MEMPHIS, Tenn — Tuesday marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment and the state of Tennessee has plans to celebrate the milestone.
Tennessee was the final vote needed to ratify the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote.
To commemorate the state's role, a reenactment of the final and tense vote will be done on the floor of the House chamber at the State Capitol. The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will be live-streamed on the TN Woman 100 Facebook page.
“Tennesseans can be very proud of what was accomplished in our century 100 years ago, not only by those legislators that voted “aye” for suffrage, but by the many women in our state, and throughout the nation, who fought hard for decades to make it a reality," The Official Committee of the State of Tennessee Woman Suffrage Centennial said, in a statement.
Due to the pandemic, many events hosted by the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission will be virtual.
Below is a full list of events:
- 8 a.m. CT / 9 a.m. ET: U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) will deliver a welcome message to kick-off the day-long virtual celebration. Access the livestream for the full day of events at http://bit.ly/WSCCTennessee.
- 8:45 a.m. CT / 9:45 a.m. ET: WSCC hosts Herstory Time & Suffrage Tea with author Mary Morgan Ketchel, who will read Camilla Can Vote: Celebrating the Centennial of Women's Right to Vote, which she co-authored with her mother, Sen. Marsha Blackburn. Sen. Blackburn and Ketchel will then discuss the inspiration behind the book over tea, to bring the history of women's fight for the vote to families. Tune in at http://bit.ly/WSCCTennessee.
- 9:30 a.m. CT / 10:30 a.m. ET: The Tennessee State Capitol will livestream a reenactment of Tennessee's final vote for ratification at TNWoman100.com and at http://bit.ly/WSCCTennessee.
- 10:00 a.m. CT / 11:00 a.m. ET: WSCC partners with the Highlight Pro Skydiving Team to bring viewers an 11-person, all-female virtual skydiving display, with brightly colored smoke, streamers, and flags in the historic suffrage colors of purple and gold. The virtual event will be live via the Highlight Pro Skydiving Team Facebook Page and at http://bit.ly/WSCCTennessee.
- 11 a.m. CT / 12 p.m. ET: WSCC Executive Director Anna Laymon will interview Sen. Marsha Blackburn about Tennessee's role in the history of the suffrage movement and the importance of the centennial. Enjoy the discussion at http://bit.ly/WSCCTennessee.
WSCC is also hosting a weekly concert series, livestreamed from the Listening Room Cafe in Nashville, with Song Suffragettes every Monday at 6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET.
Learn more on the suffragist movement here.