL DURING THE PANDEMIC
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many in-person centennial events have been postponed or canceled. WVCI is committed to ensuring that this does not affect our ability to celebrate the 2020 Centennial of the 19th Amendment. Refer to this comprehensive list of virtual centennial events in the month of August and join us in commemorating Women’s Equality Day 2020. See all nationwide events for the month of August 2020 here: https://www.2020centennial.org/centennial-celebrations
WVCI PURPOSE: The purpose of the 2020 Women's Vote Centennial Initiative is to ensure that the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment is celebrated and commemorated throughout the United States in ways that: 1) include the influence and stories of the various components of the suffrage movement in ways that reflect the accuracy of the historical record; 2) recognize the legal and social advances resulting from the 19th Amendment; 3) acknowledge the inadequacies of the Amendment's implementation; 4) describe its continuing relevance to the ongoing struggle for equal rights; 5) encourage involvement in large and small activities at all levels by diverse public, nonprofit, and private organizations and individuals.
The Women's Vote Centennial Initiative is a collaborative of organizations and individuals committed to preserving and honoring women's suffrage history. Please visit our partners at their sites, linked on the page, to learn more about their unique role in telling women's stories and their ongoing work for women's equality today. LWV.ORG is a partner; to see the full list of organizations and individuals, click here. To learn more about WCVI, its many resources, and events around the nation click here .
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NEW VIDEO FROM ANNENBERG CLASSROOM:
The 19th Amendment: A Woman's Right To Vote
Take out 25 worthwhile minutes to view the just-released video, The 19th Amendment: A Woman's Right to Vote from the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center. It will make you appreciate the fight for women to vote.
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Did You Know the Suffrage Movement Started with a Tea Party?
Despite their inexperience, they drafted an agenda and an organizing document, the Declaration of Sentiments, that would galvanize American women. Together, Hunt and her guests envisioned an equality that would smash the sexist norms of their day—and they did it with cups of tea in hand.
On the surface, it was just another tea party—a well-behaved group of women passing cups of brewed beverages around the genteel table of Jane Hunt, a well-to-do New York woman who had invited four others to dine with her.
But this tea party was not for shrinking violets. Hunt’s guests were about to air their grievances about the world’s injustices toward women—and to give birth to the convention on women’s rights that resulted in the formation of the American women’s movement.
Read entire article by Erin Blakemore, published on History.com, July 2018 (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/seneca-falls-convention-begins)