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March 30, 2020

19th Amendment Centennial Commemoration

The newly-formed ABA Commission on the 19th Amendment, chaired by the Hon. Margaret McKeown of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, will embark on a range of activities in the coming year to celebrate 100 years of women’s constitutional right to vote, educate the public about the Nineteenth Amendment and the battle for women’s suffrage, and promote laws that ensure women’s full and equal exercise of their right to vote and to participate in our democracy.  The 2020 Law Day theme, “Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Democracy: The 19th Amendment at 100,” will provide an opportunity for state and local bar associations to explore the legacies of the 19th Amendment while also encouraging everyone to exercise these rights and fulfill our responsibilities as voters and participants in our constitutional democracy. Digital toolkits featuring lesson plans, information on coordinating student and public programs, and voter education information provide bar associations with a range of resources to support your partnerships and programming. In addition, the ABA Standing Committee on the Law Library of Congress has created 19th Amendment traveling exhibit, "100 Years After the 19th Amendment: Their Legacy, and Our Future.” The six-banner exhibit features historic photos and artifacts and details the story of the battle for ratification and outlines the challenges that remain. If your bar association is interested in displaying the banners, please contact Anne Brown at [email protected] for information.  To access the digital toolkits and view updates on commemoration activities being planned by the ABA, outside partners, and state and local bar associations, please visit the ABA’s 19th amendment website, ambar.org/19th. If your bar association is planning 19th amendment commemoration activities, we would like to spotlight it on our website. Please complete a short survey.