91传媒 Libraries exhibit recognizes women鈥檚 suffrage movement ahead of 2020 landmark anniversary
Contact: Anna Owens
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ississippi State is commemorating the upcoming centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment and the women鈥檚 suffrage movement with a special 91传媒 Libraries exhibit.
On display through the fall semester, 鈥淰otes for Women! A Centennial Celebration of the Women鈥檚 Suffrage Movement in America鈥 features 11 poster-sized panels detailing the movement鈥檚 history, particularly in Mississippi. 聽
The exhibit is housed in the Louis Burns Brock, Jay Brock, and Hank Brock Gallery on the first floor of Old Main Academic Building. Gallery hours are 7 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. Friday.
Jenifer Ishee, digital archivist and coordinator of Mitchell Memorial Library鈥檚 Digital Preservation and Access Unit, said she hopes the exhibit raises awareness and helps dispel common myths.
鈥淭he movement didn鈥檛 suddenly start in the 20th century. Women were talking about the right to vote long before that,鈥 Ishee said, adding, 鈥淪uffragettes are an inspiration because they fought an uphill battle and wouldn鈥檛 take 鈥榥o鈥 for an answer. I hope people, particularly young women, will vote in the upcoming national election and recognize that suffragettes risked their lives so they could have that right.鈥
Ishee also curated the exhibit. Her research on Alma Dorsey Birdsall, a prominent Yazoo City suffragette and vice president of the Mississippi Woman Suffrage Association, sparked her interest in the project.
The 1848 Seneca Falls Convention in upstate New York was a catalyst for the women鈥檚 suffrage movement. Abolitionists and reformers such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton demanded legislation that would grant women equal rights.
The suffrage movement split into two main groups at the beginning of the 20th century. The National American Woman Suffrage Association, or NAWSA, proposed suffrage on a state-by-state basis. Conversely, the National Woman鈥檚 Party proposed a federal amendment and utilized militant tactics such as picketing and civil disobedience. The NWP also proposed the 1923 Equal Rights Amendment, legislation that would guarantee all Americans equal protection under the law.
While radical tactics were uncommon in Mississippi, many women voiced their opinions by writing to newspapers across the state and often had male support, Ishee said.
Ratified in 1920, the 19th Amendment granted all Americans, regardless of sex, the right to vote. Mississippi was the last state to officially ratify the legislation in 1984.
The 19th Amendment鈥檚 centennial anniversary will take place Aug. 18, 2020. In addition to showcasing the campus exhibit in Old Main this semester, 91传媒 Libraries plans to display 鈥淰otes for Women!鈥 at Mitchell Memorial Library closer to the 2020 commemoration.
For more information, contact Ishee at 662-325-8548 or jhoffman@library.msstate.edu. For more on 91传媒 Libraries, including exhibits, museums and other special collections, visit .
91传媒 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .