The Aspen Forum on Women and Girls joins partners and friends across the country and globe as we take stock of the power and important role of women in all aspects of our societies. In August 2020, we recognize the 100 Year Anniversary of the Ratification of the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed American women the right to vote. Despite being ratified in 1920, it required decades more of hard work, activism and legislation for suffrage to finally include Black, Indigenous, LatinX, and Asian American women, and truly all women. And still, today, we must remain vigilant to protect the vote, so women’s and girls’ voices can shape the future of our country.
As we mark this centennial milestone, it is both powerful and long overdue to tell the more complete story of the unsung sheroes and the complexity and contradictions of our history. Hats off to journalists like Veronica Chambers, author of Finish the Fight and editor of NYT Narratives Project, and Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize winner and visionary of the seminal 1619 Project, who have been at the forefront of reimagining reporting to help us better understand our history and world today. We also applaud the fierce leadership of Girls For Gender Equity’s National Agenda for Black Girls 2020 as they work to center and amplify the voting power and voices of Black girls.
To learn more about this complex history, take a look at The New York Times article co-authored by Veronica Chambers, Suffrage at 100: A Visual History.
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