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August 19, 2020

ABA marks centennial of 19th Amendment with program on the ‘unfinished fight’

CHICAGO, Aug. 19, 2020 — The American Bar Association will mark the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, with a special commemorative program.

What:              
The Great Unfinished Fight: A Conversation on the History and Legacy of the 19th Amendment
Sponsored by the ABA Commission on the 19th Amendment

When:             
Monday, Aug. 24
11 a.m.-noon CT

The program will feature a conversation between Judge M. Margaret McKeown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and chair of the commission, and Elaine Weiss, author of “The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote.” They will discuss the gripping story of how women won the right to vote and opened the door to future battles for civil rights. ABA President Patricia Lee Refo will give introductory remarks.

At the conclusion of the program, the commission will launch its #19for19th challenge to encourage individuals and organizations to put the legacies of the 19th Amendment into action in their communities.

The program is part of the ABA’s yearlong celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. McKeown and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg discussed the amendment’s implications at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C, and last October the Harvard Kennedy School hosted a panel discussion on women’s political power from the 19th Amendment to 2020.

Other initiatives include a traveling exhibit called “100 Years After the 19th Amendment: Their Legacy, and Our Future” curated by the Library of Congress; digital tool kits to help support public and student programming; free streaming videos that can be used for commemoration events and programs; links to other organizations planning commemoration activities; state anniversary dates; interesting facts about the 19th Amendment and the battle for full suffrage; and a gallery of 19th Amendment images and photos.

The event is free and open to the members of the press. For media credentialing, please contact Priscilla Totten at [email protected].

 

The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews.