ALEXANDRIA, VA -- The Kate Waller Barrett Branch at 717 Queen Street is currently hosting a new popup exhibition from the National Archives, Rightfully Hers, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Rightfully Hers contains simple messages exploring the history of the ratification of the 19th amendment, women’s voting rights before and after the 19th, and its impact today. Despite decades of marches, petitions, and public debate to enshrine a woman’s right to vote in the constitution, the 19th Amendment – while an enormous milestone – did not grant voting rights for all. The challenges of its passage reverberate to the ongoing fight for gender equity today. This exhibit runs through Wednesday, September 30, 2020. 

Rightfully Hers co-curator Jennifer N. Johnson states:
"The ratification of the 19th Amendment was a landmark moment in American history that dramatically changed the electorate, and although it enshrined in the U.S. Constitution fuller citizenship for women many remained unable to vote.”

To learn more about Kate Waller Barrett and how her work was essential to women's suffrage, visit the Local History/Special Collections Branch (by appointment only) in addition to the exhibit. There is limited building capacity to view the exhibit and we kindly ask for you to physically distance.
 

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Rightfully Hers is organized by the National Archives and Records Administration. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, the National Archives has launched a nationwide initiative and major exhibition that explores the generations-long fight for universal woman suffrage. The exhibition is presented in part by the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission and the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of Unilever, Pivotal Ventures, Carl M. Freeman Foundation in honor of Virginia Allen Freeman, AARP, and Denise Gwyn Ferguson.
 

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