In 1919, the United States Senate passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote. (The amendment was originally introduced in Congress in 1878 but was finally adopted 41 years later). The next year, 1920, The League of Women Voters was established in Washington, D.C. As is often said, “The rest is history.’
The official date of the League’s 100th anniversary is February 14, 2020. To celebrate both the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment and the 100th birthday of The League of Women Voters, the Pine Belt chapter of the League will host the actual celebration on Saturday, February 29 with co-sponsor The Saenger Theatre. The doors to the Saenger Theatre will open at 6:30 p.m., and beginning at 7:00 p.m. there will be a special screening of the women’s suffrage movie, Iron-Jawed Angels, starring Hilary Swank and Angelica Houston. A champagne and cupcake reception will follow the movie. This event is free and open to the public.
Peg Ciraldo, president of the LWV-Pine Belt, said, “This is an exciting time for the League of Women Voters nationwide. In the past one hundred years, much has been accomplished, but our job is not yet finished. We owe a debt of gratitude and thanks to all the women and men who came before us, for their voices, the work they did and their many accomplishments.”