Women’s Suffrage Centennial

Celebrating 100 years of women making their voices heard at the ballot box

In 1920, the newly ratified 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibited denying the right to vote on the basis of sex. Consistent with our core belief that women’s voices strengthen our democracy, the Barbara Lee Family Foundation is committed to elevating suffrage centennial projects that highlight important lessons from the women’s suffrage movement, including the responsibility of each generation to continue the march for justice.

Suffrage Centennial Grants

As part of its involvement with the Greater Boston Women’s Vote Centennial, the Barbara Lee Family Foundation sought proposals for projects designed to encourage civic engagement and link the history of the suffrage movement to the urgent social issues of today. Through this grantmaking program, the foundation seeks to elevate organizations doing work to create a racially, ethnically, and geographically diverse centennial celebration reflective of the Greater Boston community.

The winning organizations are:

The Brockton Public Library Foundation
The Josiah Quincy Orchestra Program
The Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston (CWPPP)
The Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus (MWPC)

Suffrage Celebration Partners

Women’s Suffrage Centennial

Front-Page News: Women Win the Right to Vote

Using historic images and front pages, this exhibit explores how women used their First Amendment freedoms to win the right to vote, from an 1848 convention in Seneca Falls, NY, to 1920, the first year women nationwide voted in a presidential election.

Women’s Suffrage Centennial

Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, this exhibit at the National Archives Museum highlights the relentless struggle of diverse activists throughout U.S. history to secure voting rights for all American women. More than 90 items will be showcased, including records, artifacts, and photographs. The exhibit will run from May 2019 – […]

Women’s Suffrage Centennial

Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence

The exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery will focus on how suffragists used portraiture to promote gender equality and their ideas and include overlooked women’s history topics, including: the role of black suffragists; labor rights of working women; the shift in society’s image of women; and the first female presidential candidates. It will run from […]

Women’s Suffrage Centennial

The Vote

This American Experience film, set to be released in 2020, explores how and why millions of Americans mobilized for, and against, a woman’s right to vote. It brings to life the controversies—over gender roles, race, and the methods and means for social change—that divided the American population in the decade leading up to the passage of the 19th […]

Women’s Suffrage Centennial

Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote

The Library of Congress’ exhibit will include an unsurpassed documentary record of the suffrage campaign, correspondence and speech, rare books, pamphlets, cartoons, and more. There will be an online component, gallery talks, tours, a film series, concerts, educational workshops, and classroom materials. The exhibit will run from June 2019 – September 2020.

Women’s Suffrage Centennial

Road to the Vote: The Boston Women’s Suffrage Trail

The “Road to the Vote: The Boston Women’s Suffrage Trail” guide highlights local leaders and significant events in the decades-long quest for equality at the ballot box and can guide the user on a walking tour of 21 sites in Boston.

Women’s Suffrage Centennial

MASS MoCA’s March Month of Women

In March 2020, in celebration of the 100th’s anniversary of women’s suffrage, MASS MoCA’s artist residency, The Studios at MASS MoCA are committing the month to featuring only women-identifying artists in their exhibitions and residency program.

Women’s Suffrage Centennial

The 19th

The 19th is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting at the intersection of gender, politics and policy. Our goal is to empower women — particularly those historically underserved by American media — with the information, community and resources they need to be equal participants in our society.

Women’s Suffrage Centennial

Suffrage School

Radcliffe’s Schlesinger Library is providing online suffrage lessons for learners of all ages to explore the long, complex, and ongoing efforts to ensure full citizenship for women in the United States. Suffrage School opened on June 1, 2020, and will release new videos at regular intervals for the remainder of the centennial year. Each lesson […]

Women’s Suffrage Centennial

Suffrage Centennial Grant Awardees

The Barbara Lee Family Foundation is happy to announce the four local organizations selected to receive a $5,000 grant to fund forward-looking community programming around the suffrage centennial.  In 2019, as part of its involvement with the Greater Boston Women’s Vote Centennial, the Barbara Lee Family Foundation sought proposals for projects designed to encourage civic […]

Women’s Suffrage Centennial

The Greater Boston Women’s Vote Centennial

Presented by Mayor Walsh’s Office of Women’s Advancement and supported by the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, the Greater Boston Women’s Vote Centennial aims to elevate the ongoing women’s suffrage centennial celebrations throughout Greater Boston. The project will span from June 2019-August 2020.

Women’s Suffrage Centennial

Beyond Suffrage: 100 Years of Women and Politics in New York (2018)

Shown at the Museum of the City of New York, Beyond Suffrage tells the story of the past century of political participation by New York women. While showcasing the accomplishments of women in politics, it will also showcase the limits of suffrage and the difficulties women in politics still face today.