Celebrate Women’s Suffrage in October
Press Release · Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Washington, DC

The National Archives continues the women’s suffrage centennial celebration with special programs this month related to the new Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote exhibition.  Topics ranging from the impact of men in the suffrage movement to the impact of women in Congress today. 

The programs are free and open to the public and will be held in the William G. McGowan Theater of the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC.   Attendees should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue at 7th Street, NW.  Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station. Reservations are recommended and can be made online. For those without reservations, seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Theater doors will open 45 minutes prior to the start of the program. Late seating will not be permitted 20 minutes after the program begins.

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 takes to win the vote for one-half of the people. Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery of the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, through January 3, 2021.

BOOK TALK & SIGNING:  Yale Needs Women: How the First Group of Girls Rewrote the Rules of an Ivy League Giant
Tuesday, October 8, at noon, reserve a seat; watch the live stream on our YouTube Channel
In the winter of 1969,  young women from across the country applied to Yale University for the first time. Yale’s landmark decision to admit women was a step forward for equality in education. In Yale Needs Women, author Anne Gardiner Perkins tells the story of how these young women fought against the male cultural traditions of a centuries-old institution and created the opportunities that would carry them into the future. 

PANEL DISCUSSION:  Women Suffragists and the Men Who Supported Them: The Suffragents and Their Role in the Struggle for the Vote
Thursday, October 17, at 7 p.m. reserve a seat; watch the live stream on our YouTube Channel
What role did men play in the women's suffrage movement, and how did they aid in the fight for the 19th Amendment? At a time when public support for women’s issues could cause men ridicule, their backing of the movement was significant.  A panel will discuss the men who involved themselves in the suffrage movement, including the Men's League of Women's Suffrage.  Moderated by Betsy Fischer Martin, Executive Director, Women and Politics Institute, American University School of Public Affairs, panelists include: Brooke Kroeger, author of The Suffragents: How Women Used Men to Get the Vote; Johanna Neuman, author of Gilded Suffragists:The New York Socialites Who Fought for Women’s Right to Vote; and Susan Ware, author of Why They Marched.  Presented in partnership with the 2020 Women's Vote Centennial Initiative and the One Woman, One Vote 2020 Festival. 

DOCUMENTARY FILM SCREENING: Washington, D.C. Premiere of Summoned: Frances Perkins and the General Welfare
Saturday, October 26, at 7 p.m. Reserve a seat.
During the Depression, Franklin Roosevelt appointed Frances Perkins as the first woman to serve in a Presidential Cabinet. She became the driving force behind Social Security, the 40-hour work week, the eight‐ hour day, minimum wage and unemployment compensation.  Summoned: Frances Perkins and the General Welfare features interviews with David Brooks, Nancy Pelosi, Amy Klobuchar, Lawrence O’Donnell, and others while telling Perkins’ heroic story.  Following the screening, producer Mick Caouette will be joined by Dr. Christopher Breiseth, past president and CEO of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, to discuss the film and answer audience questions.

BOOK TALK & SIGNING: Undaunted: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back
Tuesday, October 29, at 7 p.m., reserve a seat; watch the live stream on our YouTube Channel
Jackie Speier was 28 when she joined Congressman Leo Ryan’s delegation to rescue defectors from cult leader Jim Jones’s Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. Ryan was killed on the airstrip tarmac. Jackie was shot five times at point-blank range. While recovering, the choice to survive against unfathomable odds, empowered her with a resolve to become a fearless voice against injustice and inequality in the U.S. Congress. 

SPECIAL EVENT:  Women in Leadership: The Impact of Women on the U.S. Congress
Wednesday, October 30, at 7 p.m., reserve a seat; watch the live stream on our YouTube Channel
When the 116th Congress convened in 2019, a record number of women -- 102 in the House of Representatives and 25 in the Senate -- held seats.  How has this historic increase changed the ethos of the institution? How do newly elected women interact with experienced members? How will the future of the Congress change as more women are elected?  A distinguished panel, including Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Rep. Debra Lesko (R-AZ), and Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) will discuss these topics and others..  The discussion will be moderated by Brooke Baldwin from CNN. The Women in Leadership forum is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation and through the generous support of BMO Financial Group.

Programs presented in conjunction with our exhibition: Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote. Rightfully Hers are 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, BMO Financial Group, Hearst Foundations, Maris S. Cuneo Foundation, FedEx, Bernstein Family Foundation, and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation/Ambassador Fay-Hartog Levin (Ret.).