Curator’s Cut: An Inside Look at DC’s Suffrage Exhibits 
Press Release · Thursday, May 21, 2020

Washington, DC

No mask or ticket needed! Join museum curators on May 27, 7–8 p.m. ET, for a sneak-peek “virtual” tour of DC’s suffrage exhibitions at the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and the National Portrait Gallery.  Register online here.  

Hosted by the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission (WSCC), the free webinar “Curator’s Cut: An Inside Look at DC’s Suffrage Exhibits” will provide an exclusive look at the history of the suffrage movement told by the curators of three prominent women's suffrage exhibits!. Corinne Porter of the National Archives, Janice Ruth of the Library of Congress, and Kate Lemay of the National Portrait Gallery will discuss topics including gaps in the women’s suffrage narrative, relevance of the suffrage movement today, and the role museums and collections play in interpreting this important history. Senator Barbara Mikulski, a WSCC commissioner, will provide welcoming remarks.

National Archives Exhibit - Curated by Corinne Porter, Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote commemorates the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment by looking beyond suffrage parades and protests to the often overlooked story behind this landmark moment in American history. This fuller retelling of the struggle for women’s voting rights illustrates the dynamic involvement of American women across the spectrum of race, ethnicity, and class to reveal what it really took to win the vote for one-half of the people. See the online exhibit and video tour by Corinne Porter. 

Rightfully Hers Popup Displays!
In partnership with WSCC, the National Archives is providing 2,500 free popup displays, titled Rightfully Hers, to schools and cultural institutions nationwide in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and women’s constitutional right to vote. Rightfully Hers explores the history of the ratification of the 19th Amendment and the state of voting rights before and after the women’s suffrage movement. 

The National Archives is an independent Federal agency that serves American democracy by safeguarding and preserving the records of our Government, so people can discover, use, and learn from this documentary heritage. The National Archives ensures continuing access to the essential documentation of the rights of American citizens and the actions of their government.  From the Declaration of Independence to accounts of ordinary Americans, the holdings of the National Archives directly touch the lives of millions of people. These holdings include extensive documentation of the struggle for Women’s Suffrage. 

The Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission (WSCC) was formed by the U.S. Congress to coordinate the nationwide commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment, which was officially ratified and signed into the Constitution on August 26, 1920. Led by a bipartisan group of 14 women leaders, the WSCC has a nonpartisan mission to ensure that Americans in every state across the country have the chance to participate in the centennial and to learn about this important but often overlooked history. For more information about the WSCC, its initiatives, and commemorative events across the country throughout 2020, visit www.womensvote100.org. 

Rightfully Hers is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of Unilever, Pivotal Ventures, Carl M. Freeman Foundation in honor of Virginia Allen Freeman, AARP, AT&T, Ford Motor Company Fund, Facebook, Barbara Lee Family Foundation Fund at the Boston Foundation, Google, HISTORY ®, and Jacqueline B. Mars. Additional support for National Outreach and Programs provided by Denise Gwyn Ferguson, Maggie and Robert Boroujerdi, BMO Financial Group, The Hearst Foundations, Maris S. Cuneo Foundation, FedEx, Bernstein Family Foundation, and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation/Ambassador Fay-Hartog Levin (Ret.).