Join the Peoria community in celebrating the 101st Anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment with a city-wide celebration. Below are all of our partner organizations and the events associated with Peoria's commemoration of this historic anniversary. 

Winning the Right to Vote Celebration | 101st Anniversary of the 19th Amendment

Winning the Right to Vote | A Lecture with Elaine Weiss, author of The Woman’s Hour

Tue, Jun 8 | 5:30 pm - click the link below to watch the recording of this program.

Peoria Riverfront Museum

Virtual Program, ZOOM

Join us in commemorating women gaining the right to vote in 1920 on the 101st Anniversary of the Ratification of the 19th Amendment. Elaine Weiss, author of The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote, will discuss the path women took to gain the right to vote in the United States. 

Watch the recording of this program - click here. 

Recording available through July 9, 2021

-

Celebrating the Women’s Suffrage Centennial: What Happened and What Have We Learned?

Tue, May 18 | 6 pm

US National Archives Museum

YouTube LIVE

In partnership with the 2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative, we present "Celebrating the Woman Suffrage Centennial: What Happened and What Have We Learned?"

The year 2020 was the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, and commemorations were planned around the country. But 2020 was also the year of the pandemic and bitterly partisan politics. Our panel will discuss how the centennial adapted, where efforts succeeded, where they fell short, and reflect on how successful they were in raising public awareness of women’s fight for equality.

Moderated by Rebecca Roberts, author of Suffragists in Washington DC, panelists include Robert P. J. Cooney, Jr., author of Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement; Fredie Kay, Executive Director, Suffrage100MA; Anna Laymon, former Executive Director, Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission; and Krysta Jones, Co-chair, 2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative.

Presented in partnership with the 2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative, the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial, the National Women’s History Alliance, the National Women’s History Museum, and the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites.

Free & Open to the Public

Register or Watch on YouTube - click here. 

Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote and programs presented in conjunction with the exhibit 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, 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.).

-

Nonviolent Protest and the American Women’s Suffrage Movement

Wed, May 19 | 11:30 am

Dunlap Public Library District

Virtual Program, ZOOM

In the last seven years of the American women’s suffrage movement, a determined band of women’s suffrage activists engaged in confrontational acts of nonviolent protest: demonstrations, picketing, burning President Wilson in effigy and other “outrageous performances.” Yet they are rarely mentioned as pioneers in the use of nonviolent direct action. In this illustrated lecture, historian Leslie Goddard explores why U.S. suffragists should be remembered as some of the earliest protestors to engage in a successful campaign of nonviolent resistance. And why the women’s suffrage moment should be remembered as one of the most remarkable nonviolent protest movements in history. Leslie Goddard is a historian and author who holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University and master’s degrees in museum studies and in theater. She has written two books on Chicago history and has been presenting programs on topics in history for more than fifteen years. LeslieGoddard.info

Questions? Contact Melissa Weyeneth | mweyeneth@dunlaplibrary.org

Free & Open to the Public

Advanced Registration Required - click here.

-

Get Registered to Vote!

Fri, May 21 | 1-5 pm

Peoria Public Library | Main, Lincoln, McClure, Lakeview & North Branches
Dunlap Public Library District

101 years ago, women were not allowed to vote. That changed on August 26, 1920 when the 19th amendment to the US Constitution was ratified after 72 years of work by suffragettes. Join us to get easily registered to vote as part of the 101st Celebration of the 19th Amendment at Peoria Public Library branches [Main, Lincoln, McClure, Lakeview and North] and the Dunlap Public Library District! Members of the League of Women Voters Greater Peoria and librarians will be available to register any Illinois resident to vote.  You must bring two forms of identification, one of which has your current address, with you to register to vote. Examples include driver’s license or state ID; utility bills (including those on your phone); work or student ID’s; insurance cards; car registrations; etc.

-

YA Social Justice Book Club

Tue, Jun 1 | 7:30 pm

Dunlap Public Library District

Virtual Program, ZOOM

Join us as we explore books related to issues of race, gender, sexuality, and other important topics. This month’s title will be Women win the vote!: 19 for the 19th amendment by Nancy B. Kennedy. We will also have a visit from the author herself, and Nancy will be happy to answer questions regarding her book. All teens are welcome! Print copies of the book are available at your local library, and an eAudiobook is available through Hoopla. nancybkennedy.com

Questions? Contact Amy Edgar | aedgar@dunlaplibrary.org

Free & Open to Teenagers

Advanced Registration Required - click here.

-

“They Made a Difference: Peoria Women Who Empowered Others”

Exhibition open June 1 – June 30

Peoria Public Library, Main Branch – Gallery Space

From entrepreneur Lydia Moss Bradley through Dr. Rita Ali, Peoria’s first female mayor, many Peoria women have made a difference in the lives of other women and have contributed greatly to the advancement of their community. Exhibit will highlight Peoria women who were active in the woman’s suffrage movement of the last century.

Questions? Contact Maureen Naughtin | curator@peoriahistoricalsociety.org

-

Women’s Suffrage South of the US Border: Brazil and Beyond

Dr. Aurea Toxqui, Professor of History, Bradley University

Fri, Jun 4 | 11 am

Virtual Program, ZOOM

In celebration of the 101st anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, PAWAC takes a look at suffrage movements for women in Central and South America, many of which occurred concurrently or even preceded the movement for women's suffrage in the US. Dr. Toxqui explores women’s movements in Brazil, which have seen advances and setbacks of late. Does having the right to vote translate into the power to make change?

Free & Open to the Public

Advanced Registration Required – click here.

-

Election Tea & Luncheon with Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Mon, Jun 7 | Noon-1 pm 

Peoria Historical Society's Pettengill-Morron Historic House Museum | 1212 West Moss Avenue, Peoria, IL 61606

Register by Mon, May 31

Enjoy a light boxed lunch and tea as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, as portrayed by Laura Keyes-Kaplafka, educates on the early struggles of the suffragist movement. Outdoor Tea & Luncheon. [Rain Date Tue, Jun 8, 2021]

www.LauraFKeyes.com

Free for donors/sponsors, advanced registration required. 

Register or ask questions, contact Maureen Naughtin |  curator@peoriahistoricalsociety.org.

- 

Hindsight in 2020: The Long Road to Universal Suffrage |  Featuring Jeanne Schultz Angel 

Wed, Jun 16 | 6:30 pm

Virtual Program, ZOOM

Peoria Public Library

2020 marked the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment which enfranchised women to vote in all US elections. Since the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, many promoted, persuaded, and oftentimes bravely fought about equal rights under United States law. The road to enfranchisement and equal rights has had many roadblocks including Jim Crow, racism, prejudice, and still remains under construction through gerrymandering/redistricting, voting access, and election tampering. Explore where we stand today and where we are going as we reflect on universal suffrage in American history.

Jeanne Schultz Angel is the Director of Learning Experiences & Historical Resources for Naper Settlement. She is a nonprofit administrator and museum professional with more than 24 years working within cultural institutions. She holds a Bachelors degree in Anthropology and Masters degree in History from Illinois State University. Angel has been the executive director of three Chicagoland historical organizations: St. Charles Heritage Center, Lombard Historical Society/Sheldon Peck Homestead, and the Nineteenth Century Club in Oak Park. In addition, she served as the ED of the Illinois Association of Museums. Most recently, she was the lead historian in Seeking Charlie: Connecting the Dots Left by a Freedom Seeker in Illinois, a grant funded by the Association of African American Life & History and the National Park Service. 

Advanced Registration Required

Free & Open to the Public

Register online now - click here.