August 18, 2020. On this day 100 years ago, America adopted the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the vote. It was a great achievement for democracy.
On this occasion, many articles came out from news media: New York Times, CNN, Vox. The Boston Globe didn't seem to print anything in the issue I get, but posted online there is an excellent article by Fredie Kay and Katrina Huff-Larmond, "Suffragists fought bias and a pandemic to vote. A century later, we owe it to them to do the same," https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/08/18/magazine/suffragists-fought-bias-pandemic-vote-century-later-we-owe-it-them-do-same/.
The occasion is history. Or is it just in the past? The fight for the vote is relevant today, as we struggle with voting (safely) during a pandemic, and with efforts to suppress the vote or make it more difficult. Please use this occasion to commit to voting.
The occasion was marked in my town. The Board of Selectmen, meeting this evening, adopted a proclamation I drafted to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. (I will try to post it elsewhere on this website.) It notes the surprising number of nationally recognized suffragists who spent summers (and later lived) in seaside Scituate during the suffrage movement. More about them on this website and in my upcoming book.
Happy anniversary!
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