A Guide to Events Celebrating the Centennial of Women’s Suffrage

Courtesy of National Woman’s Party

August 18 marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving all women the right to vote. A variety of New Jersey events are on tap to mark the centennial. Here is a partial listing:

SUMMER & FALL EVENTS:

• August 5, 7 pm, virtual event: Professional storyteller Carol Simon Levin, a New Jersey Council for the Humanities Public Scholar, will perform “Reclaiming Our Voice: New Jersey’s Role in the Fight for Woman Suffrage” at the Westfield Memorial Library. No registration required; join here. Information: 908-789-4090 ext. 4122 or [email protected].
• August 6, 1 pm, virtual event: Carol Simon Levin will perform “Remembering the Ladies: From Patriots in Petticoats to Presidential Candidates” at the Sussex County Library. Register here. Information: 973-948-3660.
• August 13, 1 pm, virtual event: Carol Simon Levin will perform “Reclaiming Our Voice: New Jersey’s Role in the Fight for Woman Suffrage” at the Sussex County Library. Register after July 30. Levin’s additional programs are available at www.tellingherstories.com.
• August 18, 7 pm, virtual event: Nancy B. Kennedy of Hopewell, author of the new children’s book Women Win the Vote!: 19 for the 19th Amendment, will present a virtual event honoring the centennial of women’s suffrage at the Pennington Public Library. Information: 609-737-0404 or [email protected].
• August 26, 10 am–noon, virtual event: NJ Women Vote’s Equality Day celebration will feature a panel discussion plus performances inspired by the history of women’s suffrage. Co-sponsored by the New Jersey Division on Women and hosted virtually by Thomas Edison State University. Free with registration.
• November 13, virtual event: The 2020 virtual New Jersey History Conference presents “Battles for the Ballot:  New Jersey Voting Rights, Then and Now.” The event is sponsored by NJ Women Vote, the New Jersey Historical Commission and New Jersey State Archives. Submissions to the posters-and-projects session accepted through Sept. 21. Check website for more info.

ONGOING EVENTS & EXHIBITS:

• August 1–31: NJ Women Vote presents “Suffrage Solo Slow Roll.”Bike, walk or drive to local sites along the New Jersey Women’s Heritage Trail. Participants will have the opportunity to post a selfie at each site; prizes will be awarded to those who visit the most sites. Registration includes a T-shirt and curated guide of the trail.
• Ongoing: An online digital exhibit by the Alice Paul Institute, funded by a grant from the John Ben Snow Memorial Trust, features original documents and objects from the Alice Paul Archives at Paulsdale. Among items on digital display are Paul’s picket pin, suffrage pamphlets and sheet music, plus a 1921 article Paul wrote in The Suffragist. Information: 856-231-1885 or [email protected].
• Through December 31: The Gloucester County Historical Society’s Hunter-Lawrence-Jessup House Museum presents Remember the Ladies: 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage. Information: 856-848-8531.
• Through June 2021: The Township of Ocean Historical Museum celebrates the 19th Amendment with a display at the Eden Woolley House. The museum is open Sundays from 1–4 pm; more hours may be added in the fall. Information: 732-531-2136. The display is also available online.
• Through December 31: The Newark Public Library presents an exhibit on the battle for women’s suffrage in New Jersey. Information: 973-733-7784. (Other New Jersey libraries have pop-up displays highlighting people and events of the women’s suffrage movement.)

ELSEWHERE:

• The Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of American History has two signature exhibits in honor of the Year of the Woman. The first, which includes some of Alice Paul’s suffrage-related possessions, is titled Creating Icons: How We Remember Women’s Suffrage; it runs through May 2, 2021. The second, Girlhood (It’s Complicated), runs through January 2, 2023. Visit the website for more info.
• The Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument, an historic house in Washington, D.C., served as headquarters of Alice Paul’s National Woman’s Party in 1929 as she and others fought for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. Today it offers educational programs, tours, exhibits and archives. Information: 202-543-2240.