Celebrate The 19th Amendment’s 100th Anniversary With Stories And Lights

The 19th Amendment was ratified 100 years ago this month, declaring “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.” While the fight for universal voting rights is far from over, New York City is celebrating Women’s Equality Day by collecting stories of everyday extraordinary women, and lighting up the city in purple. 

Women’s Equality Day (August 26) recognizes the date in 1920 when the 19th Amendment was formally certified. The NYC Department of Records is inviting New Yorkers to “write women into history” by submitting stories to its virtual Women’s Equality Day event. The goal is to gather stories of inspiring women from around the world, living or dead, who have made a difference through activism. The stories will be permanently preserved by the New York City Municipal Archives, so that they can inspire new generations of female leaders. 

The virtual event itself will take place on August 26, 1p–4p, with a keynote address from Christiana Best-Giacomini, an assistant professor at the Department of Social Work and Equitable Community Practice at the University of Saint Joseph. You can RSVP for the event here.

Also on that day, the Department of Records is advocating everyone light up the city in purple, the color of the suffrage movement. Any purple lights will do, from programming your whole building to light up purple for the evening or just putting a string of lights in your windows or planters. Purple was selected for the movement for being “the color of loyalty, constancy to purpose, unswerving steadfastness to a cause,” according to the National Parks Service. 

To participate, fill out this form and email it to [email protected].

photo: iStock