Trinity Celebrates Women's Vote Centennial

Trinity Washington University is hosting a new exhibit from the National Archives, Rightfully Hers, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which secured women’s right to vote. Rightfully Hers, which is in the Payden Academic Center lobby, explores the history of the ratification of the 19th amendment, women’s voting rights before and after the 19th amendment, 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. The challenges of its passage reverberate to the ongoing fight for gender and racial equity today. August 18, 2020, marks the 100th anniversary of when the 19th Amendment was ratified by the states. Learn more about the struggle for women’s rights, view videos and see documents, photos and primary resources at Rightfully Hers.

“This moment should be a clarion call to keep hammering away at the glass and marble ceilings that continue to obstruct real leadership opportunities in American society.”

President McGuire Reflects on the Women’s Vote Centennial in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education:

Colleges and Universities Celebrate Women’s Vote Centennial,  August 18, 2020, by Walter Hudson

In an interview with Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, Trinity President Pat McGuire commented on the progress of women since 1920, and the work that remains: “The 19th Amendment did not end discrimination against women any more than the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments achieved true justice for African Americans,” said McGuire. “If anything, the Centennial observance of women’s voting rights is also a moment to renew our commitment to the education and advancement of all those who have been disenfranchised and left on the margins of power in this nation, whether women or persons of color. This moment should be a clarion call to keep hammering away at the glass and marble ceilings that continue to obstruct real leadership opportunities in American society.”

In the Diverse article, Colleges and Universities Celebrate Women’s Vote Centennial, President McGuire said that “it should not come as a surprise that two of the four women who have made it onto presidential tickets are graduates of women’s colleges. Geraldine Ferraro attended Marymount Manhattan College and Hillary Clinton graduated from Wellesley College.”

“Trinity – the nation’s first Catholic liberal arts college for women – was founded in 1897 and counts Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius as two of its most prominent alumnae.

“’Like historically Black colleges and universities now celebrating the nomination of Kamala Harris as a graduate of Howard University, women’s colleges sustain our special mission to build leadership and confidence in our graduates because we know that our work is far from done in achieving equal opportunity in this nation,” said McGuire, who graduated from Trinity in 1974 and returned 15 years later to assume the presidency. She is currently one of the longest serving college presidents in the nation.”

President McGuire is Featured Guest on Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Women’s Equality Day

Wednesday, August 26, 2020, 6:00 pm, a virtual event celebrating the Women’s Vote Centennial. Trinity community invited!

President McGuire will speak on a panel hosted by Mayor Muriel Bowser, who graduated from a women’s college, Chatham University, and holds an honorary degree from Trinity. This special event celebrates the day women were granted the right to vote on August 26, 1920, when the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was certified as law, after the last state ratified the amendment on August 19, 1920. Mayor’s Office on Women’s Policy and Initiatives is partnering with ServeDC to share exciting opportunities where women can serve other women and girls in the District, as well as the Mayor’s Office on Talent and Appointments to share ways to join local boards and commissions.

Members of the Trinity community are encouraged to participate in the Mayor’s event on August 26: Register at Eventbrite.

Rightfully Hers

Take a selfie! #RightfullyHers, @TrinityDC, @USNatArchives

Rightfully Hers Pop up Resource Guide 2020 (PDF)

Rightfully Hers is organized by the National Archives and Records Administration. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, the National Archives launched a nationwide initiative and major exhibition that explores the generations-long fight for universal woman suffrage. The exhibition is 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.