The 18th of August 1920 was a banner day for women of the United States. But not for all women, only if they were white. It took many years and many steps to give other people the vote, whether Asian, Black, or Native American, along with citizenship. It is still growing. As well, the women of Colorado already could vote, along with other western states.
So we can celebrate the centennial of that incredible day, but giving women the right to vote (and some men) has had its roadblocks. And we know that voting is still something to respect, although there seems to always be an issue about voting, whether a state is purging voter rolls, or scaling back the ability to vote, or the alleged concerns about voting by mail.
Colorado has had the option to vote by mail since 2013, and it has worked for all parties. When an administration turns this into a knock-down-drag-out fight, something is very wrong. We know that, and so it is time to vote for a crucial election on November 3, 2020.
For anyone who remembers their first vote, I do, even though it was years ago. I could hardly wait, because it was so important. And it still is, even as I sit at my dining room table marking up the ballot, then dropping the ballot in the box outside a library near me.
There are many links below that offer a lot of information. As for the photograph at the top of this post: It was in the collection of History Colorado.
Start with 5280 Magazine’s package of stories in the August 2020 issue. My favorite was a story that laid out the “step by step” issues that having “equal access to the polls has been a long process, and it’s still evolving.” Here they are:
https://www.5280.com/2020/07/was-colorado-the-first-to-let-women-vote/
https://www.5280.com/2020/07/voting-rights-milestones/
Then, this past Sunday, The New York Times published a mega-section about the women of all walks of life who worked to achieve the right to vote. Being thankful that a century ago, they worked hard to help all of us eventually have the right to vote. Along with numerous stories, there is an editorial that wraps things up. There also is a story about the back and forth voting in the Tennessee legislature, finally making that final state (the 36th) that sewed up the ratification of the 19th Amendment. It is a nail-biter – but it won the day. Here are the links:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/15/opinion/19th-amendment-centennial-suffrage.html
https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/women-suffrage-100?smid=rd
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/17/opinion/tennessee-19th-amendment.html
The New Yorker weighed in, too. Here is that link:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/08/03/protest-delivered-the-nineteenth-amendment
Thinking of art: If you have not visited the Arvada Center to view “Pink Progression: Collaborations,” take a look. It addresses many aspects of suffrage and the right to vote. Organized by artist Anna Kaye, this is the second year of exhibitions created by Pink Progression, which began in 2018. The sweeping exhibition in 2020 continues through Nov. 8. Admission is free, but as of now, a ticket is needed to follow social distancing and only so many visitors attending.
And though I usually do not plug something I’ve been involved in, I wrote one of the essays for the wall of one of the galleries that deals with where we stand in voting. The essay also will be published in a catalog for this exhibition. It’s quite an exhibition, with teams of artists who, of course, collaborated. There is a page that features a large number of photographs, shot by Wes Magyar. It’s really fine.
Here’s that link:
https://arvadacenter.org/events/pink-progression-collaborations
And finally, then there is this: What’s the catch? Perhaps the President was tipped off that Susan B. Anthony was against abortion, so he wants to pardon Susan B. Anthony and OK a monument to women’s suffrage?
Trump to pardon women’s suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony on 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment
Chandler in Denver 