Women's Vote Centennial Initiative

looking back on the centennial

After an impactful six-year run, the 2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative (WVCI) is closing on September 30, 2021.  We end our work proud of what we were able to accomplish to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women winning the constitutional right to vote, and grateful to all those who were with us on this rewarding journey. This website and our social media accounts have been transferred to the National Women’s History Alliance (NWHA).  In addition, our website and archives will be available for viewing at the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.  We are pleased to provide both organizations with resources that will continue to tell this important story. 

The significance of the 19th Amendment and the long struggle for women to win the vote have been under appreciated throughout US history. WVCI was created to recognize and commemorate both the 100th anniversary of ratification and the long struggle to achieve that goal, and to shed light on what is still left to be done. 

This grassroots effort was initiated by members of the two groups with roots in the suffrage movement, the League of Women Voters and the National Woman’s Party. It has been led by a national volunteer Steering Committee. Many others joined our effort, including the nearly 50 organizations that joined us officially as Task Force Partners. 

WVCI’s work focused on both educating and connecting. And we are proud of our role in drawing greater national, state and local attention to women’s long struggle for the vote and the relevance of that effort to issues of today. Despite the challenges caused by the pandemic, 2020 and 2021 saw countless suffrage-related art and museum exhibits, concerts, films, books, panels, statues, memorials, parades, public events and much more around the country. WVCI’s specific contributions included: 

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  • Reaching over 5,000 people on our various social media accounts and over 200,000 people on our resource-rich website.

  • Hosting a series of 11 “Women and the Vote” panel discussions and webinars, 6 of them in partnership with the National Archives.  All can be viewed on YouTube (see our Webinars page for links). The two in 2021 initiated conversations about the potential long term impacts of the centennial itself. 

  • Co-sponsoring the creation and distribution of a beautiful and comprehensive book entitled A Vote for Women: Celebrating the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the 19th Amendment.

  • Designing and providing centennial pins, magnets, and bookmarks for use in celebratory events. 

  • Providing monetary awards to state History Day essay winners.

  • And, utilizing our national position to continually share centennial information with individuals and organizations throughout the country and abroad.

The centennial celebrations for the 19th Amendment may be coming to an end, but the fight for equal rights is certainly not over. The 2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative is proud to have commemorated women’s struggle to win the vote and to use the suffragists’ legacy to inspire this and future generations to continue the fight.