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League of Women Voters-Naperville celebrates 100 years with film and discussion series

Posted February 11, 2020 10:00 pm

Submitted by League of Women Voters of Naperville

A photograph from possibly 1911 shows men looking at material posted in the window of the National Anti-Suffrage Association headquarters. Courtesy of Library of Congress

This spring, join the League of Women Voters of Naperville for a variety of events as they commemorate 100 years since the passage of the 19th Amendment which granted women the right to vote.

It will begin with "Women's Suffrage Film & Discussion Series" at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, at in Room A at the 95th Street Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Road in Naperville.

"Part I: History of a Movement - The Story of Wide-Ranging Activism" tells how the right of all U.S. citizens to vote didn't come easily. In their campaign for suffrage, suffragists faced opposition, violence, and imprisonment from politicians, clergy, corporations, racists, and women who were anti-vote. Learn the history of the fight for the 19th Amendment, the gaps in the recorded record, and the unique struggles of those who were disenfranchised, including people of color. They will delve into the complexities and biases within the movement and the connection between the abolition movement and women's suffrage. The program is free. Register at lwvnaperville.org.

On Thursday, March 26, it will be "Part II: Women of Color and the Suffrage Movement" at 6:30 p.m. in the library's Room A. The passage of the 19th Amendment extended the right for only some women to vote. Women of color were largely excluded from the movement and indigenous women (and men) were not yet recognized as U.S. citizens until 1924. After escaping from slavery, abolitionist Sojourner Truth delivered one of the most recognized speeches on black women's suffrage at the 1851 Women's Rights Convention. They will address the erasure of women of color from the early 20th-century suffrage narrative.

On Wednesday, April 29, it will be "Part III: Civil Rights and Voting Access for All" at 6:30 p.m. in the library's Room B. The 19th Amendment did not guarantee access to the ballot for all women or men. It took another movement - the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th century - to secure access nationwide. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 created a new legal framework to challenge the status quo and provide expanded access. Activists like Fannie Lou Hamer and the Mississippi Democratic Freedom Party pushed for equal representation within the party system. But voting rights won can also be lost. The recent 2013 Supreme Court decision Shelby County v. Holder was a landmark moment in the history of the ballot. The impact is unfolding today.

On Thursday, May 21, it will be "Part IV: Women's Rights - Looking Ahead" at 6:30 p.m. in the library's Room B. "Voting is the most basic right of a citizen," Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg affirms. "The most fundamental right and obligation is to participate in choosing the people who will make the laws of our country." Who counts as a citizen and who gets access to the ballot are defining debates of American democracy from the founding. This debate has never stopped. Questions of access, fairness, representation, and power continue to impact who gets to vote, who we vote for, and the issues politicians support, oppose, or ignore. What forms will this debate take in the future? What does true equality look like?

This film and discussion series is brought to you by the League of Women Voters of Naperville, thanks to the generous support of Illinois Humanities and Naper Settlement.

A 1915 illustration in Puck magazine with the line "Women are too sentimental for jury duty - Anti-Suffrage argument" by artist Kenneth Chamberlain shows a jury of men crying as they present a "Not Guilty" verdict. Standing before the jury is a crying man, embracing a woman. Courtesy of Library of Congress

During the woman suffrage parade of 1913, a dramatic tableau was acted out in front of the Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. The parade was held the day before President Wilson's inauguration. Courtesy of George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress

Lawyer, orator and suffragist Inez Milholland Boissevain helped to organize and lead the 1913 woman's suffrage parade in Washington, D.C., the day before Woodrow Wilson's inauguration. She died three years later from pernicious anemia at age 30. Courtesy of George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress

Abolitionist and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth, photographed here in 1864, delivered a speech on black women's suffrage at the 1851 Ohio Women's Rights Convention. Courtesy of Library of Congress

Sojourner Truth, born in a Dutch-speaking area along the Hudson River in New York, escaped to freedom with her infant daughter in 1826. She is pictured here in 1864. Courtesy of Library of Congress

Civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, a delegate with the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, attends the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City in August 1964. Courtesy of Library of Congress

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