‘SISTER SUFFRAGETTE’
Celebrating anniversary of votes for women
In 2020, the conversation has evolved from whether women should be permitted to vote to the legitimacy of voting by mail. But the years have done nothing to diminish the magnitude of the Suffragettes’ achievement a century ago when they endured ongoing physical, emotional and verbal abuse to secure voting rights for women.
Conshohocken Free Library’s Aug. 6 presentation by Susan B. Anthony – as depicted by actress and historian Marjorie Goldman – will share “the inside story” behind the enactment of this country’s 19th Amendment on Aug. 18, 1920 “and the long fight to get voting rights for women.” The 7:30 p.m. program will take place via Zoom and include an audience question and answer session with Goldman.
As part of its nod to the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s ratification, the local library will also feature a commemorative pop-up exhibit called “Rightfully Hers” throughout August. The exhibit was created by the National Archives in Washington D.C. and, according to CFL Branch Manager Sydney Mason, will be displayed outside CFL “weather permitting” until the library reopens to the public.
Spokesmen for the National Archives explain the kiosk-like retrospective “contains simple messages exploring the history of the… 19th Amendment, women’s voting rights before and after the 19th and its impact today.
“Despite decades of marches, petitions and public debate to enshrine a woman’s right to vote in the constitution, the 19th Amendment – while an enormous milestone – did not grant voting rights for all,” they continue. “The challenges of its passage reverberate to the ongoing fight for gender equity today.”
Adds “Rightfully Hers Co-Curator Jennifer N. Johnson: “The ratification of the 19th Amend-
ment was a landmark moment in American history that dramatically changed the electorate, and although it enshrined in the U.S. Constitution fuller citizenship for women, many remained unable to vote.”
“Rightfully Hers” is part of the National Archives and Records Administration’s nationwide initiative to explore “the generations-long fight for universal woman suffrage…presented in part by the Women’s Suffrage Centennial
Commission and the National Archives Foundation “through the generous support of Unilever, Pivotal Ventures, Carl M. Freeman Foundation in honor of Virginia Allen Freeman, AARP and Denise Gwyn Ferguson.”
As part of the library’s commemoration of the women’s suffrage centennial, CFL book club members have opted to read “The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote” by Elaine Weiss as their August selection.
“We have several copies of the book available here at the library for anyone interested to borrow, and, then, we’ll have a discussion by Zoom on (Aug. 19) at 7 p.m.,” Mason says. “It should be an interesting discussion. I’m reading it right now, and I feel like I’m learning so much about how hard and bitter the fight for this amendment really was. It’s good to have this reminder that we can’t take things like this for granted.”
Additional information about Goldman’s appearance, the “Rightfully Hers” exhibit or CFL’s book club is available at 610-8251656, www.mc-npl.org or smason@mclinc.org. CFL is at 301 Fayette St., Conshohocken.