The Women’s Suffrage Centennial: Impact and Legacy

2020 was the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and a wide range of activities occurred around the country. How effective were these commemorations in raising public awareness of women’s fight for equality? How has the centennial impacted the telling of suffrage history and women and minority history more generally? And has the centennial provided impetus for further social action? How well did it succeed in telling the stories of the women before us and in creating momentum for the work still to be done? Moderated by Colleen Shogan, former Vice Chair, Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission, panelists include Karen Hill, Executive Director, Harriet Tubman House; Page Harrington, author of Interpreting the Legacy of Women’s Suffrage; Rebecca Roberts, co-author of The Suffragist Playbook: Your Guide to Changing the World; and Shannon Browning-Mullis, Executive Director of the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace.

Celebrating the Women’s Suffrage Centennial: What Happened and What Have We Learned?

2020 was the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and commemorations were planned around the country. But 2020 was also the year of the pandemic and bitterly partisan politics. A distinguished panel will discuss how the centennial adapted, where efforts succeeded, where they fell short, and reflect on how successful they were in raising public awareness of women’s fight for equality. Moderated by Rebecca Roberts, author of Suffragists in Washington DC, panelists include Robert P. J. Cooney, Jr., author of Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement; Fredie Kay, Executive Director, Suffrage100MA; Anna Laymon, former Executive Director, Women’s SuffrageCentennial Commission; and Krysta Jones, Co-chair, 2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative.

“a vote for women” book launch

"A Vote for Women: Celebrating the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the 19th Amendment" is published by St James’s House – an imprint of the SJH Group – in association with the 2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative (WVCI). The book was launched through a digital launch event on March 31, 2021. Featuring: Welcome & book presentation by Anna Danby, Publishing Director, SJH Group; Nancy Tate, Co-Chair, 2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative; Yael Lempert, Chargè d'Affaires, U.S. Embassy in London; Catherine Turton, Community Planner; Regional Coordinator, NPS 19th Amendment Centennial Commemoration; Teal A. Holden, Senior VP, Ambulatory Services and Post-Acute Care / Memorial Hermann Health System, Houston, Texas; Jennifer Herrera, Vice President, External Affairs, National Women’s History Museum; Q&A session moderated by Krysta Nicole Jones, Co-Chair, 2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative; Krysta Nicole Jones, Co-Chair, 2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative; and Closing remarks by Anna Danby, Publishing Director, SJH Group.

a conversation about the importance of teaching women’s history

A virtual conversation on Facebook Live about the importance of teaching women’s history featuring Dr. Trina Lynn Yearwood, Founder of Teachers Ready to Educate, Advocate and Transform and Ms. Jessica Berg, teacher and creator of Rise to the Summit.

a conversation with national women leaders

A virtual conversation on Facebook Live with national women leaders featuring Sindy Benavides, LULAC Chief Executive Officer, Melanie Campbell, CEO, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, and Betsy Fischer Martin, Emmy winning news executive.

making history: the next 100 years

A virtual conversation with first-time female voters about their experiences casting their first vote and what they see for the future of voting rights. Featuring Caroline Avery, a junior at Duke University studying Public Policy, and Alexis Robinson, a freshman at Hampton University studying English with a concentration in film.

100 years later: What’s next for women & the vote?

A virtual discussion hosted by WVCI and the Vision 2020 Voting Coalition featuring Robert Cooney, Lucy Beard, Ann Merrill, and Theresa Kolish.

securing the vote: racism, sexism, & where we go from here

A live virtual discussion about the PBS American Experience film “The Vote” and the ways in which sexism and racism have informed the suffrage movement. Featuring scholars Dr. Marcia Chatelain and Dr. Susan Goodier, who both appeared in the film.

Women Suffragists and the Men Who Supported Them: The Suffragents and Their Role in the Struggle for the Vote

What role did men play in the women's suffrage movement, and how did they aid in the fight for the 19th Amendment? At a time when public support for women’s issues could cause men ridicule, their backing of the movement was significant. A distinguished panel will discuss the men who involved themselves in the suffrage movement, including the Men's League of Women's Suffrage. Moderated by Betsy Fischer Martin, Executive Director, Women and Politics Institute, American University School of Public Affairs, panelists include Brooke Kroeger, author of The Suffragents: How Women Used Men to Get the Vote; Johanna Newman, author of Gilded Suffragists; Susan Ware, author of Why They Marched; and others.

Women and the Vote: The 19th Amendment, Power, Media, and the Making of a Movement

What methods did suffragists use to communicate their message, and how did public representations of women shape the battle for the 19th Amendment? Lisa Desjardins, a correspondent for PBS NewsHour, will lead a discussion with panelists Rebecca Boggs Roberts, author of Suffragists in Washington, DC; Elizabeth Griffith, author of In Her Own Right; and Linda Lumsden, professor of journalism, University of Arizona, about the unparalleled communications machine of the suffrage movement and how that struggle in the early 1900s continues to shape the women’s movement today.

Women and the Vote: Opposition to Women’s Equality, from Suffrage to the ERA

Leading up to the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment and the opening of our Rightfully Hers exhibition in March 2019, a panel explores how the feminist movement has been shaped and changed by the systems, institutions, and individuals working against women’s equality. Panelists include Elaine Weiss, author of The Woman’s Hour, Marjorie J. Spruill, author of Divided We Stand, and Carol Robles-Román, Co-President and CEO of the ERA Coalition. Book signings will follow the program. Presented in partnership with the National Woman's Party, the 2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative, and The ERA Coalition.

Women’s Suffrage and the Vote: Funding Feminism

In celebration of Women’s History Month and leading up to the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 2020, we are presenting programs honoring women’s suffrage history. Today’s panel discussion examines the role and sources of money in the suffrage fight—both in support of and in opposition to the suffrage amendment—as well as the role of money for elected women in contemporary political life. Moderated by Page Harrington, former Executive Director, National Woman’s Party and Belmont-Paul National Monument, panelists include Joan Johnson, author of Funding Feminism: Monied Women, Philanthropy and the Women’s Movement, 1870–1967, Sarah Bryner, Research Director, Center for Responsive Politics, and A’Lelia Bundles, author of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker. Presented in partnership with the National Woman’s Party and the 2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative (WVCI).