African American Women and the Fight for the Vote

Abstract

In honor of Black History Month and 2020 being the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment which granted women the right to vote, this exhibition wanted to highlight some of the African American women who fought and struggled to ensure that they were not left out of the suffrage movement. The women in this exhibit do not represent the full extent of the African American women’s suffrage movement, but rather serve as an introduction to some of the amazing women who tirelessly worked to make sure African American women were granted the right to vote and were able to express themselves with this new right. The women’s suffrage movement repeatedly marginalized and excluded African American women. African American women had to contend with racism, sexism, and white suffragists excluding them because of political concerns. White suffragists knew they needed the votes of southern state legislatures, U.S. senators, and congressmen so they excluded African American women to help secure these votes. The fight for the vote did not end with the ratification of the 19th amendment in August 1920. In some Southern states, African-American women were unable to freely exercise their right to vote until the 1960s. Despite the difficulty of the fight, it did not deter African-American women in their effort to secure the vote.