Calendar of Events

Ongoing Exhibits

Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote

An on-going exhibit opening at the National Archives highlighting the relentless struggle of diverse activists throughout U.S. history to secure voting rights for all American women opened in June. https://museum.archives.gov/rightfully-hers

Connecticut Scavenger Hunt

In honor of the 19th Amendment Centennial, the Connecticut Bar Association will host a statewide, 11-month long scavenger hunt.  The scavenger hunt will identify and highlight eleven different historical sites across the state related to the suffrage movement and the passage of the 19th Amendment.

https://www.ctbar.org/events-education/19th-amendment-centennial-scavenger-hunt

Shall Not Be Denied   

The Library of Congress’ 19th Amendment Exhibit, “Shall Not Be Denied,” is now open and running through September 2020. Both online and at the Library, the exhibit explores the history of the women who fought for suffrage and tells their collective story, which is one of courage, perseverance, savvy, and creativity.    Read more https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/

Women's Votes, Women's Voices: The 19th Amendment at 100

The Cardoza School of Law is hosting a yearlong programming series celebrating the 19th Amendment at 100. For more information visit https://cardozo.yu.edu/news/19at100 or contact Christine George ([email protected])

Upcoming Events

May 1, 2020

The 19th Amendment is the focus for Law Day 2020, allowing the ABA to lead national programming on the celebration and for state and local bar association and legal leaders to emphasize the Amendment’s legacy during their annual Law Day activities. National programs include an online panel discussion in partnership with the Law Library of Congress entitled Social Movement Changing America: The Legacies of the 19th Amendment. The program is open to the public and free . The ABA is pleased to highlight digital resources  to help you conduct virtual programs to commemorate this important anniversary. 

May 15, 2020 

The Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia will host a program entitled "From the 19th Amendment to the Equal Rights Amendment: Where Are We Now?" This discuss features Miranda Franco, Founder and President, 131 & Counting; June Marshall, Senior Counsel and Women's Initiative Coordinator, Holland & Knight; Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO, National Women's Law Center; Michelle Kallen, Deputy Solicitor General, Commonwealth of Virginia; and Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence - MI. More information can be found at the WBADC's online calendar.

June 24-26, 2020

The D.C. Bar is hosting a multi-day conference at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., bringing together local, national, and international legal minds to focus on important developments in the law and recognize the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment by which American women won the right to vote.

This momentous event includes CLE-approved sessions, networking opportunities, local area tours, and features impressive keynote speakers including renowned presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and former United States Attorney General and current Covington partner, Eric H. Holder Jr.

You are invited to join experts from around the globe to examine the 19th Amendment’s historic milestone and what the next 100 years may bring for voting rights.

August 26, 2020

The Columbus (OH) Bar Association will present “One Hundred Years of the 19th Amendment: How it Happened and What Its Meant.” Viewed through the lens of history narrated by a noted voter-rights professor emeritus, a former law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and an award winning author, this program will examine the history of the fight to win and retain the right to vote. For more information, visit www.cbalaw.org

October 23 

The Complex and Courageous Campaign for Women's Suffrage and Parity in Our Democracy: Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment

Join the ABA Judicial Division to commensurate the passing of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution with several panels, Q&A sessions and opportunities for bar members to interact with, and learn from, historians and authors such as Majorie Spruill (author of “Divided We Stand: The Battle Over Women’s Rights and Family Values That Polarized American Politics”), Tina Cassidy (author of “Mr. President, How Long Must We Wait?”), as well as judges, military personnel, and scholars. CLE credit will be offered for attorneys barred in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and DC. Registration and website information to come. 

Past Events

October 18th, 6:15 PST 

ABA GP Solo Diversity Reception at Solo & Small Firm Summit

Celebrate the Division’s diversity initiatives and the 100th Anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote. All attendees, guests, and lawyers in the local area are invited to exchange ideas to further GPSolo’s commitment to diversity. Diversity Reception-only tickets are $25 per person.

October 25th

Deadline for submissions to the DC Bar writing competition examining the 19th Amendment (https://abaforlawstudents.com/2019/08/29/dc-bar-writing-competition-examines-the-19th-amendment/)

October 27th

Votes for Women 1919 CLE – Presented by the Connecticut Bar Association and the Manchester Historical Society (https://www.ctbar.org/events-education/events/event/2019/10/27/default-calendar/votes-for-women-1919-cle-edu191027-1283546)

October 28th, 6-7pm

19th Amendment Forum at Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. For more information, contact Katy Englehart, ABA Office of the President, [email protected]

November 5th

Election Day! Get out and celebrate the 19th Amendment by exercising your right to vote, by serving as poll watchers or by educating your family and friends about the fight for suffrage.

November 12th, 5:30pm EST

The DC Bar will host its first event in a series related to women and voting rights. The November is a book talk and signing with Eleine Weiss, the author of "The Woman's hour". The book will be turned into a TV Series produced by Steven Spielberg. The event is free to anyone who registers here: dcbar.wufoo.com/forms/elaine-weiss-rsvp

November 13-15

The Section of Litigation will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing and protecting women’s constitutional right to vote, at the 2019 Women in Litigation Joint CLE Conference. The Conference will highlight women successfully leading in the courtroom, in the judiciary, and in the profession. Programs will focus on trial skills, insurance litigation, products liability litigation, securities and financial litigation. The conference will also showcase 100 inspirational women throughout the program. Registration is open at ambar.org/litigationwomen.  

November 19, 3:00 p.m. Eastern

Webinar: The 19th Amendment at 100: How Your Bar Can Take Part In This Civics Engagement Opportunity, featuring ABA President Judy Perry Martinez. Register at: https://ncbp.site-ym.com/page/21stCenturyLawyer.

December 10th

Human Rights Day! Consider including the fight for suffrage and access to the poll as part of your Human Rights Day programming.

February 3, 2020

Law Review Editors-in-Chief Conference at Duke University School of Law (By Invitation Only) ABA President Judy Perry Martinez is scheduled to speak at this conference for the Editors-in-Chief of the “top 16” law reviews in the country who are, for the first time ever, all women. The conference is being convened to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment.  Participants will include the Editors-in-Chief, their deans, as well as eminent scholars, lawyers, and judges.  Participants will discuss the development of women in the law.

February 10, 2020

Program co-hosted by ABA and Georgetown Law School exploring the 19th Amendment’s legacies.

ABA Midyear Meeting – February

National Conference of Bar Presidents will present a program entitled “150 Years of Voting Rights” on February 14, 2020, 1:50 - 2:50pm. Come hear how organizations are celebrating the 19th Amendment's 100th Anniversary and the 150th Anniversary of the ratification of the 15th Amendment. Find your own way to celebrate these milestone voting rights acts and protect voters in the 21st century. This panel discussion will take place in the Austin Grand Ballroom Salon H, 6th Floor at the Hilton Austin."

The National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations will also host programming on the 19th Amendment during the ABA Midyear Meeting. For more information, contact president-elect Jeanne Marie Clavere ([email protected]).

The GP Solo Section will present a program entitled “Present & Powerful Speaker Series: Vote. Run. Lead. 100 Years of Women in Politics” on Friday February 14th, 4-5:30pm in the JW Marriott Austin, Level 3, Lone Star Ballroom Salons B-C. The discussion will include experiences and challenges women face in seeking elected office, the impact and opportunities women have in holding elected office, and why it is important on a local, state and national level to have the varied perspectives that women bring to leadership in elected office. Speakers include Eva Guzman, Supreme Court of Texas and Victoria M. DeFrancesco Soto, Univ. of Texas at Austin.

The Judicial Division will present “The Disenfranchised Among Us”  on February 15 from 9:45-11:15am at the JW Marriott Hotel, Room TBD. This program will explore the barriers which prevent citizens otherwise entitled to vote in U.S. elections, and will explore the implications of continuing to employ those restrictions upon the fundamental right to self-determination. The program will also discuss efforts to restore voting rights to those released following complete service of sentences issued for criminal offenses and also will focus on those whose only address is a post office box such as those residing on Reservations.

February 21, 2020

The ABA Division for Public Education will conduct a professional development session for teachers focusing on the 19th Amendment and the impact of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s fight of gender equality at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center.

February 22, 2020

California LAW Pathway Summit: Centennial Celebration of 19th Amendment and Voting Rights. ABA President Judy Perry Martinez will speak about the history of the 19th Amendment. The program will take place at Santa Clara University School of Law in Santa Clara, CA.

March 2020

Celebrate Women’s History Month! The ratification of the 19th Amendment was a seminal moment in American women’s history – use Women’s History Month as a chance to engage your community in discussions about the Amendment’s ongoing legacy.

March 5, 2020

International Women’s Day Summit 2020, Cleveland, Ohio

Join the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association to learn from and celebrate women of great achievement, in addition to inspiring one another to continue the pursuit for equality. Please visit CleMetroBar.org/IWD for more information and to register.