Iowa Celebrates 100 Years of Women's Suffrage

DES MOINES, Iowa - July 5, 2019 - PRLog -- Tuesday marked the 100th anniversary of Iowa ratifying the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote.

At a time when both political parties are fighting to win the support of female voters in the 2020 election, a bipartisan federal commission is poised to observe the 100th anniversary of women earning the right to vote and honor those who fought to win passage of the 19th Amendment.

The Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission is the federal commission tasked with coordinating efforts and commemorating the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in the U.S.

Iowa-based centennial celebration activities and resources include:

• Iowa State Capitol features a display of paintings of prominent women from the suffrage and civil rights movements.  The first three portraits featured in the State Capitol exhibit include Iowans Carrie Chapman Catt and Edna Griffin, as well as civil rights pioneer Ida Wells.  The paintings were loaned by Iowa artist Mary Kline Misol, who is creating 19 portraits of female pioneers for suffrage and civil rights.
• August-September 2019: Pop-up versions of the National Archives exhibit Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote will be distributed to 18 venues across Iowa—including schools, libraries, museums, and community sites—to be displayed for the centennial.
• February 14, 2020, 1 p.m. (CT): Kickoff of the Iowa 19th Amendment Centennial Commemoration, held at the Memorial Union, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
• Iowa 19th Amendment Centennial Commemoration, a collaborative project commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment from an Iowa perspective.

The Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission's website, http://www.womensvote100.org, offers toolkits with ideas for events and activities to honor the hard-fought struggle and victory in gaining access to the ballot box.