In February 1919, more than two dozen women boarded a train to share their story of arrest, imprisonment, and brutal treatment for protesting in front of the White House in support of a federal women’s suffrage amendment.
Although these white women omitted women of color from their claims to the rights of citizenship, their nickname for the train—the “Democracy Limited”—is a reminder that the project of democracy is diminished without full and equal participation of all members of society.
The fight for the vote was a complex movement marked by hope and heartbreak, cooperative action and racist exclusion, hard-fought victories and unmet expectations. It was also part of a longer, ongoing journey by activist women from different backgrounds and varied motivations to build a more just society and create lasting change.
The images that follow offer a glimpse of recent and distant moments when Chicago-area women mobilized for change, part of a long history of activism and protest.
