The 19th Amendment granting women’s suffrage is 100 years old this year. While this is an accomplishment worth celebrating, it is also one with a mixed legacy. Though women won the rights of citizenship and access to the ballot, that victory was not extended to all women or all Americans until decades later. “Today the United States celebrates its legacy as a model democratic nation while many still do not enjoy the full rights of suffrage and political forces have conspired to limit access to the ballot and dilute the power of the vote,†said Dr. Denise Lynn, coordinator of the symposium, Director of USI’s Gender Studies program and Associate Professor of History.
The University of Southern Indiana Gender Studies Committee, in partnership with the Africana Studies Minor and Global Studies, will host a virtual symposium beginning Monday, November 9, that exhibits student research, art and other creative works focusing on the celebration of the women’s suffrage amendment, its complicated legacy and challenges that lie ahead. This symposium aims to explore the complicated history of women’s suffrage in the United States and beyond, as well as the question of citizenship and who has access to it.
The public is invited to view the digital works on display on the Suffrage Amendment Symposium website, USI.edu/suffragesymposium. The symposium will be available for the community to view and comment on through Friday, November 13.
