Exhibit: Celebrating the Centennial of the 19th Amendment: Women Vote

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

                      - the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States

Celebrating the Centennial of the 19th Amendment: Women Vote, a traveling exhibit by the League of Women Voters of Kansas and its Centennial Celebration Committee, will be on display at WPL from January 26th through February 14th.  The exhibit brings to life the history of the women’s suffrage movement in Kansas and will travel throughout the state over the next 14 months in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.

Beginning with Clarina Nichols in the late 1800s, visitors will become acquainted with some of the historic women in our state who led the women’s right to vote movement in the early 20th century as they fought for decades to ensure their inclusion in civic life. Kansas women could vote in all state elections starting in 1912, eight years before the 19th Amendment extended that right to the rest of the country, solidifying Kansas' legacy as a leader in women's voting rights.

The exhibit also traces the influence of African-American and Native American women who played an integral part in the process even though the right to vote did not include them until much later. The exhibit’s final panel issues a call to action to vote in every election.

This exhibit is funded in part by a grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, the Kansas Health Foundation and Humanities Kansas. Kansas-owned businesses, universities, and individuals across the state also helped make this exhibit possible. The League of Women Voters of Kansas is a nonpartisan, grassroots, volunteer political organization with nine local Leagues across the state. LWVK encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy. The League never endorses candidates or parties. For more information about the League of Women Voters of Kansas, please visit lwvk.org.